A foggy Saturday at October Mountain State Forest where Tom Hoffman, Washington Historical and Hilltown Hikers hike leader and Interpretive Coordinator lead a tour of the old Whitney Estate.  In the 1890s, before it became a state forest, the October Mountain region was part of the estate of William C. Whitney, who was the 31st United States Secretary of the Navy, under Grover Cleveland. During this period the estate was home to wildlife such as elk and bison, and moose from Canada were released on the estate in the early 1900s.  When William C. Whitney died in 1904, the estate went to his son, Harry Payne Whitney in a trust. And there was also a movement in Berkshire County to make this a public reservation. There were certain concerns, like Kelton B. Miller, who was the owner of the Berkshire Eagle, who rallied others to venture into purchasing the property. (Alec Gillman).

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