Walker Pond

42°08′20″N 72°03′35″W / 42.13889°N 72.05972°W / 42.13889; -72.05972Basin countriesUnited StatesSurface area104 acres (42 ha)[1]Average depth7.5 ft (2.3 m)[1]Max. depth16 ft (4.9 m)[1]Surface elevation581 ft (177 m)References[1]

Walker Pond is a body of water in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, situated off Route 49 on the way to Wells State Park.

History

The pond took its name from settler Rachael "Walker" Smith, a local resident who raised twelve Italian children there.[2] (The house, since demolished, was called the Perez Walker House in memory of Nathaniel Walker's grandson, a prominent townsman.)[3][4] In 1894, the town of Sturbridge voted to rename the pond Tantousque Lake,[5] from an Indian word meaning "located between two breast-shaped hills."[6] The traditional Indian name did not, however, stick.

Fishing

According to a 1980 survey, the pond contains largemouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, white perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, white suckers, and golden and bridled shiners.[1] It is a popular place for ice fishing.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Walker Pond Sturbridge" (PDF). Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  2. ^ Josiah Temple (1887). History of North Brookfield, Massachusetts. North Brookfield. pp. 769. OCLC 16274445. [1]
  3. ^ George Davis, A Historical Sketch of Sturbridge and Southbridge, 47.[2]
  4. ^ Nina Fletcher Little, American Decorative Wall Painting, 24
  5. ^ Proceedings of the Worcester Society of Antiquity (1894), 106
  6. ^ Levi Chase, The Bay Path and Along the Way, 85

External links

  • Wells State Park
  • U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Walker Pond
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Lakes and ponds of Massachusetts by drainage system
Lakes
Connecticut River Watershed
  • Lake Monomonac
  • Lake Wyola
Housatonic River Watershed
  • Lake Buel
  • Lake Garfield
  • Lake Onota
Merrimack River Watershed
Providence River Watershed
Taunton River Watershed
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Ponds
Agawam River Watershed
Connecticut River Watershed
Eel River Watershed
Jones River Watershed
Mattapoisett River Watershed
Merrimack River Watershed
Taunton River Watershed
Wankinco River Watershed
Others