New-York tribune., 1921-06-19

With July falling this year on a
Monday, the motorist residing In New
York or vicinity has an opportunity to
spend from two and half to three
days on the road without loss Of time
from business. The tours adapted to
this coming holiday are many in num-
ber: but perhaps not one, suggests the
Touring Bureau of the American Auto
mobile Association, exceeds in inter
est, good roads and scenic variety the
round trip outlined in the accompany
ing map. If one is unable to make this
in its entirety, 1t may be shortened
considerably by connecting across from
Springfield to pittsheld. instead of go
ing ali the way around by the Mohawk
Trail.
Up through central Westchestcr
County, skirtiHg the edges OF the reser-
volr district above White Plains, and
gradually turning eastward through
Bedford into Connecticut, this route
traverses the pictunresque highlands
which extend from Ridgefield to Dan
bury, whence it crosses the wildly
beautiful Housatonic River Valley to
Waterbury, the largest city in the
Naugatuck Valley. The next stage is
through more elevated country, dotted
with picturesque old towns, TO Hart
ford. the capital city CT the Nutmeg
State, where the direction of the trip
changes to very nearly north, follow
ing up the valley of the Connecticut
to Springfield. (Here the Jacobs Lad
der route, part of the trunk-line from
Boston to Albany. may be used as a
short cut to Lenox).
From Springfield to Greenfield the
tourist runs north through the out
skirts Of Holyoke, passes between the
Connecticut River and Mount Tom, fol-
lowing the main road through North
ampton, the location Of Smith College
Above Northampton there are inter
esting glimpses of the Hatleys and
Hadleys, and then of the Deerfelds,
whose history runs back to the Indian
wars in New England. At Greenfield, l.,
the Connecticut River route (Which
continues north as one of the through
lines to the White Mountans) is lett
behind, and turn westward is made
into the Mohawk Trail.
This name is derived from the fact
that when the lroquois Confederacy of
indians, whose homeland was in Cen
tral New York, held sway over all the
tribes east of the Mississippi and north
of Georgia, their warrior bands would
sometimes pass over this route be-
tween the Hudson River and the Con-
necticut Valley, or even further east.
When the old path, with considerable
changes, was made first class modern
the State Highway De-
partment of Massachusetts officially
named it the Mohawk Trail" Bu.
probably no armed savage has passed
over it for at least two hundred years,
and more Indians walk along Broad
way. in occasional visits to Ncw York
City, than have ever seen or even heard
of the trail in Western Massachusetts,
named, possibly, after some of their
Starting west from the Connecticut
River, one begins almost at once to
ascend series of grades that soon
the ascent of Shelburne Noun
tain. Then, after considerable stretch
along the picturesque Deerfeld River,
a series of sleeper grades leads up the
eastern side of Florida or Hoosac
Mountain, somewhat over 1000 feet
high. This climb is not at all danger
Gus to a car kept under good control,
and the great, wide view westward, un-
folding just before starting the descent