Smith's Ferry, Holyoke, Massachusetts

Smith's Ferry
Neighborhood of Holyoke

Trees and hillside of the Mount Tom Range with Smith's Ferry in the foreground, and the Connecticut River and Holyoke Range in the distance
Coordinates: 42°15′30.33″N 72°36′51.32″W / 42.2584250°N 72.6142556°W / 42.2584250; -72.6142556Coordinates: 42°15′30.33″N 72°36′51.32″W / 42.2584250°N 72.6142556°W / 42.2584250; -72.6142556
Country United States
State Massachusetts
City Holyoke
Wards 7
Precincts 7A
Area[1]
 • Total 5.94 sq mi (15.4 km2)
Elevation[2] 128 ft (39 m)
ZIP code 01040
Area code(s) 413
GNIS feature ID 609085[2]

Smith's Ferry is a neighborhood in Holyoke, Massachusetts located to the north of the city center, approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from downtown. The neighborhood prominently features the Mount Tom State Reservation, as well as the Mountain Park Amphitheater, the Dinosaur Footprints Reservation, and several other recreational and historic venues. Smith's Ferry is the largest geographic division in Holyoke comprising roughly 3,800 acres (1,500 ha) of mixed residential, commercial, and recreational zoning.[1]

History

A map of Northampton and Easthampton in 1873, with the Smith's Ferry annex highlighted in red.

The namesake of Smith's Ferry was one of the many ferry operators who navigated the Connecticut prior to the construction of the Joseph E. Muller Bridge and South Hadley Falls Bridge in Holyoke. The very first ferry began operation in 1658, long before the establishment of the city, and others continued operating between the east and west riverbanks through the early 20th century.[3]

Smith's Ferry remained a vestige of the original boundaries of Northampton for much of its existence, and was formerly known as the Old Mountain Division East Lots. The boundaries between it and the rest of Northampton were divided, however, by a small tract of land in Easthampton to the south of the The Oxbow.[4] While the land was officially governed by the City of Northampton, it was often the Holyoke Fire Department that had to respond to emergency calls in the area.[5]

Frustrated by the lack of services, the residents of Smith's Ferry petitioned to join Holyoke, and on June 9, 1909, the Massachusetts Legislature passed an act allowing the land to be annexed by the City of Holyoke. At the time of its passage, the act required the City of Holyoke pay $7,000 to the Hampshire County government to compensate for the construction of the state road in the area. The act also mandated that the City of Holyoke pay the City of Northampton a sum of $55,000 for the land, for which the City would issue bonds to repay.[6] In total the annexation cost $62,000 at the time, the equivalent of $1.5 million in 2016 US Dollars.[7]

Geography

Geology

One of several dinosaur footprints visible in Smith's Ferry at the Dinosaur Footprints Reservation with a dog's paw for scale.

Smith's Ferry contains a unique mix of sedimentary and igneous rocks due to its proximity to a Mesozoic Rift Basin, where volcanic surface flows once manifested due to continental rifts that arose with the tectonic dispersal of Pangaea. Those rifts which were aborted created igneous deposits along various inland landscapes such as the Connecticut River Valley.[8]

The area's igneous activity from the Jurassic period has left a landscape of Holyoke and black-rock diabase in and around Mt. Tom, the former being created by surface lava flow and the latter as it was forced through layers of subterranean sandstone where it became deposited as an igneous mass. Basalt also occurs in the area due to the former volcanic activity. Sedimentary rocks abut the igneous deposits with large swaths of arkosic sandstone extant along the banks of the Connecticut River.[9] It is on this sandstone that dinosaur tracks from Early Jurassic can be found. These tracks were once so prevalent that they could be readily found by land-owners who would often chisel them away from the landscape and sell them to tourists. Construction of I-91 along Mt. Tom was briefly delayed in the mid-1960s when several slabs of dinosaurs were discovered from blasting in the area.[10]

Transportation

Streets and highways

The most prominent road in Smith's Ferry is U.S. Route 5 which traverses the entire length of the region. PVTA bus route B48 passes through this highway but does not, however, have any marked stops there.[11] This span of highway also contains a marked bike lane separated from traffic by a painted median.[12][13]

