Visited Dover, NH: Part 2: Fish Ladder Park & Dover's History

In Part 2 of our visit to Dover, New Hampshire, you'll learn about the city, it's history and Fish Ladder Park! In today's blog you'll learn all about the Fish Ladder park and it's function, historic Cocheco Mills, and the history of Dover. 

(Photo: Fish Ladder Park, Downtown Dover, NH. Credit: R.G.) 

ABOUT DOVER - Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,741 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous city in the New Hampshire Seacoast region and the 5th most populous city in New Hampshire. Settled in 1623, Dover is the oldest permanent settlement in New Hampshire and the 7th oldest in the United States. 

DOVER'S HISTORY: The city of Dover has a long and colorful history spanning nearly four centuries. Its earliest days as a colonial seaport led to a successful shipbuilding industry in the 1700s, and it flourished in the 19th century as the nation's leading manufacturer of cotton goods. The development of a brick industry spanned decades of successful mill operations through the middle of the 20th century. Dover's renaissance as a thriving, competitive community continues today.

FISH LADDER PARK -  Fish Ladder Park is a small (only 1/10th of an acre), linear park, located in the center of downtown Dover, is adjacent to the Cochecho River near the dam. It has several benches and a walkway that provide a viewing area for the New Hampshire Fish and Game fish ladder and the dam. 

It's located at 75 Central Ave, Dover, NH 03820 in front of the Cocheco Mills apartments.   

ABOUT THE "FISH LADDER": Tens of thousands of herring migrate up the Cocheco from the Atlantic Ocean to spawn in fresh water annually. This fish ladder, "...which under an agreement with the dam owner, is opened from April 15 through June 30 to allow migratory fish passage upstream to spawn. The ladder, which lets fish navigate past the 26-foot high dam, has a 6:1 slope, with five resting pools interspersed along its length." (Source: Foster's Daily Democrat, "Cocheco River fish species are carefully monitored")

WHO MANAGES THE FISH LADDER? - The N.H. Fish and Game Department operates seven fish ladders in coastal rivers that each Spring help hundreds of thousands of migratory fish ascend over dams into the freshwater above. In order to survive, these migratory fish, such as river herring (alewife and blueback herring) and American shad, must move between saltwater and freshwater to access spawning, nursery and feeding areas as part of their life cycle.

(Photo: L to R: Rob, Jeff and Tom after exploring the Fish Ladder State Park. Credit: R.G.)

 N.H. Fish and Game staff monitor the fish ladders daily during the migrations to help fish pass through these fish ladders into the freshwater and to collect biological information to assure the populations are healthy and continuing to flourish.    (Source: Foster's Daily Democrat  Outdoor roundup: Discover Dover’s migrating fish")

HISTORIC COCHECO MILLS -The Cocheco Mills comprise a historic mill complex in the heart of Dover. The mills occupy a bend in the Cochecho River that has been site of cotton textile manufacturing since at least 1823, when the Dover Manufacturing Company supplanted earlier sawmills and gristmills. Today, the Mill has become a thriving mixed-use community with the addition of the new apartments to the mix of businesses and restaurants.  

 For more about Dover, visit: https://www.dover.nh.gov/about-dover/dover-facts-and-history/