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37-867: The Westfield River is the Connecticut River's longest tributary in Massachusetts, although the Chicopee River 's basin is much larger, and contributes more water to the Connecticut. The Connecticut's northern tributary, the Deerfield River , is nearly as long as the Westfield, being only 2.1 miles (3.4 km) shorter. During the mid-20th century, the Westfield River was so polluted that it would change color based on

74-596: A 1948 Moses Trophy winner, the historic Moses trophies were held annually by the two top recipients as a form of "traveling trophy" and then returned to be presented the following year to the new top Leadership winners. Not much is known about Moses outside of his business and philanthropic interests, except that he was a devoted religious man and member of the Trinity United Methodist Church in Springfield, MA. A painted portrait sits above

111-652: A 497-square-mile (1,290 km) drainage area that includes three named branches, which join in Huntington to form the Westfield River's main stem, which flows through Russell into Westfield. The branches are the North Branch (sometimes called the East Branch), which rises in the town of Savoy and flows southeast through Windsor , Cummington , and Chesterfield ; the Middle Branch, which rises in

148-407: A 50-foot-wide power canal, and was constructed in 1836. The second dam (actually two dams, north and south, with an island in the middle) is in the village of Woronoco in the town of Russell. Woronoco hydro station, owned by Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, is at Salmon Falls, also known as Woronoco Falls. It has three Francis turbines , rated for a total of 2.7 MW. These falls were first dammed in

185-547: A National Wild and Scenic river) at Huntington village. From Huntington, the main stem of the Westfield River flows through Russell and Westfield, then forms the boundary between West Springfield and Agawam before ending at the Connecticut River. Every April, the Westfield River in Huntington is the home of the Westfield River Whitewater Races, the oldest continuously run whitewater race in

222-596: A confluence of the Ware, Quaboag and Swift rivers. It passes through Wilbraham , Ludlow , and the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield. After forming the border between Springfield and Chicopee, Massachusetts for a short distance, the river then flows in a sharply curving path through the city of Chicopee and into the Connecticut River . (Chicopee was part of Springfield until 1848.) Although

259-547: A pedestrian suspension bridge at Oak Street as a shortcut for workers. It was destroyed by the 1938 New England hurricane . Woronoco Paper Company Horace Augustus Moses (1863-1947) was a prominent industrialist and profound social engineer who founded Mittineague Paper Company in West Springfield, Massachusetts , which later became Strathmore Paper Company. He is also noted for his involvement in forming Junior Achievement and for property transactions with

296-518: Is credited with averting hundreds of millions of dollars in downstream flood damages. Chicopee River The Chicopee River is an 18.0-mile-long (29.0 km) tributary of the Connecticut River in the Pioneer Valley , Massachusetts , known for fast-moving water and its extraordinarily large basin: the Connecticut River's largest tributary basin. The Chicopee River originates in a Palmer, Massachusetts village called Three Rivers as

333-597: Is now known as the Westfield River, and should not be confused with the Agawam River in southeastern Massachusetts, which was named in tribute to Springfield's tribe of Native Americans . The Westfield River runs for a total of 78.1 miles (125.7 km). Rising in the Berkshire Hills region of Massachusetts, it flows southeastwardly to join the Connecticut River at Agawam —directly across from Springfield's Metro Center (downtown). The Westfield River has

370-464: The 1936 flood on the Westfield and Connecticut Rivers, it was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers from August 1939 to December 1941 for $ 3.3 million. It is only used for flood control and does not normally impound a reservoir. Construction required relocation of Route 112 and a cemetery. Thirty-three homes were demolished, two were moved, and a gas station and store were obliterated. The dam

407-586: The Boy Scouts of America . Moses was also an active member of the board at Green Mountain Junior College. Moses Hall, on the campus of Green Mountain College is named for Mr. Moses, whose donations helped build the hall in 1912, and keep it up for many years after his death. He was a recognized philanthropist and donated time and finances towards the betterment of youth, the furthering of the arts, and

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444-621: The Chicopee Valley Aqueduct . During the Industrial Revolution , the Chicopee River became a particularly sought-after destination for hydropower, largely because it drops 260 feet (79 m) during its 18-mile (29 km) course to the Connecticut River. By comparison, the meandering Connecticut River drops just 50 feet (15 m) from Chicopee to Old Saybrook, Connecticut , where it empties into

481-648: The Long Island Sound . For this reason, numerous mills were built along the Chicopee River; today, many of them can be found in various states of repurposing , with a particularly famous mill in Springfield Indian Orchard serving as artists' space. Due in part to its precipitous drop, as of 2011, there are six hydropower dams on the Chicopee River. The average flow of the Chicopee River is 900 cubic feet per second, or about 581,644,800 gallons per day. The Chicopee Falls Dam impounds

