National Park Guide: Rhode Island's Blackstone River

— -- The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor holds an important place in the nation's industrial history as the birthplace of the country's first successful cotton mill, established by Samuel Slater in 1790.

Martha Wetzel has been working in the tourism industry in the Blackstone River Valley for the past 10 years and says its historical significance is what sets it apart.

"If you really want to go back to the grass-roots movements that made this country great, this is it," says Wetzel, who helped create the most recent visitor guide for the Blackstone River Valley corridor.

Jan Reitsma, executive director of the Blackstone River Valley corridor, says up to a half-dozen textile mills are still operating in the region. Three of the mills still in use are in Pawtucket, R.I., where the Slater Mill Museum now welcomes guests to tour the site that sparked the Industrial Revolution.

According to the National Park Service website, the Blackstone River Valley later became an innovator of river and railway transportation as the Blackstone Canal was built in 1828 to transfer cargo from the textile mills.

Today, Reitsma says, transportation projects in the region continue. Construction has begun on a 50-mile bike path that will connect Worcester, Mass., and Providence, New England's second- and third-largest cities.

The Blackstone River Valley corridor spans 24 communities in Rhode Island and central Massachusetts in a blend of historic sites and quaint New England landscapes.

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About the park

Size: 400,000 acres, spanning 24 communities in central Massachusetts and northern Rhode Island

Visitors: 558,937 at major sites in 2011

Established: 1986

History: After the success of Samuel Slater's cotton mill, built in 1790, more and more factories were established along the Blackstone River and throughout New England, drawing a fast and steady stream of immigrants from all over Europe.

When visiting: Blackstone Valley Visitor Center, at 175 Main St. in Pawtucket, is a great place to start. There are seven visitor centers throughout the valley. Visitor info: 401-762-0250.

Of note: Legislation was introduced last year on a proposal to create a permanent National Park in the Blackstone River Valley. The park would include the river, the canal and five mill villages.