The Saxtons River is a 22.9mi river in the U.S. state of Vermont, a tributary of the Connecticut River. Its watershed covers 78sqmi and a range in altitude of 1800ft; land use is about 80% forested and 3% agricultural, and the upper river supports wild brook trout and brown trout, while Atlantic salmon occur but are usually limited to the area below Twin Falls on the lower river.EtymologyThe river is often reported to be named after a surveyor named Saxton who drowned in the river during the first survey of town lines along the river in 1736, but this does not appear to be the source of the name. "Saxton's" was apparently a variant spelling of "Sexton's," which was the spelling used in the first written record of the river, by a scouting party from Fort Dummer in 1724. We do not know the source for the "Sexton's" name, however. Sexton appears to be more common as a surname than Saxton, since a sexton is a church or synagogue officer.GeographyThe Saxtons River rises to the east of Glebe Mountain, in the town of Windham. It continues on through the towns of Grafton and Rockingham, passing through the Rockingham village of Saxtons River (named for the river). It then continues into the town of Westminster before joining the Connecticut River at Westminster, just south of the Rockingham town line. Its watershed lies south of the Williams River watershed and north of the Westminster and Putney brook watersheds (most of Westminster and Putney are not drained by any rivers other than the Connecticut).
