The Swift River is a river in Massachusetts, United States. It has an east branch, a west branch, and a middle branch.[1] It is a tributary of the Ware River. Part of it is dammed in the Swift River Valley to form the Quabbin Reservoir serving Boston and Eastern Massachusetts.[2] Several towns were lost when the reservoir was constructed and filled.[3]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Bondsville_Trestle_over_Swift_River_1910.jpg/220px-Bondsville_Trestle_over_Swift_River_1910.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6b/Petersham-_Rte_32_%26_122_Bridge_over_the_Swift_River_2009_%284274544344%29.jpg/220px-Petersham-_Rte_32_%26_122_Bridge_over_the_Swift_River_2009_%284274544344%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/18/Swift_River_Reservation%2C_Petersham_MA.jpg/220px-Swift_River_Reservation%2C_Petersham_MA.jpg)
Swift River Reservation is located along the east branch.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/PlainfieldMA_FormerSwiftRiverAcademy.jpg/220px-PlainfieldMA_FormerSwiftRiverAcademy.jpg)
The former Academy at Swift River was located in Plainfield, Massachusetts. It is now a drug addiction treatment facility.[4]
Letting Swift River Go, a picture book by Jane Yolen with watercolor illustrations by Barbara Cooney, describes the flooding of the valley to create the reservoir.