![]() The Commonwealth of Massachusetts began purchasing these barren hillsides in Great Barrington, Monterey, Lee and Tyringham to assemble the Beartown State Forest. The slopes not cleared for cropland were stripped of trees for charcoal-making to fire the furnaces of the Richmond iron industry. Turn left onto Blue Hill Road park headquarters is one-half mile on the left and the park entrance, Benedict Pond Road, is 2.2 miles on the right.īeartown was a hilltop farming community abandoned in the latter 19th century. Website - Admission Fee - Yes, parking fee May through Octoberĭirections – From Route 7 in Great Barrington, take Route 23 East for 5.3 miles to Monterey. Blondin had gained fame by becoming the first person to walk across Niagara Falls and he is said to have found Bash Bish more frightening than Niagara because of the black boulder-lined chasm beneath him. When Jean Roemer owned Bash Bish he invited celebrated French acrobat Charles Blondin to walk across the falls on a tightrope. Restrictions On Dogs - Dogs are allowed west of the parking lot/food stand Workout For Your Dog – If you approach the falls from the Massachusetts side Where The Paw Meets The Earth: Vehicles prohibited but expect plenty of folks joining you and your dog on the hike to the falls You can hook your dog up on the South Taconic Trail that passes around the park. For extended time on the trail in the woods around Bash Bish that are peppered with hemlock trees. The New York route is longer - about one mile - but level the entire way. Adventurous dogs will want to pick their way down a serpentine trail from the Massachusetts side that will take about twenty minutes. The Massachausetts Department Environmental Management acquired 400 acres surrounding Bash Bish Falls in 1924.īash Bish Falls lies on the New York-Massachusetts border and can be reached from parking lots in either state. In 1860 the area was purchased by Jean Roemer, who built an elaborate Swiss-style chalet mansion that was to burn to the ground years later. John Frederick Kensett, a leading member of the Hudson Valley School of artists, painted the falls in the 1850s. She too was never found but it is said the images of Bash Bish and White Swan sometimes appear in the waters of Massachusetts’ highest waterfall, almost 200 feet tall. When Bash Bish’s young daughter, White Swan, grew up she often lingered sadly in the gorge and one day leapt to her death just before her lover Whirling Wind could reach her. The canoe plunged into the falls and Bash Bish’s body was never found. Bash Bish was strapped to a canoe and turned loose upstream from the deadly cataract. Accused by a jealous friend of adultery she was sentenced to die. Indian lore tells us of a young woman called Bash Bish, who lived in a village near these falls. Turn left onto Falls Road and follow for 1.5 miles to the parking lot and trailhead on the left. Turn right onto Cross Road then right onto West Street and continue for 1 mile. Turn left onto Route 41 South, then take the immediate right, Mount Washington Road, and continue as it becomes East Street. Directions – From Route 7 south of Great Barrington take Route 23/41 west for 4.9 miles to South Egremont.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |