The land for the town of South Windsor, northeast of Hartford, Connecticut is said to have been sold to settlers by the Podunk Indians. About half the area of the town drains into the Connecticut River via the roughly 13-mile (21 km) Podunk River and its tributaries (as does parts of northwestern East Hartford). In 1659, Thomas Burnham purchased most of this land from Tan-tonimo, Chief Sachem of the Potunk, on which he afterward lived. Before his death he had divided the greater part of his estate among his children by deed, with the condition that it should remain in the family, a part of which is still in possession of his descendants.

As of 2007, highway signs reading "Podunk River" mark many of the dozen or so road crossings of the river. Vintons Mill Pond contains (barring peak rain or meltoff) much of the river's water, impounded by a dam at the "Mill on the River", a restaurant and banquet hall in the restored premises of the last of a series of gristmills that have existed since before 1750s, often bearing the name the "Podunk Mill".

A street and several businesses in South Windsor also include "Podunk" in their names, especially adjacent to Ellington Road, which also passes the site of the mills.