The year was 1996. The governor was William Weld. The water was inviting…

(Video courtesy of WHDH-TV, Boston) 

Before the Charles gets to Boston Harbor, it has to contend with the locks…

Host David Boeri paddles upriver on the Charles, to seek out the soul of an urban waterway near Weston, Massachusetts…

Plus, check out our Charles River Flickr group for more canoeing images, and post your own.

And, read on for one of the greatest love letters Charles ever received…

We’re taking a trip down the Charles River this week. Help us document the river, its history, its beauty, its less-than-beautiful aspects… everything you love and loathe about one of the most important waterways in Massachusetts.

Post your images to our Charles River Flickr Group, and please geotag them so we have a map of images of the Charles.

Photo at left by Alalettre, Flickr.