The 40.2-mile-long river - which begins in Winchester, north of Torrington, meanders to its end in Derby, and empties into the larger Housatonic River - has had a rough go of it since the 1760s.
That was when the first dam was built to trap its waters for agricultural use. As mills and factories
Photos: What the river looks like now
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The Present: Common people led the revival
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The Future: Removal of dams opens river to recreation
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