When I first moved out to the Hilltowns in Russell, Turtle Bend and the Shatterack and Tekoa ridge were my playground. Turtle Bend mountain is unique because it is the only mountain that lies in the Westfield River Valley. Unkamit’s Path also runs thru here. In the early days, a park was located here offering tourists on the Jacobs Ladder Trail donkey rides up the mountains. There was also a dance hall frequented by travelers right on Route 20 here, the stairs to it are barely visible now. A famous historic site where large, sharp, almandine crystals were mined from a pegmatite “pod” in the late-1800s. The operation mined out nearly all of the pegmatite, leaving little to be seen today. The dumps were used to fill a swale in the owner’s back yard, the fill then covered and grass planted. There is nothing left but the small open cut of the mine and a little bit of quartz and feldspar that didn’t get mined out.(minedat)
Turtle Bend Mountain has been quarried for the last several years, the entire bend holds A+ quality gravel most likely from the deposits left from the river sharply turning here. Hopefully this land will be donated to Fish and Wildlife (as initially promised) after the quarry operations cease bringing world class fly fishing and hiking back!

#russellma #hikethehilltownhistory
hikethehilltowns with the #westernmasshilltownhikers #discoverthehilltowns #visitthehills #hilltownhistory #flashhike #intheberkshires #nature #adventure #history #hiking #outdooradventures

Visit our blog for all of our adventures! We are on Instagram TikTok Pinterest Twitter YouTube Meetup @hilltownhikers www.hilltownhikers.com
A 501c3 Massachusetts Non-Profit Organization Donate here on Square https://hilltownhikers.square.site/