One of the Town of Montague’s “children” was the site of a company that would become the giant of the world-wide bamboo fishing rod manufacturing industry. The Montague City Rod Company is synonymous with high quality split bamboo fishing rods. The dedicated collector of vintage fishing equipment is willing to spend “big bucks” to acquire the Montague City name.
Turners Falls Power Canal A major player in the development of Turners Falls as an industrial “city” is the canal that supplied water to the various mills. Water coursed through their penstocks to turn the waterwheels which in turn ran geared linkages to operate machinery. Canal drained with the Keith paper mill along side. Each…
Dr. Colle is the great grandson of the founding family and a retired educator from Cornell University. This recent addition to our community database is now available from the following link: The Colle Opera House We also are offering a compiled set of articles compiled from the ‘Turners Falls Reporter’ newspaper mentioning the opera house….
Where IS Burnham’s Rock? More appropriately . . . where WAS Burnham’s Rock. Once the best fishing spot for American Shad and Atlantic Salmon on the Connecticut River . . . right here at the Turners Falls Dam. Burnham’s Rock is mentioned in various historical accounts of our area but little has been done to…
Couture Bros. Company In 1900, William Couture begins painting fences, houses and barns. He’s joined by his brother Raoul in 1910 and the tandem move forward to become Couture Brothers Painters. Presently, (2021), Couture Brothers Painting Contractors—a four-generation family business—celebrates 121 years offering a selection of painting-related options to their clientele base and beyond. It’s…
64 Image Pictorial Tour Ed has just completed an amazing set of 64 images narrating Montague’s 200th anniversary. I have never seen these before. It is fascinating to see the different contributors and themes, which were important to our neighbors from about 70 years ago! Ed has been careful to include much context and detail…
Long before the fish ladder, or even the Turners Falls – Gill bridge (which today connects Avenue ‘A’ with Route 2 in Gill), there was Montague Paper. Montague Paper, along with the John Russell Cutlery were the first two industries to begin operating in the new hydro power industrial community of Turners Falls. A short…
