The Connecticut River is where Hartford began. The Dutch established a trading colony here called The House of Good Hope by 1633. A few years later, a small band of colonists migrated to the area from Newtown, Massachusetts led by the Reverend Thomas Hooker and created dugout huts along the river in order to survive the New England winter.

For many subsequent years, the river served merchants, manufacturers and farmers with access to transportation that would allow them to trade with other river and seaports in America as well as in the West Indies, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands. Up until the 1840's Hartford was known as the Port of Hartford.

The settlement on the bank of the Connecticut River had its problems, however, due to seasonal flooding. In 1854, the river crested at nearly 29 feet, inundating much of the town. In 1936, the largest flood ever prompted the city to find a solution. The Army Corps of Engineers was brought in and a dike along the river was constructed.

For many years, downtown Hartford was cut off from the Connecticut River. In the year 2000, Hartford's access to its river was formally reestablished thanks to the efforts of Riverfront Recapture and supporting organizations.

Riverfront Plaza is now an arena for strollers, events, performances and other river-related activities, and is connected to Constitution Plaza via a pedestrian bridge. There is also an 18-foot wide promenade along the Founders Bridge, along which pedestrians may walk from Downtown Hartford to East Hartford's Riverfront Park.