Введение
Гора Том, расположенная недалеко от Холиока, штат Массачусетс, США.
Mount Tom of the Connecticut River Valley, Massachusetts
Mount Tom, 1202 feet (366 m), is a steep, rugged traprock mountain peak on the west bank of the Connecticut River 4.5 miles (7 km) northwest of downtown Holyoke, Massachusetts. The mountain is the southernmost and highest peak of the Mount Tom Range and the highest traprock peak of the 100 mile (161 km) long Metacomet Ridge. A popular outdoor recreation resource, the mountain is known for its continuous line of cliffs and talus slopes visible from the south and west, its dramatic 1100 feet (335 m) rise over the surrounding Connecticut River Valley, and its rare plant communities and microclimate ecosystems. Located in Easthampton and Holyoke, Mount Tom is traversed by the 110 mile (177 km) Metacomet Monadnock Trail and is the transmitter location for three Springfield–Holyoke television stations: WGBY, WGGB, and WSHM LD, and for radio stations WHYN FM and WWEI. The name "Mount Tom" is sometimes used to describe the entire Mount Tom Range. In 1897 the Holyoke Street Railway Company began constructing the Mount Tom Railroad, as well as what would become known as "Mountain Park", a trolley park and later an amusement park on the east side of the mountain. The project changed hands several times until its closure in 1988 when competition from larger amusement parks gradually sapped business away from what had become affectionately known by local residents as "The Queen of the Mountain". The Mount Tom Summit House was also constructed on the cliffs of Mount Tom in 1897, but it burned three years later. Subsequently rebuilt, the second house also burned in 1929, in part due to a series of failures in its water systems. The original foundation was not used again, however days later it was decided a much cheaper and smaller sheet metal structure would be built adjacent to it, housing a restaurant and souvenir stand. Because of its construction and lack of grandeur however, it remained unpopular, with one local patron, Katherine Root, remarking "the wind sounded like thunder when it roared through the building and it rattled constantly"; it was ultimately dismantled a year after the railroad, in 1939. The ruins of the old summit house foundations remain prominent structures, visible on the mountainside today. In 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps assisted with the construction of reservation structures and park roads; their work also remains visible today. During the heyday of northern New England's logging and river drives during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the spring freshet, augmented by impoundments called drive dams or squirt dams on far flung upper tributaries, carried logs rolled into rivers and lakes far down the Connecticut River to mills at falls where the river was pinched by bedrock at Mount Tom. For many logging company workers, the specialists called river hogs, the end of the drive at Mount Tom spelled the end of their employment until they joined crews going into the woods the next fall. On July 9, 1946, a US Army Air Force B 17G Flying Fortress, in use as a military transport, hit the northern flank of the mountain. All 25 on board died instantly in a large fireball. Some of the men were Public Health employees of the US military who had worked in Europe in World War II. Sixteen were U. S. Coast Guardsmen returning from duty in Greenland. Tiny pieces of the plane are still on the mountainside, and the site is accessible on a road built over the former funicular railway to access antennae at the summit. A memorial site, dedicated 6 July 1996, is at the location and is lit at all times.
Гора Том в долине реки Коннектикут, штат Массачусетс.
Mount Tom of the Connecticut River Valley, Massachusetts
Mount Tom, 1202 feet (366 m), is a steep, rugged traprock mountain peak on the west bank of the Connecticut River 4.5 miles (7 km) northwest of downtown Holyoke, Massachusetts. The mountain is the southernmost and highest peak of the Mount Tom Range and the highest traprock peak of the 100 mile (161 km) long Metacomet Ridge. A popular outdoor recreation resource, the mountain is known for its continuous line of cliffs and talus slopes visible from the south and west, its dramatic 1100 feet (335 m) rise over the surrounding Connecticut River Valley, and its rare plant communities and microclimate ecosystems. Located in Easthampton and Holyoke, Mount Tom is traversed by the 110 mile (177 km) Metacomet Monadnock Trail and is the transmitter location for three Springfield–Holyoke television stations: WGBY, WGGB, and WSHM LD, and for radio stations WHYN FM and WWEI. The name "Mount Tom" is sometimes used to describe the entire Mount Tom Range. In 1897 the Holyoke Street Railway Company began constructing the Mount Tom Railroad, as well as what would become known as "Mountain Park", a trolley park and later an amusement park on the east side of the mountain. The project changed hands several times until its closure in 1988 when competition from larger amusement parks gradually sapped business away from what had become affectionately known by local residents as "The Queen of the Mountain". The Mount Tom Summit House was also constructed on the cliffs of Mount Tom in 1897, but it burned three years later. Subsequently rebuilt, the second house also burned in 1929, in part due to a series of failures in its water systems. The original foundation was not used again, however days later it was decided a much cheaper and smaller sheet metal structure would be built adjacent to it, housing a restaurant and souvenir stand. Because of its construction and lack of grandeur however, it remained unpopular, with one local patron, Katherine Root, remarking "the wind sounded like thunder when it roared through the building and it rattled constantly"; it was ultimately dismantled a year after the railroad, in 1939. The ruins of the old summit house foundations remain prominent structures, visible on the mountainside today. In 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps assisted with the construction of reservation structures and park roads; their work also remains visible today. During the heyday of northern New England's logging and river drives during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the spring freshet, augmented by impoundments called drive dams or squirt dams on far flung upper tributaries, carried logs rolled into rivers and lakes far down the Connecticut River to mills at falls where the river was pinched by bedrock at Mount Tom. For many logging company workers, the specialists called river hogs, the end of the drive at Mount Tom spelled the end of their employment until they joined crews going into the woods the next fall. On July 9, 1946, a US Army Air Force B 17G Flying Fortress, in use as a military transport, hit the northern flank of the mountain. All 25 on board died instantly in a large fireball. Some of the men were Public Health employees of the US military who had worked in Europe in World War II. Sixteen were U. S. Coast Guardsmen returning from duty in Greenland. Tiny pieces of the plane are still on the mountainside, and the site is accessible on a road built over the former funicular railway to access antennae at the summit. A memorial site, dedicated 6 July 1996, is at the location and is lit at all times.
