Walker Pond | |
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Location | Sturbridge, Massachusetts |
Coordinates | 42°08′20″N 72°03′35″W / 42.13889°N 72.05972°WCoordinates: 42°08′20″N 72°03′35″W / 42.13889°N 72.05972°W |
Basin countries | United States |
Surface area | 104 acres (42 ha) |
Average depth | 7.5 ft (2.3 m) |
Max. depth | 16 ft (4.9 m) |
Surface elevation | 581 ft (177 m) |
References |
Walker Pond is a body of water in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, situated off Route 49 on the way to Wells State Park.
The pond took its name from settler Rachael "Walker" Smith, a local resident who raised twelve Italian children there. (The house, since demolished, was called the Perez Walker House in memory of Nathaniel Walker's grandson, a prominent townsman.) In 1894, the town of Sturbridge voted to rename the pond Tantousque Lake, from an Indian word meaning "located between two breast-shaped hills." The traditional Indian name did not, however, stick.
According to a 1980 survey, the pond contains largemouth bass, chain pickerel, yellow perch, white perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed, brown bullhead, white suckers, and golden and bridled shiners. It is a popular place for ice fishing.