Frog Hollow & the old RR

Long LONG ago the railroad in Crescent Mills, Russell, came southward and crossed the Westfield River to it's west side. Hugging the base of Turtle Bend Mountain and eventually traveling down the route now occupied by Frog Hollow Road. I believe by 1860 that railroad route was left on the River's east side. A group of Hilltown Hikers covered this area which also plays host to part of Unkamit's Path. Evidence of a possible river crossing (such as abutments) was scant.

Later on, back more towards the center of Russell, we looked of a definite abutment leftover from the old trolley route through town.

Old Times in Middlefield

On a Sunday afternoon with a short amount of daylight to exploit. a small group of the Hikers descended upon Middlefield. This was near the southern end of where a succession of several reservoirs once existed for the benefit of factories in the nearby area. We rooted bout several old cellar holes the mill owners once occupied, one being 'modern' enough to have remnants of an ancient electrical system. We explored the nearby woods which itself was once the bottom of a reservoir!.

Just downstream from this area was an old CCC project that was going to resurrect a big reservoir for recreational purposes. Although that never came to be, one can see an old stone quarry, partial dam remains and a handful of drill bits left curiously standing in the ground. Out on the main road nearby were several foundations of the old mills.

Curious Geologic Offerings

Returning more to my 'roots' of a geologic theme, a trip into an area reported to have potholes of a possible unusual nature. Unusual they were! Where your everyday pothole is usually a vertical formation down into the rocks, these were formed along a horizontal axis and of a very large size. Right now their exact nature remains a mystery. One appears to be your traditional vertical pothole. But it is of an enormous size with partial collapse in areas around its circumference. Further study will be in the offering!

On the return to our cars, a chance to visit the first cemetery for this remote little Berkshire town.