Гора Том, высотой 366 м (1202 фута), — это крутая, скалистая трапповая горная вершина на западном берегу реки Коннектикут, в 7 км к северо-западу от центра Холиока, штат Массачусетс. Гора является самой южной и самой высокой вершиной горного хребта Маунт-Том и самой высокой трапповой вершиной 161-километрового (100 миль) хребта Метакомет. Популярное место для активного отдыха, гора известна своей непрерывной линией скал и осыпей, видимых с юга и запада, ее впечатляющим подъемом на 335 м (1100 футов) над окружающей долиной реки Коннектикут, а также редкими растительными сообществами и микроклиматическими экосистемами. Расположенная в Истгемптоне и Холиоке, гора Том пересекается 177-километровым (110 миль) маршрутом Metacomet Monadnock Trail и является местом размещения передатчиков трех телевизионных станций Спрингфилд–Холиок: WGBY, WGGB и WSHM LD, а также радиостанций WHYN FM и WWEI. Название "Маунт Том" иногда используется для обозначения всего горного хребта Маунт-Том. В 1897 году компания Holyoke Street Railway Company начала строительство железной дороги Mount Tom, а также того, что стало известно как "Mountain Park" – парка с трамваями, а позже парка развлечений на восточной стороне горы. Проект несколько раз переходил из рук в руки, пока в 1988 году не был закрыт из-за конкуренции со стороны более крупных парков развлечений, которая постепенно отнимала посетителей у места, ласково называемого местными жителями "Королевой горы". Дом на вершине горы Том также был построен на скалах горы Том в 1897 году, но сгорел три года спустя. Впоследствии перестроенный, второй дом также сгорел в 1929 году, отчасти из-за серии поломок в его системе водоснабжения. Исходный фундамент больше не использовался, однако через несколько дней было решено построить рядом с ним гораздо более дешевую и небольшую конструкцию из листового металла, в которой разместятся ресторан и сувенирный киоск. Однако из-за своей конструкции и отсутствия величия он оставался непопулярным, и одна из местных посетительниц, Кэтрин Рут, заметила: "Ветер звучал как гром, когда он ревел сквозь здание, и оно постоянно тряслось"; в конечном итоге он был разобран через год после железной дороги, в 1939 году. Руины старого фундамента дома на вершине горы до сих пор являются заметными сооружениями, видимыми на склоне горы. В 1933 году Корпус охраны гражданских работ оказал помощь в строительстве резервационных сооружений и дорог в парке; их работа также остается видимой и сегодня. В период расцвета лесозаготовок и сплава леса в северной Новой Англии в конце XIX и начале XX веков весеннее половодье, усиленное плотинами, называемыми приводными плотинами или сприт-даммами, на дальних верхних притоках, доставляло бревна, скатываемые в реки и озера, далеко вниз по реке Коннектикут к мельницам у водопадов, где река сужалась скалами у горы Том. Для многих работников лесозаготовительных компаний, специалистов, называемых речными погонщиками, окончание сплава у горы Том означало конец их работы, пока они не присоединились к бригадам, отправлявшимся в лес следующей осенью. 9 июля 1946 года американский военно-воздушный B-17G Flying Fortress, использовавшийся в качестве военного транспорта, врезался в северный склон горы. Все 25 человек на борту мгновенно погибли в огромном огненном шаре. Некоторые из них были сотрудниками службы здравоохранения армии США, работавшими в Европе во время Второй мировой войны. Шестнадцать из них были членами береговой охраны США, возвращавшимися с Гренландии. Небольшие фрагменты самолета до сих пор находятся на склоне горы, и к месту крушения можно добраться по дороге, построенной над бывшей фуникулерной дорогой для доступа к антеннам на вершине. Мемориальный комплекс, посвященный 6 июля 1996 года, находится на месте и постоянно освещается.
