Foothills of Tekoa

Dam site for the old Tekoa Reservoir

Back into the foothills of Tekoa Mountain! Using a favorite Westfield approach, we visited the old Tekoa Reservoir, now minus its two dams and drained. Then it was off through the woods of the Grace Robson Sanctuary to locate the old homestead of Richard Falley, which would later become the Robson home. Then it was a couple of town boundary markers and along Moose Meadow Brook to the location of Falley's gun shop (Revolutionary War muskets) followed by a rum production site.

Millstone for the old gun shop

Following along Unkamit's Path we soon came out on the challenging ridge leading up Tekoa. This was only followed a short distance before we returned to Moose Meadow Brook on the Grace Robson Sanctuary Trail. Just below the road crossing, lies the remains of an old grist mill dam.

Unkamit's - where are you?

I returned to the wilds of Becket still reeling from significant amounts of snow. It was a long shot but Unkamit's Path wound through these woods. I took a shot at seeing if any pathway - or blazes - could be located. None was found by this individual! Hopefully, others will have better luck as we work to put this old hiking trail back in shape.

The old Shaker Mill Dam

Shatterack!

Returning to the quintessential hilltown of Russell, a small group of Hoilltown Hikers gathered at the base of Shatterack Mountain where Unkamit's Path comes wandering through. Recent storms left the woodlands very much in doubt as to trail conditions. A more formal group hike was scheduled the following (re-scheduled to the next day) so this was for the purpose of a preliminary trail check.

Impressive glacial boulder on Shatterack Mountain approach

The steep hike went off without a hitch. Some branch clearing was involved. And leader, Liz, spruced up the white blazes used on the Path. Upon completion, we went down the Westfield River to check out a dam with an impressive water flow and falls.

February 16 - 19, 2023

Starting off in northern Becket, we once again sought out the past route of Unkamits Path. This would be the area east the CCC camp, and west of the Pontoosuc Turnpike, all areas recently explored. Most of the way, a crude remnant of a trail existed, but any defining blazes were not seen. The trail disappeared entirely before even reaching the old CCC camp.

When finished, we dropped in to the Becket-Washington library for a bit research. The best research was yet to come!

On the next day, myself and two members of the Hilltown Hikers, descended upon the Registry of Deeds in Pittsfield followed by its neighbor: the Berkshire Athenaeum. In what seemed a limitless amount of information, copious quantities of data was explored that better defined the historical background of the Huckleberry Trolley line. It all made for a great prelude to the following day...

Starting in Blandford the Hilltown Hikers moved along old roads and the previous route of the Huckleberry Trolley line. Explored were several 'stations' or work encampment associated with the trolley line. Typical remains were foundations, wells and the occasional bit of odd metal merchandise.

The following day brought me back to Chester and its old train station. A Westfield resident brought his impressive collection of photos from the days of building the Huckleberry Trolley line with some railroad images within.

The end of February is upon us which means I will keep my eyes out for signs of Spring. I'm hoping this year to get back to my more traditional format of travels and geologic explorations. Two of the last three years were pretty much a bust as far as that was concerned. Pandemic, contractors, and health issues took up FAR too much of my time!

Back to the Pontoosuc

More exploration on the Pontoosuc Turnpike/Unkamit's Path. A bit more snow and ice exists than our recent trip two weeks ago. But onward we (Hilltown Hikers) pushed. Fellow member Tom had some previous experience with the Turnpike and we did locate a few other sites than on our last visit. One being the foundation and remains of some large building. There are also three bridges encountered and, once being destroyed by flooding, a rebuild took place incorporating some of the previous keystone bridge structure.

A few blazes were thrown up indicating the section Unkamit's Path shared with the Turnpike. But future work will involve cleaning out some of that old route that has become overgrown.

C.C.C.

Winding my way through the typical slow time of the year for the outdoors. It was one more time with the Hilltown Hikers meeting in Becket near the Washington town line. Back in the days of the Great Depression this area was one - of many - Civilian Conservation Corps camps that put many a young man to work. Although a good number of old relics could still be located, working from old photographs we could tell even more had gone missing over the intervening years.

Unkamit's Path is suppose to go through this area but any sign seemed to be lost. In the area a pretty little stream named Shaker Mill Brook ran. An old mill dam was present, one that dated back to at least mid 1800s.

Pontoosuc Turnpike

The old Pontoosuc Turnpike. An early road from Westfield to Pittsfield - and beyond! The Turnpike also provided a convenient rout through the hills for an early railroad that soon followed. Remains can still be found by the intrepid explorer. On this day we made such a search, also trying to pin down more of Unkamit's Path. With some poking around - and directions from the 1960s - we did ultimately find old blazed portions of Unkamit's. We also realized the Turnpike also provided a large section of the trail route. Not surprisingly, old foundations of homes and a possible sawmill were present.