Cold River (Connecticut River tributary)
tributary of Connecticut River, river in New Hampshire, United States
The Cold River is a 22.6-mile-long (36.4 km) river in western New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Connecticut River, which flows to Long Island Sound.
The Cold River begins at the outlet of Crescent Lake in the northeastern corner of the town of Acworth. The river flows east into the town of Lempster, then turns south and reenters Acworth. When Dodge Brook joins the river, it turns west and makes its way to the Connecticut River, passing the villages of South Acworth, Alstead, and Drewsville. The river reaches the Connecticut just south of the communities of Bellows Falls, Vermont, and North Walpole, New Hampshire.
In October 2005, flooding on the Cold River and its tributaries caused severe damage in the towns of Alstead, Acworth, and Walpole.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Cold River (Connecticut River tributary)” is tributary of Connecticut River, river in New Hampshire, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Cold, River and Connecticut, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “tributary of Connecticut River, river in New Hampshire, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5142324. Authority coordinates are 43.118, -72.432. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2005.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cold River (Connecticut River tributary)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cold River (Connecticut River tributary) primary sources, Cold River (Connecticut River tributary) archive and Cold research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cold River (Connecticut River tributary)”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Cold River (Connecticut River tributary)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.