Baker River (New Hampshire)

The Baker River, or Asquamchumauke^[1] (an Abenaki word meaning "salmon spawning place"),^[2] is a 36.4-mile-long (58.6 km)^[3] river in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire in the United States. It rises on the south side of Mount Moosilauke and runs south and east to empty into the Pemigewasset River in Plymouth. The river traverses the towns of Warren, Wentworth, and Rumney. It is part of the Merrimack River watershed.

Baker River
The Baker River at U.S. Route 3 crossing in Plymouth, New Hampshire
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Location
Country	United States
State	New Hampshire
County	Grafton
Physical characteristics
Source	Jobildunc Ravine, Mount Moosilauke
• location	Benton, New Hampshire
• coordinates	44°1′28″N 71°49′0″W
• elevation	3,560 ft (1,090 m)
Mouth	Pemigewasset River
• location	Plymouth, New Hampshire
• coordinates	43°45′49″N 71°41′10″W
• elevation	465 ft (142 m)
Length	36.4 mi (58.6 km)
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	East Branch
• right	South Branch

The Baker River's name recalls Lt. Thomas Baker (1682–1753), whose company of 34 scouts from Northampton, Massachusetts, passed down the river's valley in 1712 and destroyed a Pemigewasset Indian village. Along this river on April 28, 1752, John Stark and Amos Eastman were captured by Abenaki warriors and taken to Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec, near Montreal. John Stark's brother William Stark escaped, and David Stinson was killed during the ambush.

On the 1835 Thomas Bradford map of New Hampshire, the river is shown as "Bakers" River, originating on "Mooshillock Mtn."

Major tributaries

New Hampshire historical marker (number 55) in Rumney

Tributaries greater than 5 miles (8.0 km) long, listed from upstream end to downstream end of Baker River:

• Berry Brook
• Pond Brook
• South Branch Baker River
• Halls Brook
• Stinson Brook

A large fish hatchery is in the Baker River valley in the town of Warren.