Backtracking Through History at Blackstone

Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Rocky Mountain ... these are the names that come to mind when you think America's national parks. But the U.S. National Park Service encompasses more than just protected wilderness areas, weaving in many areas of historic significance among its vast roster, albeit to much less fanfare outside of the realm of elementary school field trips.

Actually, for anyone interested in the outdoors, history and our country's "greatest idea" as noted filmmaker recently documented, it's certainly nice to have these sites especially here in New England. We're not as spoiled with the great traditional parks as the West, with Acadia National Park (where Sara and I honeymooned, by Bar Harbor, Maine) the closest option.

So I loved the idea of a quick trip down Route 146 to hit a few of the spots that comprise part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, which runs from Central Massachusetts into Rhode Island. Plus it's also a notch on our Massachusetts state parks and forests tour. Granted, Jordyn's not quite old enough to appreciate the importance of the Blackstone Canal and mill culture on early-to-mid 1800s society, but being able to combine some hiking and history lessons (okay, I'm partial to the latter as an undergraduate history major and trivia buff) doubles the reason to visit.

It was warm and sunny the morning we went to the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park visitor center (pictured above), so we stayed in the lovely shade along the canal's Towpath Trail for a peaceful walk, where almost everyone we passed exchanged greetings in good spirits. That always puts a smile on my face, as did the abundant wild (and domesticated) animals we spotted: a snake, a beaver, fish, birds, turtles sunbathing on rocks, and dogs on their morning trots.

After our walk we headed south for two more suggested stops on the corridor tour: the Millville Lock and Blackstone Gorge. I took a solo walk in the woods to reach the lock, which is billed as the best preserved one from the era and felt like a nice little transport back in time to see and think about the barges that passed through it. Then we went to the Blackstone Gorge (pictured below) and checked out the impressive falls that drop the tranquil river into the rocks where it swiftly goes on its way, far removed from its time one of the region's chief transportation hubs. (Arlen)