U.S. Interstate 91 largely defines the boundaries of the southeast side of Mount Tom State Reservation but is only accessible to the immediate north or south of the neighborhood via Exit 18 in Northampton and Exit 17 on MA Route 141 respectively.[13]

Rail

The railway in Smith's Ferry was originally a part of the Connecticut River Railroad system, with a homonymous passenger station which served the Mount Holyoke Seminary during the 19th century.[14] While there are no passenger or freight stops in Smith's Ferry today, the track which crosses the area is serviced by Pan Am Southern, which operates a freight line from Hartford to White River Junction.[15]

The railroad is also a part of the Vermonter Amtrak route which began servicing stations in downtown Holyoke and Northampton in August 2015.[16]

Government

The neighborhood lies in the 7th Ward of the City of Holyoke, and is locally represented by Councilman Todd McGee as well as members elected-at-large including Councilman Daniel Bresnahan, Councilman Howard B. Greaney, Councilman Michael J. Sullivan, Councilman James M. Leahy, Councilwoman Rebecca Lisi, Councilman Diosdado Lopez, Councilman Joseph M. McGiverin, and Councilman Peter R. Tallman.[17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Spatial analysis of "Holyoke Neighborhoods" (PDF). Retrieved 3 Jun 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Smith's Ferry, Holyoke, Massachusetts". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 3 Jun 2016.
  3. ↑ "Fun on the Ferry". Gaylord Memorial Library. 26 February 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2016.
  4. ↑ Frederick W. Beers (1873). "Northampton & Easthampton" (Map). County atlas of Hampshire, Massachusetts. 1:31680 "2 inches to the mile". New York: F.W. Beers & Co.
  5. ↑ "The Holyoke Timeline, 1909–1949". Chronos Historical Services. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016.
  6. ↑ An act to establish the boundary line between the cities of Northampton and Holyoke, Massachusetts General Law No. Ch. 480 of June 9, 1909. Retrieved on 30 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "Inflation Calculator". Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor.
  8. ↑ "Mesozoic Basins". Geology of National Parks, 3D and Photographic Tours. U.S. Geologic Survey. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015. Retrieved 3 Jun 2016.
  9. ↑ Pynchon, W.H.C. (1905). Fuller, Myron L., ed. "Drilled Wells of the Triassic Area of the Connecticut Valley". Contribution to the Hydrology of Eastern United States. United States Geologic Survey: 70–71.
  10. ↑ "Dinosaurs Block Road in Holyoke". Boston Globe. Boston. 14 July 1964. p. 1. Discovery of tracks of the prehistoric monsters has halted blasting for Interstate Rte. 91 near the Connecicut [sic] River. Workmen found the tracks, which resemble those of an enormous chicken, imbedded in rock close to the foot of Mt. Tom. Paleontologists have confirmed the find.
  11. ↑ "Blue 48 - Northampton/Veterans Park - connect to Holyoke Mall". Pioneer Valley Transit Authority. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  12. ↑ Planners Collaborative, Inc. (September 2008). Massachusetts Bicycle Transportation Plan (PDF) (Report). Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation. p. 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 July 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  13. 1 2 Google (5 July 2016). "Smith's Ferry, Holyoke, Massachusetts" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  14. ↑ Green, John M. (1872). Thirty-Fifth Annual Catalogue of the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, Mass. Northampton: Bridgman & Childs, Publishers. p. 24. All persons wishing to come to the Seminary should stop at the 'Smith's Ferry' Station on the Connecticut River R. R., where the stages are in waiting on the arrival of each of the trains. Arrangements have been perfected whereby Tickets and Checks for Baggage can be obtained in New York City, Boston, Albany, and all the large towns on the Boston and Albany R. R. direct for Smith's Ferry.
  15. ↑ Otto M. Vondrak (2014). "System Map" (Map). Pan Am Railways. 1:316800. North Billerica, MA: Pan Am Railways. Archived from the original on 11 July 2016.
  16. ↑ Kinney, Jim (20 August 2015). "Opening date set for Holyoke Amtrak train station". MassLive. Advance Digital. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  17. ↑ "Councilors". City of Holyoke. 26 February 2010. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
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