File:Over Mohawk Trail (1920) (14593575809).jpg

Identifier: overmohawktrail00cald (find matches)
Title: Over Mohawk Trail
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Caldwell, F. B., Mrs
Subjects:
Publisher: East Northfield, Mass. : Mrs. F. B. Caldwell
Contributing Library: Queen's University Library, W.D. Jordan Special Collections and Music Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Queen's University - University of Toronto Libraries

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grades and wasnarrow and dangerous. The steepest grade on theMohawk Trail is seven per cent. There is a differ-ence in height of 1,600 feet between Deerfield Riverand Whitcombs Summit, and 1,200 feet from thecrest of the hill to North Adams. This sixteen miles of Mohawk Trail is undoubtedlythe most important piece of highway work which hasbeen done in the New England States in many years.The work on the east side was in charge of DivisionEngineer H. D. Phillips_, and that on the west sideof Division Engineer C. H. Howes. Repair work on the road is in progress all thetime, being done by the State Highway Commission.In addition to the original cost of $345,000 for thissixteen miles of Trail, much is spent each year tokeep it in good condition. Previous to the building of the new road aboutthirty vehicles a day passed over it, of which sevenwere automobiles. In 1915 there was an average of287 vehicles a day, of which 266 were automobiles,the number being much greater on most days. On 19
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o the Sunday before Labor Day of that year, 3,268automobiles passed over the road. The number hasincreased each year. On Memorial Day, 1920, over 400 automobiles anhour passed over the Trail. The Trail follows the turbulent little Cold Riveruntil it meets the Deerfleld. Soon the road runs intonarrower confines and we find ourselves in a deepravine with the sweep of the broad road ahead, theriver at our feet and steep mountain sides on eitherside. Steadily mounting higher, in a generous curve,the road becomes a wide shelf, chiselled out of solidrock. The river drops far below. The mountainpeaks tower above. We travel thus for miles, with abig, smooth road ahead through virgin forest. Hawthorne, who was always delighted in drinkingin the beauties of nature, thus describes his impres-sions of the natural beauties of this section which hevisited in 1838, Often it would seem a wonder howour road was to continue, the mountains rose soabruptly on either side, while looking behind it wouldbe

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