page_title: Pawtuxet River
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Pawtuxet River / History
caption_attribution_description: English: View on the Pawtuxet River, before the burning of the Old Mill.Engraving from The Providence Plantations for 250 Years, Welcome Arnold Greene (1886). Page 400.
context_page_description: The Pawtuxet River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows 12.3 miles and drains a watershed of 231.6 square miles. There are four dams along the river's length.
context_section_description: The area around the river was occupied by members of the Patuxet tribe, who were part of the larger Narragansett tribe. In the native language, the word "pawtuxet" means "little falls." 
  In 1638, Roger Williams purchased the land north of the Pawtuxet, thus founding Providence. In 1642, Samuel Gorton purchased the land south of the river, thus founding Warwick.
  The Pawtuxet River Valley played an important role in the early development of the textile industry in New England during the 19th century.
caption: Pawtuxet River, 1886 engraving.
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