518-636: The Westfield River Paper Company in 1909. The fourth dam is Crescent Dam, located in the Crescent Mills neighborhood of Russell at mile 24 of the river. This site was formerly a Chapin and Gould Paper Company mill (later known as Texon). The Texon Hydroelectric Project at the site is rated at 1.5 MW, and is owned by Gravity Renewables. The fifth dam is the Knightville Dam in Huntington, Massachusetts . After

555-748: The 1870s by the Woronoco Paper Company , later merged with the Strathmore Paper Company . The current dams were constructed in 1938 and 1950 by Strathmore; the paper mills operated until 1999. The third dam is at the Indian River Power Supply plant on Station Road in Russell. The modern hydroelectric plant is also owned by Eagle Creek Renewable Energy, and is rated at 1.4 MW, with two Francis turbines. The dam and plant were originally constructed by

592-584: The Chicopee River itself is only 18 miles (29 km) long, its drainage area is the largest in Massachusetts at 721 square miles (1,870 km ), and the largest tributary area to the Connecticut River. The Chicopee River Watershed includes all or part of 32 cities and towns. Upstream of the Chicopee River on the Swift River , the Quabbin Reservoir provides drinking water to Eastern Massachusetts ( MWRA service area) and Chicopee itself via

629-619: The Community House. Beginning in 1919, Moses began acquiring land in the South Quarter section of Russell, Massachusetts . The hill-top property, known as Woronoake Heights, became the Moses' summer estate and encompassed 1600 acres, including a private 90-acre lake (now known as Russell Pond and formerly as Hazzard Pond). The family, along with numerous summer staff, raised prized apples, steer, and award-winning hunting dogs on

666-493: The Connecticut River to Westfield itself—which, the next year, would all be encompassed in the settlement that came to be known as Springfield—was named the "Agawam River", after the name of the Native American people then occupying the area. Historical literature often refers to Springfield as sitting at the confluence of the Connecticut River with the western Agawam River and eastern Chicopee River . This "Agawam River"

703-617: The Eastern States Exposition. Beginning in the late 1930s, in addition to receiving the Moses silver trophy, the top boy and girl in Leadership also received a $ 300 scholarship personally funded by Edward Foss Wilson, of Chicago, the son of Thomas E. Wilson, and president of Wilson & Company, major meat-packers in America. In 1942 the scholarship amount for the two top recipients of the award by Edward Foss Wilson

740-524: The Horace A. Moses Building at the Eastern States Exposition and sponsored the International 4-H Leader Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. The top winners in the 4-H Leadership awards program at National 4-H Congress traditionally received the prestigious Moses Leadership trophy, presented in the name of Horace A. Moses. His interests in agriculture made him the impetus of what would become

777-710: The Indian Orchard section of Springfield , the Collins Hydro Dam at Chapin Street between Ludlow and Wilbraham , and the Red Bridge Dam off Red Bridge Road in Wilbraham . The Putts Bridge Dam was constructed in 1918 as a concrete gravity structure. It rises 22 ft (6.7 m) from the bed of the Chicopee River. The Indian Orchard Dam is a cut stone dam with 28 ft (8.53 m) of height above

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814-762: The Mittineague Paper Mill in West Springfield, Massachusetts , on February 18, 1892, at age 30 and with $ 100,000 of authorized capital. Shortly thereafter, in 1894, he traveled to the Strathmore Valley in Scotland, where he observed the structure of factory towns. In 1904, he acquired the Woronoco Paper Co. (then known as a "cursed" mill) in Westfield, Massachusetts , and operated it as a stand-alone company, meanwhile developing

851-727: The United States. Portions of the river's watershed have been designated the Westfield Creek Wild and Scenic River, and form part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System . From the mouth heading upstream, the first dam is the West Springfield Dam, which creates a reservoir north of Robinson State Park . This powers two hydropower turbines owned by A & D Hydro, rated at 900 and 466 kW. The 18-foot-high stone and concrete dam includes

888-650: The camp) include the dairy milking station (blacksmith shop), guest house (Sachem Lodge), and caretaker cabin (Overlook Lodge) The camp is now operated by the Western Massachusetts Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The Silver Beaver Award given to Moses now hangs in the camp office. Mr. Moses was an early friend of 4-H Club Work. A member of the National Committee on Boys and Girls Club Work from 1925-1945, he also funded

925-621: The fledgling Junior Achievement program in 1919 and was named chairman of the recently established Junior Achievement Bureau in October, 1920. He would serve in this capacity for 27 years until his death in 1947. He constructed Achievement Hall in West Springfield, Massachusetts on the Eastern States Exposition grounds. Between 1925 and 1927, In 1984, Moses was featured on a 20 cent U.S. stamp honoring him as

