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.

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