The Dams of Indian Orchard

Two damns have been built on the Chicopee river that have been crucial to the urbanization of the village, the upper river Putts Dam located on the Wallamanupps Falls and Indian Orchard Mills Dam downriver.

The Mills Dam

The diversion of water through a canal

Electric generation from both is still active.

The lakes of Indian Orchard

Traditionally there are five lakes in Indian Orchard : Lake Lorraine, Mona Lake, Loon Pond, Dimmock Pond, and Long Pond.
 Five Mile Pond abuts Lake Lorraine but it has been considered to be outside of the village.

Starting with Loon Pond



Loon Pond has the most colorful history. It was the site of an entertainment park in the
1930s, known then as Joyland Beach. They had a dance hall as well as beach going.

 

In the 1960s the beach was known as Shultz's Beach but without the amusement

 buildings and apparently well attended.

 

In the 1980s Jam's Beach operated in the same site. A bar and small restaurant was part of the beach park. It closed as a beach by 2000.

 Now there is still access through an informal boat launch road and through a side road in the back of the old Boston rd. movie house.

Indian Leap of Indian Orchard

As the story goes there is a rocky cliff on the Chicopee river where during colonial times a group of  Amerindians fatally jumped from its top into the river in order to escape an armed colonial militia on their pursuit . Some variations of the story tell that Amerindians were thought to be responsible for a previous attack on a settlement but may not necessarily those that regularly used the river island downriver from the Ludlow Falls for tribal meetings. The militia didn't pause to ascertain the culpability of those assembled when they came upon their gathering, and chased them to the cliffs after crossing the river. Rather than being caught or because of being forced, the leaping of the Amerindians into the rushing waters took place.

The Leap is actually found on the Ludlow side.

 It is a popular area especially in summer time.

It was connected to the Indian Orchard side by a railroad bridge for the Athol branch of the Boston Albany Railroad Co.

After many years of low or no usage and a fatal fall by illegal  pedestrian crossing in the
 early 1990s it was demolished.
The bridge stumps on each river side can still be seen , but the middle or river support is gone.
Earlier demolished was a pedestrian bridge just downriver from it.

Museums of Indian Orchard

There is one still operating, The Titanic Historical Society Museum located in the rear of Henry's Jewelry store on 208 Main St. There is also access through Center St.

It was established by the late Ed Kamuda in 1963.

   

Ed and his wife Karen ,who helps in the publishing of the The Titanic Commutator, appeared in the movie Titanic .

The magazine is published quarterly and all society members receive a mailed copy.

The interior has several models and memorabilia respectfully keeping the disaster's victims and survivors in the collective thought.

  Henry's Jewelry store is still operated  by Barbara Kamuda.

She's also the caretaker of the museum.

Bridges of Indian Orchard

The Chicopee river divides Indian Orchard from Ludlow and from Chicopee. Starting with
 the upper river, which  has had the most bridges that allowed traveling to the northern
 neighbor town of Ludlow. Known as  the Put's Bridge , the original was a covered bridge
and is commonly known as the Main st or Ludlow bridge.

  seen here from a 1897 picture with a horse carriage zipping through. It connects the village
to Ludlow near the Ludlow Mills. A miniature model of the bridge is found over the Ludlow side

The current bridge was built in the 1930's is still the main access between the two sides.

The adjacent dam is still being used for power generation.

There were two more bridges existing at the same time connecting Indian Orchard to
 the Indian Leap of Ludlow, one of which was an aqueduct and just downriver
from the railroad bridge.
 Both have since been demolished and not replaced, the Indian Leap bridge, a railroad
 bridge for the Athol branch of the Boston Albany Railroad Co. seen here possibly during
 the 1938 flood was the longer lasting, demolished in the early 1990s.

The above picture was taken from the pedestrian aqueduct bridge, which was demolished first in the 1970s.

                                              1905
The railroad bridge was demolished in the early 1990s. The middle support is gone, but
 the riverside supports are still in place.

 The last downtown or lower river bridge also known as the West st. or lower Main st.
 bridge also connects Indian Orchard to Ludlow

                                             Photo taken by Geoff Hubbs in May 2020
                                          
 view from the Ludlow side.

A view from the bridge looking east to the Indian Orchard Mills.

The last bridge downriver still in the Indian Orchard area ,was at the Bircham Bend.
 It was also a railroad bridge built in 1910s, but never used because of conflicting
ownership. It was demolished in 1920 and sold for scrap.

   

The support stumps can still be seen as the old right of way was purchased by the power
 grid for high voltage lines.

 

1932 West st. Bridge