The Baker River, or Asquamchumauke, is a 36.4 miles (58.6 km) river

River

A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...

 in the White Mountains

White Mountains (New Hampshire)

The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...

 region of New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

, the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. It rises on the south side of Mount Moosilauke and runs south and east to empty into the Pemigewasset River

Pemigewasset River

The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and drains approximately...

 in Plymouth

Plymouth, New Hampshire

Plymouth is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States, in the White Mountains Region. Plymouth is located at the convergence of the Pemigewasset and Baker rivers. The population was 6,990 at the 2010 census...

. The river traverses the towns of Warren

Warren, New Hampshire

Warren is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 904 at the 2010 census. Warren includes the village of Glencliff....

, Wentworth

Wentworth, New Hampshire

-External links:* * * * *...

, and Rumney

Rumney, New Hampshire

Rumney is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,480 at the 2010 census. The town is located at the southern edge of the White Mountain National Forest.-History:...

. It is part of the Merrimack River

Merrimack River

The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...

 watershed

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

.

The Baker River's name recalls Lt. Thomas Baker (1682–1753), whose company of 34 scouts from Northampton, Massachusetts

Northampton, Massachusetts

The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...

 passed down the river's valley in 1712 and destroyed a Pemigewasset Indian village. It was along this river on April 28, 1752 that John Stark

John Stark

John Stark was a New Hampshire native who served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He became widely known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.-Early life:John Stark was born in Londonderry, New...

 and Amos Eastman were captured by Abenaki warriors and taken to Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec

Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec

Saint-François-du-Lac is a community in the Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 2,002...

, near Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

. John Stark's brother William Stark

William Stark

William Stark was the older brother of Gen. John Stark, the hero of the Battle of Bennington. William Stark was born on April 1, 1724 at Londonderry, New Hampshire...

 escaped, and David Stinson was killed during the ambush

Ambush

An ambush is a long-established military tactic, in which the aggressors take advantage of concealment and the element of surprise to attack an unsuspecting enemy from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind hilltops...

.

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

Major tributaries

Tributaries greater than 5 miles (8 km) long, listed from upstream end to downstream end of Baker River:

• Berry Brook
• Pond Brook
• South Branch Baker River
  South Branch Baker River
  The South Branch of the Baker River is a river located in western New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Baker River, part of the Pemigewasset River and Merrimack River watersheds....
  
  
• Halls Brook
• Stinson Brook

There is a large fish hatchery

Fish hatchery

A fish hatchery is a "place for artificial breeding, hatching and rearing through the early life stages of animals, finfish and shellfish in particular". Hatcheries produce larval and juvenile fish primarily to support the aquaculture industry where they are transferred to on-growing systems...

on the Baker River in the town of Warren.