Mount Tom of the Connecticut River Valley, Massachusetts
Mount Tom, 1202 feet (366 m), is a steep, rugged traprock mountain peak on the west bank of the Connecticut River 4.5 miles (7 km) northwest of downtown Holyoke, Massachusetts. The mountain is the southernmost and highest peak of the Mount Tom Range and the highest traprock peak of the 100 mile (161 km) long Metacomet Ridge. A popular outdoor recreation resource, the mountain is known for its continuous line of cliffs and talus slopes visible from the south and west, its dramatic 1100 feet (335 m) rise over the surrounding Connecticut River Valley, and its rare plant communities and microclimate ecosystems. Located in Easthampton and Holyoke, Mount Tom is traversed by the 110 mile (177 km) Metacomet Monadnock Trail and is the transmitter location for three Springfield–Holyoke television stations: WGBY, WGGB, and WSHM LD, and for radio stations WHYN FM and WWEI. The name "Mount Tom" is sometimes used to describe the entire Mount Tom Range. In 1897 the Holyoke Street Railway Company began constructing the Mount Tom Railroad, as well as what would become known as "Mountain Park", a trolley park and later an amusement park on the east side of the mountain. The project changed hands several times until its closure in 1988 when competition from larger amusement parks gradually sapped business away from what had become affectionately known by local residents as "The Queen of the Mountain". The Mount Tom Summit House was also constructed on the cliffs of Mount Tom in 1897, but it burned three years later. Subsequently rebuilt, the second house also burned in 1929, in part due to a series of failures in its water systems. The original foundation was not used again, however days later it was decided a much cheaper and smaller sheet metal structure would be built adjacent to it, housing a restaurant and souvenir stand. Because of its construction and lack of grandeur however, it remained unpopular, with one local patron, Katherine Root, remarking "the wind sounded like thunder when it roared through the building and it rattled constantly"; it was ultimately dismantled a year after the railroad, in 1939. The ruins of the old summit house foundations remain prominent structures, visible on the mountainside today. In 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps assisted with the construction of reservation structures and park roads; their work also remains visible today. During the heyday of northern New England's logging and river drives during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the spring freshet, augmented by impoundments called drive dams or squirt dams on far flung upper tributaries, carried logs rolled into rivers and lakes far down the Connecticut River to mills at falls where the river was pinched by bedrock at Mount Tom. For many logging company workers, the specialists called river hogs, the end of the drive at Mount Tom spelled the end of their employment until they joined crews going into the woods the next fall. On July 9, 1946, a US Army Air Force B 17G Flying Fortress, in use as a military transport, hit the northern flank of the mountain. All 25 on board died instantly in a large fireball. Some of the men were Public Health employees of the US military who had worked in Europe in World War II. Sixteen were U. S. Coast Guardsmen returning from duty in Greenland. Tiny pieces of the plane are still on the mountainside, and the site is accessible on a road built over the former funicular railway to access antennae at the summit. A memorial site, dedicated 6 July 1996, is at the location and is lit at all times.
Геология и экология
Гора Том, как и значительная часть хребта Метакомета, сложена базальтом, также называемым трапроком – вулканической породой. Гора сформировалась в конце триасового периода в результате разломов, связанных с отделением Североамериканского континента от Африки и Евразии. Лава поднималась из разломов и затвердевала в пласты толщиной в сотни футов. Последующие сдвиги и сейсмическая активность наклонили эти пласты, образовав впечатляющие скалы и гребни горы Том. Жаркие, сухие верхние склоны, прохладные, влажные овраги и богатые минералами выходы базальтового обломочного материала создают сочетание микроклиматических экосистем на горе, поддерживающих виды растений и животных, нечасто встречающиеся в штате Массачусетс. Гора Том зарегистрирована в системе любительской радиосвязи как SOTA W1/MB 006.
Сохранение
Большая часть горы Маунт-Том сохранена в рамках Массачусетского государственного заповедника Маунт-Том, посредством консервационных сервитутов или как земли, предназначенные для защиты водосборных бассейнов. На горе также когда-то располагался горнолыжный курорт Маунт-Том, работавший с 1962 по 1998 год; хотя курорт закрыт, склоны по-прежнему используются для фрирайда, а заброшенная территория горнолыжного курорта была сохранена благодаря согласованным усилиям нескольких некоммерческих организаций и штата Массачусетс. Эти организации не планируют возобновлять работу горнолыжного курорта.
Культурные отсылки
Гора Том упоминается безымянным главным героем в романе Генри Джеймса «Родерик Хадсон» 1875 года, глава IX. Гора Том могла послужить вдохновением для доктора Сьюза при создании горы, возвышающейся над городом Ктовилль, хотя это утверждение вызывает споры. В 1865 году британский художник Томас Чарльз Фаррер завершил картину горы Том. Фаррер намекает на окончание Гражданской войны в США, изобразив на ней человека в форме армии Союза.