Huntington Center, the end of the Huckleberry Trolley Line.the grey building left of church was the trolley terminal. From Huntington Center over Cooks Mountain to the Blandford Line. The Lee to Huntington Trolley Line which became known as the Huckleberry Line during its first season of operation was constructed by the Western Massachusetts Contracting Company for the Berkshire Street Railway (owned by the New York New Haven and Hartford Railroad). The nickname, “Huckleberry Line”, came about as a result of the abundant huckleberries available for picking along the line. Built between 1911 and 1913 at an extravagant cost of $3,000,000 for the track alone without equipment. It operated for only two years; with service suspended in 1919. The track was removed in 1923. The line never made a profit.

The grade up out of Huntington onto Cook Mountain was steep. Francis Knightly of Huntington, who had worked as water-boy on the crew had never ridden the Huckleberry; he had been “scared to death” to ride. A little less than three miles up the mountain was “Camp 10” so-called, the top of the grade. All was leveler beyond. At Huntington the track ended in a lot beside St. Regis’s store, coming in at a diagonal to within two feet of the Westfield Street Railway’s line from Westfield to Huntington but never joining it. The town Hay Scales had formerly occupied the site; now it is part lawn-parking lot, and part “Huntington Package Store.” There were four catch-tracks for run-aways spaced every three-quarters of a mile or so up out of Huntington on Cook Mountain. Credits: Leonard Spencer Chronicles of the Huckleberry and Becket Historical online courtesy of Western Mass Hilltown Hikers.

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