Massachusetts state parks and forests are popular destinations during leaf-peeping season, when the fall foliage is on display in vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow, and purple. The Commonwealth is home to over 150 state parks and forests, but there's one state forest in particular that might come to mind this month due to its timely name: October Mountain State Forest. Located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, in the towns of Washington, Lee, Lenox, and Becket, October Mountain is the largest state forest in Massachusetts at nearly 16,500 acres.
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| Detail from Massachusetts Outdoor Recreation Map, showing the location of October Mountain State Forest |
The name “October Mountain” is said to have been coined by the author Herman Melville, who owned a home in nearby Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Perhaps best known for his novel Moby-Dick, Melville also penned short stories, and it was in one of these stories, titled Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!, where he wrote, “…a densely wooded mountain on one side (which I call October Mountain, on account of its bannered aspect in that month)….”
In the 1890s, before it became a state forest, the October Mountain region was part of the estate of William C. Whitney, who was the 31st United States Secretary of the Navy, under Grover Cleveland. During this period the estate was home to wildlife such as elk and bison, and moose from Canada were released on the estate in the early 1900s.
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| Bull moose on the Whitney Estate, 1915, from The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife: 1866-2012, by James E. Cardoza, published 2015 |
Eventually, in 1922, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts acquired the Whitney Estate and renamed it October Mountain State Forest. This purchase was authorized in 1921 by An Act to Provide for the Taking of October Mountain in the County of Berkshire as a State Forest, which stated, “The commissioner of conservation is hereby authorized to acquire by purchase, gift or otherwise, on behalf of the commonwealth, land known as the Whitney estate, situated on or about October Mountain, in the county of Berkshire.” The newly acquired forest was put under the management of the Massachusetts State Forester.
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| Panoramic view of October Mountain State Forest, published by the Massachusetts Division of Forestry, 1935 |
The forest conservation efforts of a century ago continue to benefit the Commonwealth’s citizens today, as October Mountain State Forest is open for recreation year-round. The state forest is traversed by a number of trails, including a portion of the Appalachian Trail, and natural features in the state forest include the Schermerhorn Gorge, Felton Pond, and Buckley-Dunton Lake, among others. Visitors can enjoy hiking, fishing, mountain biking, canoeing and kayaking, as well as seasonal snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and camping. To learn more about recreational activities at the state forest, be sure to visit the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s website.
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| Autumn colors at October Mountain State Forest, courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation's website |
References and further reading:
- Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR’s) overview of October Mountain State Forest
- Official trail map from DCR
- DCR’s hiking suggestions for October Mountain State Forest
- History of October Mountain State Forest from NEPM.org, featuring folklorist Joe Durwin and DCR Park Supervisor Alexander Gillman
- An Act to Provide for the Taking of October Mountain in the County of Berkshire as a State Forest
- The Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife: 1866-2012
- The Complete Stories of Herman Melville
Laura Schaub
Cataloging Librarian
