Editing Mount Holyoke

{{Short description|Mountain in Massachusetts, United States}}
{{About|the mountain located in western Massachusetts|the private women's liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts|Mount Holyoke College}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox mountain
| name = Mount Holyoke
| photo = Cole Thomas The Oxbow (The Connecticut River near Northampton 1836).jpg
| photo_caption = View of the Connecticut River Oxbow from Mount Holyoke summit. 1836 painting by [[Thomas Cole]].
| elevation_ft = 935
| elevation_ref =
| prominence =
| listing =
| location = [[Hadley, Massachusetts|Hadley]] and [[South Hadley, Massachusetts]]
| range = [[Holyoke Range]] / [[Metacomet Ridge]]
| coordinates = {{coord|42|18|03|N|72|35|13|W |type:mountain_region:US |display=inline,title}}
| topo =
| type = [[Fault-block]]; [[igneous]]
| age = 200 million years
| volcanic_arc/belt =
| last_eruption =
| first_ascent =
| easiest_route = Auto road
}}

'''Mount Holyoke,''' a [[traprock mountain]], elevation {{convert|935|ft}}, is the westernmost peak of the [[Holyoke Range]] and part of the 100-mile (160&nbsp;km) [[Metacomet Ridge]]. The mountain is located in the [[Connecticut River Valley]] of western [[Massachusetts]], and is the namesake of nearby [[Mount Holyoke College]]. The mountain is located in the towns of [[Hadley, Massachusetts|Hadley]] and [[South Hadley, Massachusetts]].<ref>DeLorme Topo 6.0. Mapping software. DeLorme. Yarmouth, Maine.</ref> It is known for its historic summit house, auto road, scenic vistas, and [[biodiversity]]. The mountain is crossed by the {{convert|110|mi|adj=on}} [[Metacomet-Monadnock Trail]] and numerous shorter trails. Mount Holyoke is the home of [[J. A. Skinner State Park|J.A. Skinner State Park]] which is accessible from [[Massachusetts Route 47|Route 47]] in [[Hadley, Massachusetts]].<ref name="EF">Farnsworth, Elizabeth J. "[http://www.mmmtrail.org/NaturalResourcesAssessmentFinal.pdf Metacomet-Mattabesett Trail Natural Resource Assessment.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070807215610/http://mmmtrail.org/NaturalResourcesAssessmentFinal.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051215085405/http://mmmtrail.org/NaturalResourcesAssessmentFinal.pdf |archive-date=2005-12-15 |url-status=live |date=2007-08-07 }}"  2004. PDF wefile cited November 1, 2007.</ref><ref name="MM">''The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail Guide''. 9th Edition. The Appalachian Mountain Club. Amherst, Massachusetts, 1999.</ref>

==History==
[[File:Mount Holyoke summit.jpg|thumb|left|140px|View from Mount Holyoke Summit House]]

===Origin of name===
The mountain was named after [[Elizur Holyoke]], an early resident of [[Springfield, Massachusetts]] and immigrant from Tamworth, England, who was the first European to explore the mountainous region that came to bear his name. The city of [[Holyoke, Massachusetts]], the [[Holyoke Range]], and the ''Mount Holyoke Female Seminary'' (now [[Mount Holyoke College]]) were all named after this mountain, Mount Holyoke, and not directly after Elizur Holyoke. However, Elizur Holyoke's name is still invoked in many references to the mountain.<ref>[http://www.mtholyoke.edu/cic/about/history.shtml Mount Holyoke College] Cited Dec. 6, 2007</ref>

===The Mount Holyoke Summit House===
[[File:Mount Holyoke1.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Mount Holyoke Summit House]]
[[File:Summit hotel.jpg|right|thumb|220px|Mt Holyoke Hotel, showing summit house and covered electric tram circa 1931]]
In 1821, an {{convert|18|by|24|ft|adj=on}} guest cabin was built on Mount Holyoke by a local committee—one of the first New England summit houses. The property changed hands several times between 1821 and 1851 when it was bought and rebuilt as a two-story, eight-room hotel. Local entrepreneurs John and Frances French were the primary owners; between 1851 and 1900, the hotel and property were subject to a number of upgrades and related construction projects including a covered tramway to the summit of the mountain (first drawn by horse, then mechanized), a railroad from the base of the mountain to a [[steamboat]] dock on the Connecticut River, and the construction of a number of outbuildings and trails. With passenger steamship to the connecting summit railway established, the Mount Holyoke "Prospect House" became a popular tourist destination. The steamship would pick up guests at the ''Smiths Ferry'' railroad station across the Connecticut River in what was then [[Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton]], ferry them to a tramway leading to the Half Way House. From there guests could take a steep (600 feet long, rising 365 feet) covered inclined tram to the summit (shown in drawing at right<ref>from the personal correspondence of W. Rolfe Brown, August 23, 1931</ref>). The track for this tram was first laid in 1867 and the system electrified in 1926. Competing establishments were soon built on [[Mount Tom (Massachusetts)|Mount Tom]] and [[Mount Nonotuck]] across the Connecticut River, and on [[Sugarloaf Mountain (Franklin County, Massachusetts)|Sugarloaf Mountain]] and [[Mount Toby]] to the north. The Prospect House property passed hands again in the early 1900s, to chain [[hotel]]ier [[Joseph Allen Skinner]], who eventually donated the hotel and property to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for a state park in 1939 on the condition that the park be named after him (now the [[J. A. Skinner State Park|J.A. Skinner State Park]]).

