The Charles River is an iconic New England landmark known for its popularity among boaters, rowers and other outdoor enthusiasts. But over decades of use, the river suffered from pollution and exploitation — until clean-up and revitalization efforts started in the 1960s, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
In the precolonial period, the river was widely known as the Quinobequin by the Indigenous Massachusett people, who utilized it for its rich soil, fish and game. From 1616 to 1618, colonial trade boats from Europe introduced a series of devastating plagues that wiped out coastal indigenous groups, allowing the settlers to then lay claim to the river.
The earliest English settlers of the river were Samuel D. Champlain and Captain John Smith, the latter of whom renamed the river to “The Massachusetts” before King Charles I decided he should name the river after himself, the “River Charles,” according to the 1998 book The Charles A River Transformed…