Pawtucket is a mill city, and a particularly important one. In 1793, Samuel Slater, an English apprentice who had memorised the design of the new textile machinery in his home country, built the first successful water-powered cotton-spinning mill in America beside the falls of the Blackstone River here. The brick Slater Mill still stands beside the water, and is considered the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. The idea of using water, machines and a paid workforce spread rapidly down the valley and across New England, changing the way the country worked.
The falls that powered the mill still tumble through the middle of the city, a short, rocky drop that looks small but once drove an entire industry. Along the Blackstone, a chain of other mills, canals and workers' housing is protected today as the Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park, a landscape that tells the story of industry, immigration and the cost of progress. The river itself was polluted for generations by mill waste, and the clean-up that has taken place since is a quiet success story.
The city has a mix of communities, reflecting the waves of mill workers who came here: French-Canadians, Irish, Portuguese, Cape Verdeans, Colombians and others. It is also the home of Hasbro, the toy and game company, which brings a playful touch to a town otherwise defined by brick and granite. The old baseball stadium, long the home of a Triple-A team, was the scene of the longest professional game ever played, a thirty-three-inning marathon in 1981.
For a rider, Pawtucket is an urban start, not a scenic one. Interstate 95 and Route 1 cut through, the streets are dense, and potholes after winter are bad. The real riding begins as you move north up the Blackstone Valley, where the road follows the river through old mill villages, past dams and canals, and into quieter woodland. Surfaces are patched, and traffic thins noticeably the further you go.
Fuel and food are plentiful, and the Portuguese and Latin American bakeries and restaurants are a pleasure, particularly for a late breakfast. Winter brings salt and slush, and the best seasons are spring and autumn, when the river valley is at its prettiest.