The summit house's 1894 annex had suffered from storm damage during the [[Great Hurricane of 1938]] and had been demolished; in 1942 the enclosed tramway to the summit house broke down. A heavy snow storm in 1948 collapsed sections of the roof. Despite proposals to repair the tram it never ran again. The tram was finally demolished in 1965. State funds for maintenance of the summit house during the 1950s and 1960s were never adequate and by the mid-1970s there were proposals to condemn and demolish the summit house. This led to a public outcry and in the mid-1980s the summit house, consisting of the original 1851 structure and the 1861 addition, was restored by the state and through the efforts of local volunteers.<ref name="C">*[http://www.chronos-historical.org/mtholyoke/ ''Mt. Holyoke Range Historical Timeline''] Cited November 20, 2007.</ref>

[[File:Mount_Holyoke_south.jpg|thumb|180px|right|View from Mount Holyoke south ledges along the [[Metacomet-Monadnock Trail]]. [[Connecticut River]] in background]]

==Geology and ecology==
Mount Holyoke, like much of the Metacomet Ridge, is composed of [[basalt]], also called [[trap rock]], a [[volcanic]] rock. The mountain formed near the end of the [[Triassic Period]] with the [[rift (geology)|rifting]] apart of the [[North America]]n continent from [[Africa]] and [[Eurasia]]. [[Lava]] welled up from the rift and solidified into sheets of strata hundreds of feet thick. Subsequent [[fault (geology)|faulting]] and [[earthquake]] activity tilted the strata, creating the dramatic cliffs and ridges of Mount Holyoke.<ref>[[Raymo, Chet]] and [[Raymo, Maureen E.]] ''Written in Stone: A Geologic History of the Northeastern United States''. Globe Pequot, Chester, Connecticut, 1989.</ref> Hot, dry upper slopes, cool, moist ravines, and mineral-rich ledges of basalt [[scree|talus]] produce a combination of [[microclimate]] ecosystems on the mountain that support plant and animal species uncommon in greater Massachusetts.<ref name="EF"/> (The Metacomet Ridge article has more information on the [[Metacomet Ridge#Geology|geology]] and [[Metacomet Ridge#Ecosystem|ecosystem]] of Mount Holyoke).

==Recreation==
The summit automobile road is open 
for driving from April through November, and the hiking trails year-round. The Summit House is open  weekends and holidays from [[Memorial Day]] through [[Columbus Day]].<ref name="DCR">[http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/skinner/ "J.S.Skinner State Park"] Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Cited Dec. 25, 2007.</ref> A number of hiking trails also cross the mountain, most notably  the 110 mile (180k) [[Metacomet-Monadnock Trail]] and the {{convert|47|mi|adj=on}} [[Robert Frost Trail (Massachusetts)|Robert Frost Trail]].<ref name="MM"/>

Every year in early fall, since 1838, students from nearby [[Mount Holyoke College]] participate in ''[[Mountain Day]].'' On that day, at the sound of ringing bells from Abbey Chapel on a random Autumn morning, all classes are cancelled and students hike to the summit of Mount Holyoke.<ref>[http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/961004/mtday.html Mount Holyoke College] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060304210709/http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/csj/961004/mtday.html |date=2006-03-04 }}</ref>

