Timeline

Westerly Sun articles about Quonnie breachway

Date	Event
Aug. 16, 1635	The Colonial Hurricane.
Pre-1660	Dutch trading with Native Americans; Native American slash and burn agriculture; some permanent camps
1660	Newport colonists Champlin and Stanton purchase Misquamicut (includes Westerly, Charlestown, Richmond, and Hopkinton)
1660's	Champlin, Stanton, and Burdick families clear land around Ninigret Pond, start large plantations for livestock, dairy, and horses (Narragansett Pacers)
1669	Incorporation of Misquamicut as Westerly
1703	Formation of Old Post Road (first paving in 1907)
1738	Incorporation of Charlestown
1747	Incorporation of Richmond
1790-1960	Population stayed about 2000 people
Sep. 23, 1815	The Great September Gale
1840	Significant industrial development in the two border villages
1876	First regatta on Ninigret
1880	14 cottages built on Quonochontaug Beach
1881	Sheffield farm let to Edison Light Company for the purpose of mining iron-rich sand.
1888	Blizzard, NW winds
1904	Original channel of Charlestown breachway stoned up, 200' jetty built.
Sep. 21, 1938	The 1938 Hurricane. 317 dead in Rhode Island. Storm surge 13'9".
1942	588 acres of original Champlin Farm (known as Hunter's Harbor from 1923-1942) purchased for Charlestown Naval Auxiliary Landing Field (NALF)
1951-52	Dredging and construction of stone jetties and riprap placed along sides of Charlestown breachway.
Spring, 1954	Permanent Weekapaug breachway completed (5/19/54).
Fall, 1954	Hurricane Carol (8/31/54). 19 dead in Rhode Island. Storm surge 13'.
Fall, 1955	Breachway blocked. Stagnation in Quonnie killing fish, causing odor.
Fall, 1956	Temporary repairs of Quonnie breachway (9/21/56 to 10/17/56).
Fall, 1961	Permanent Quonnie breachway completed (10/31/61).
1964	DDT banned in Rhode Island, resulting from Audobon Society's 1963 survey of the state's nesting ospreys.
1974	NALF closed, Narragansett Electric interested in building power plant
1979	Land turned over to state and town
1980	Population 4,793