HISTORY of BASS RIVER

The beginninG

Ask any local for a story, fact or tidbit about Bass River and you are sure to get several, some sprinkled with more lore than others. Originating in Follins Pond in Yarmouthport, Bass River meanders nine miles to Nantucket Sound, making it the longest river on Cape Cod. Though never proven, some historians believe that Follins Pond might have been Vinland, the winter home of Viking explorer Leif Ericson.

We do know that the Pawkunnawkut Indians occupied both sides of Bass River near South Yarmouth and South Dennis, but little else is known of the region until the English settled in the 1600s. With the English came schooners and packet ships with loads of coal, lumber, food, and even mail for Cape residents. For centuries to follow, the accessibility, resources and natural beauty of Bass River have beckoned many to settle on its shores.

And today

Bass River and its surrounding watershed has something to offer everyone. Whether you sail, fish, swim, powerboat, paddle, bird watch or harvest your own clams - Bass River is the place to be.