The area around the summit house has many picnic tables.  Also, there are trailheads and memorials.  One notable memorial is that to the men aboard a military plane that crashed into the flank of the mountain. On May 27, 1944, a [[B-24 Liberator]], flying a night training mission out of [[Westover Air Force Base]] in [[Chicopee, Massachusetts]], crashed into a cliff on the side of the range, killing all ten crewmen.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Freeman |first1=Stan |title=From the archives: Lost airmen of Westover B-24 Liberator crash on Mount Holyoke get final tribute |url=https://www.masslive.com/talk/2011/07/from_the_archives_lost_airmen.html |website=www.masslive.com |access-date=12 August 2020}}</ref> A memorial plaque on the summit of Mount Holyoke, installed in May 1989,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://newenglandaviationhistory.com/mt-holyoke-b-24-memorial/ |title=Mount Holyoke, Massachusetts – May 27, 1944 |website=newenglandaviationhistory.com |accessdate=October 23, 2024}}</ref> eulogizes the disaster.  The crash site itself is {{convert|1/2|mi|km|spell=in}} away, toward the southwest.<ref name="C"/>

The views from the top of the mountain are some of the best in Massachusetts.  They have inspired artists and poets. The nearby [[The Oxbow|Connecticut River Oxbow]] (now a lake), immortalized by the famous landscape painter [[Thomas Cole]] just four years before natural flooding and erosion separated it from the Connecticut River, was composed from sketches the artist made from the summit of Mount Holyoke in 1836.<ref>Roque, Oswaldo Rodriguez (1982). "The Oxbow" by Thomas Cole: Iconography of an American Landscape Painting. Metropolitan Museum Journal. pp. 63–7.</ref>  To the south are the cities of Holyoke, Springfield, and Hartford.  To the north are the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and mountains in Sunderland.  To the east is the Holyoke Range and the town of South Hadley.  To the west are the foothills of the Berkshires, the Connecticut River, and Northampton.

==Conservation==
Most of Mount Holyoke is located within the [[J. A. Skinner State Park|Skinner State Park]]. The [[Mount Holyoke Range State Park]] is a sister park occupying the east side of the Holyoke Range. Its visitor center is located at "the Notch", where [[Massachusetts Route 116|Route 116]] crosses the range in [[Amherst, Massachusetts|Amherst]].<ref>[http://www.mass.gov/dcr/ Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.] Cited Nov. 20, 2007.</ref>

In 2000, Mount Holyoke was included in a study by the [[National Park Service]] for the designation of a new [[National Scenic Trail]] now tentatively called the [[New England National Scenic Trail]], which would include the [[Metacomet-Monadnock Trail]] in Massachusetts and the [[Mattabesett Trail]] and [[Metacomet Trail]] trails in Connecticut.<ref>[http://www.mmmtrail.org/ Monadnock, Metacoment, Mattabesett National Scenic Trail Study.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008120916/http://www.mmmtrail.org/ |date=2007-10-08 }} Cited Nov. 4, 2007.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Metacomet Ridge]]
* [[Metacomet-Monadnock Trail]]
* [[Robert Frost Trail (Massachusetts)]]
* '''Adjacent summits:'''
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
! < West !! East > 
|-
| align="center" width="120pt" |[[File:Mount Tom Massachusetts.jpg|thumb|80px|center|[[Mount Tom Range]]]]||align="center" width="120pt" |[[Seven Sisters (Massachusetts)|Seven Sisters]]<br />(no image)
|-
|}

==Cultural references==
* Mount Holyoke is mentioned in [[Henry James]]'s 1875 novel ''[[Roderick Hudson]]'', in chapters II and IX.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Horowitz, Helen Lefkowitz. ''Alma Mater: Design and experience in the women's colleges from their nineteenth-century beginnings to the 1930s'' (Univ of Massachusetts Press, 1993) .[https://archive.org/details/almamaterdesigne0000horo/page/n7/mode/2up online]
* Olsen, Deborah M. “Remaking the Image: Promotional Literature of Mount Holyoke, Smith, and Wellesley Colleges in the Mid-to-Late 1940s.” ''History of Education Quarterly'' 40#4 (2000), pp.&nbsp;418–59. [https://doi.org/10.2307/369724 online]
* Solomon, Barbara Miller. ''In the Company of Educated Women: A History of Women and  Higher Education in America'' (Yale University Press, 1985) [https://archive.org/details/incompanyofeduca0000solo/page/n4/mode/1up online]

==External links==
* [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.1528: U.S. Congress ''New England National Scenic Trail Designation Act.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160704225141/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.R.1528: |date=2016-07-04 }}
* [http://www.sunstar-solutions.com/sunstar/geology/Olsen92/NEIGC84.htm Geology of the northern Metacomet Ridge region]
* [http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-west/skinner-state-park-generic.html State website for Skinner State Park]
* [http://www.amherstma.gov/departments/Conservation/Robert%20Frost%20Trail%20Guide.pdf Guide to the Robert Frost Trail]{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Mountains of Massachusetts}}
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[[Category:Mountains of Hampshire County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Mountains of Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Holyoke Range]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Hampden County, Massachusetts]]