- Bear's Den
Bear's Den (also called by the name of its most outstanding landmark, Bear's Den Falls [http://members.tripod.com/~ButlerC/AABerkshirePhotos/AABerkshireWaterfall360/AACenteral/BearsDenFallsWeb360/BearsDen1Dec03PCD.htm] 360° Waterfall Index] [ [http://www.huanstaichi.com/activities/waterfalls/bearden.html] Huan Zhang: Waterfalls (huanstaichi.com)] [ [http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/big.asp?photoID=5514441&catID=&style=&rowNumber=2&memberID=3132] New Snow at Bear's Den Falls photo by Guy Biechele ] ) is a 6-acre
nature reserve in New Salem,Massachusetts . The reservation is close to theQuabbin Reservoir and is owned by theTrustees of Reservations . [http://www.northquabbinwoods.org/entries/22] New England Forestry Foundation: North Quabbin Woods] [http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/281_bear_s_den.cfm] Trustees of Reservations: Bear's Den]Name
The property takes its name from a large black bear once shot here "though more romantic -- yet unsubstantiated -- stories exist" according to the Trustees of Reservations.
Description
The Middle Branch of the Swift River passes through the steep
granite cliff s of Bear's Den reservation on its way to the Quabbin Reservoir. Thegorge is 75' deep and rimmed withhemlock . [ [http://www.teabread.com/our_town.html] This source says that the gorge is 100' feet deep but may be less reliable as it also misidentifies King's Phillip's War as an event of the 1700s rather than the 1600s] At one point, a change in elevation creates awaterfall . According to one description:So as you walk the 150 yard path from the road and bear left through the jagged opening in the ridge, you have a limited sense of the waterfall being there until you step through and into this
A short path leads from Neilson Road into the reservation and immediately splits into a leftward path towards the gorge and a rightward path leading to a smallamphitheater ofMother Nature . Once inside, you sense an isolation from the rest of the world. It's a great experience and unique for a location so close to the road.cave (theeponym ous "Bear's Den") and astream . These trail is less than one quarter mile of easyhiking [ [http://www.newenglandwaterfalls.com/waterfall.php?name=Bear's%20Den%20Falls New England Waterfalls page on Bear's Den Falls] ] . The reservation is "a tranquil spot for hiking and picnicking." [ [http://www.valleyviewpoint.com/spotlights/newsalem.htm] "Valley Viewpoint"] Seasonalhunting is allowed on the property subject to all state and local laws.Camping ,fire s, and unleasheddog s are prohibited.Swimming is discouraged. Bear's Den reservation is open from dusk until dawn. The property abutswatershed land andwetland s to the west connecting to the Quabbin Reservoir and owned by theMetropolitan District Commission .History
Metacomet ,sachem of theWampanoag Indians and their war chief duringKing Philip's War , is believed to have met here with neighboring otherNipmuck chieftains in 1675 to plan attacks the nearby English towns of Deerfield, Hadley and Northampton ( [The official site of the Trustees of Reservations state this meeting as a fact, but other sources mentioned in the footnotes use less definitive language such as "Stories surround this location, such as Indian chieftains meeting and plotting attacks" ( [http://members.tripod.com/~ButlerC/AABerkshirePhotos/AABerkshireWaterfall360/AACenteral/BearsDenFallsWeb360/BearsDen1Dec03PCD.htm] ) or that this place "is said to have been a meeting place for the local Native American tribes" [http://www.teabread.com/our_town.html] implying that Metacomet's meeting here with fellow sachem might be more legendary than historical.] see note). Much later, the falls providedwaterpower forgrist mill s in the area as water was carried by a sluice box, through a channel cut in the eastern cliff, and onto an overshotwater wheel . Trustees of Reservations first acquired the property through the 1968bequest of Mrs. Grais Poole Burrage. In 1988, Mrs. Dorothy Fittz donated additional land.Video
* [http://members.tripod.com/~ButlerC/AABerkshirePhotos/AABerkshireWaterfall360/AACenteral/BearsDenFallsWeb360/BearsDen1Dec03PCD.htm 360° views of the falls]
* [http://homepage.mac.com/wbchase/iMovieTheater15.html Quicktime movie]References
External links
* [http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/281_bear_s_den.cfm The Trustees of Reservations: Bear's Den]
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