962-543: The founder of Junior Achievement, although several First day of issue prints incorrectly list his date of birth as 1862. Moses continued making financial contributions to arts and sciences in his hometown, Ticonderoga, New York , throughout his life. He constructed the Hancock House (Ticonderoga, New York) in 1925 and funded other projects, including the Liberty Monument, Moses-Ludington Hospital, and

999-578: The mantel in the church's foyer's fireplace. The Fifteenth Census of the United States taken in 1930 shows Horace A. Moses living with his wife Alice E. in the sixth ward of Springfield, Massachusetts , in what is today the Forest Park neighborhood, along with a maid and a chef (both live-in). The house was valued at $ 31,000, adjusted for inflation to roughly $ 380,000 in 2010 dollars. Following her husband's death in 1947, Alice Moses lived full-time at Woronoake Heights, while continuing to slowly sell off

1036-412: The nature of the contaminant. Today, the river is clean enough for swimming. It is a state and locally managed river featuring native trout fishing and rugged mountain scenery in the context of a historical mill town settlement (at Westfield). On its initial discovery by Massachusetts Bay Colony explorers John Cable and John Woodcock in 1635, the area stretching from the Westfield River's confluence with

1073-532: The property around her to the Boy Scouts. After her death in 1962, Alice was buried with her husband in Glen Path South of Springfield Cemetery in Springfield, MA. Mr. and Mrs. Moses had one daughter, Madeline Moses, born on March 4, 1896, in Springfield, Massachusetts. She died in Weston, Fairfield Co., Connecticut on September 24, 1993, at the age of 97. Madeline was college educated but never married and

1110-592: The property. Shortly before his death in 1947, he began selling sections of the estate to the Hampden Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The council operated the property as the Horace A. Moses Scout Reservation and included three camps, although these have since been consolidated into a single facility. Today, many structures original to Moses still stand, including his weekend home, known locally as The Manor House (and formerly as "Memorial Lodge"). Other remaining buildings (and their current names/uses within

1147-644: The river at what is now Springfield Street / Massachusetts Route 116 in Chicopee opened in 1783. It was replaced by a covered wooden bridge in 1846, and then the steel and concrete William F. Devitt Memorial Bridge in 1931. This was demolished and replaced by a modern bridge, along with the bridge over the Dwight Manufacturer’s Canal immediately to the south, in 2012-2013. Around 1900, the Spalding and Pepper Rubber Co. under Noyes W. Fisk constructed

Westfield River - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-550: The river near what is now Bridge Street / Massachusetts Route 33 in the city of Chicopee. There are five other dams on this river segment: Just downstream from the Chicopee Falls Dam is Dwight Dam , located off Grape and Front St. in Chicopee. The next dam upstream is the Indian Orchard Dam north of Route 141 adjacent to an old mill on Front Street. Putts Bridge Dam at Route 21 between Ludlow and

1221-553: The river. Each of these dams generate hydroelectric power . The Dwight Dam is cut stone with height of 15 ft. There is the remnants of the Ames Sword Company Dam, just downstream from Dwight Dam, this is the last dam on the Chicopee River before it empties into the Connecticut. There also used to be a low-head dam just upstream of the Putts Bridge Dam alongside the old Ludlow Mills. A bridge across

1258-486: The study of agricultural sciences. His image was featured on a U.S. stamp in 1984, and his legacy of charity carries on via the numerous organizations he founded and funded during his lifetime. In 1956, the Horace A. Moses Foundation published "Achievement is my Goal", which detailed the life and times of Moses. It was written by Harry L. Lane and F. Nelson Bridgham. The work is out of print as of 2012. Shortly after relocating to Springfield, Massachusetts, Moses established

1295-481: The surrounding village into a factory town with a notably high standard of living. In 1914, Mittineague Paper Mill and Woronoco Paper Company were combined and the Strathmore Paper Company, named for his travels in Scotland, was formed. The surrounding villages became factory towns with remarkably high standards of living. Hammermill Papers acquired Strathmore in 1962. Moses began working with

1332-589: The town of Peru and flows southeast through Worthington , Middlefield , and Chester ; and the West Branch, which has its origins in Washington and Becket , then flows east through Chester. The three branches converge in the town of Huntington: the Middle and North Branch (or "East Branch") merge near the village of Goss Heights, 2 miles (3 km) north of their junction with the West Branch (designated

1369-568: Was dropped to $ 200 each, however $ 100 scholarships were also awarded to the first boy and girl alternates. The annual Awards Handbook for 1941, for the first time, describes the Moses Trophy as being awarded annually by the International 4-H Training School, which was sponsored by Horace A. Moses. In 1949 The Annual Awards Handbook lists the donor of the trophies as the H. A. Moses Foundation, Springfield, Massachusetts. According to Alvin Davis,

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