Smith's Ferry, Holyoke, Massachusetts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Smith's Ferry
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Riverside clubhouse of the Holyoke Canoe Club, Smith's Ferry
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 Smith's Ferry
Location in Holyoke
Smith's Ferry
Location in Massachusetts
Smith's Ferry
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| City | Holyoke |
| Wards | 7 |
| Precincts | 7A |
| Annexed | June 9, 1909 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.94 sq mi (15.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 128 ft (39 m) |
| ZIP code |
01040
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| Area code(s) | 413 |
| GNIS feature ID | 609085 |
Smith's Ferry is a neighborhood in Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States, 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 second largest geographic division in Holyoke after Rock Valley, comprising roughly 3,800 acres (1,500 ha) of mixed residential, commercial, and recreational zoning.
History
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.
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. 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.
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. In total the annexation cost $62,000 at the time, the equivalent of $1.5 million in 2016 US Dollars.
Geography
Geology
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.
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. 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.
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. This span of highway also contains a marked bike lane separated from traffic by a painted median.
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.
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. While there are no passenger or freight stops in Smith's Ferry today, the track which traverses the area is serviced by Pan Am Southern, which operates a freight line from Hartford to White River Junction.
The railroad is also a part of the Vermonter Amtrak route which began service between stations in downtown Holyoke and Northampton in August 2015.
