Cedar Knob and the Crag 1890s

This photo taken from the viewing tower atop Little Mountain shows the summer home of William Stiles Loomis at the area on the eastern side of Cedar Knob known as the Crag.

The Crag was the only property Loomis kept for personal use of the 385 acres he purchased as head of the Holyoke Street Railway for the construction of a trolley park in 1894.

The park would eventually be known as Mountain Park.  Also seen in the picture is the three story viewing tower atop Cedar Knob.

There were actually three towers in the area. In addition to the Little Mountain and Cedar Knob towers, there was a third tower just north of Little Mountain on the west side of I-91.

In the background is the Connecticut River and the "High Rock" area near Jones Point.  Today I- 91 runs through the bottom of the western slope of Cedar Knob .

A view of the Connecticut River from the third tower looking southeast towards the city of Holyoke. In the foreground is Thorpe Road (Route 5) with the William Stiles Loomis Crag property on the right.