Our dog friendly tour of the Berkshires continues with our visit to the Natural Bridge State Park in North Adams, Massachusetts. Now before heading out for this adventure, we’d like to caution you not to make the mistake our Dad almost did. Rather than enter the address to the Natural Bridge State Park in Massachusetts, he accidentally set the GPS for the Natural Bridge State Park in Rockbridge County, Virginia! We may still be driving if Mom didn’t catch that mistake! Luckily we made it to our chosen destination safe and sound, and began exploring.
Now technically, the story of this park begins 13,000 years ago when water from the glacial melt formed this bridge made of bedrock marble, over a 60-foot gorge. But who has time to cover that much history? So let’s fast forward to how the water it spans, the Hudson Brook, got its name. According to legend, in the 1760s a hunter by the name of Seth Hudson either lost a deer he was dragging home, or followed a wounded deer into this deep chasm. This is why 19th century author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, referred to the chasm as “Hudson’s Hole,” in his American Notebooks. In fact, he wrote, “The water dashed down in a misty cascade, through what looked like the portal of some infernal subterranean structure; and far within the portal we could see the mist and the falling water; and it looked as if, but for these obstructions of view, we might have had a deeper insight into a gloomy region.” PORTAL! Now you understand why I insisted we go here to search for the Berkshires’ Bigfoot! But I digress.
By the time Nathaniel Hawthorne was writing about the Natural Bridge in 1830s, this area was a thriving quarry, with the marble being removed for a variety of purposes from grave markers, to stones for buildings, to even grinding the remnants of the marble to be used as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and livestock feed! Nothing went to waste here! To power this industry, in 1838 they built the only white marble dam in North America.
This area was a quarry from the 1810s through the 1940s, until a mining accident started a fire and destroyed the buildings, causing the company to go bankrupt. It was a few years later in 1950 Edward J. Elder, seeing the value in preserving this unique natural structure, purchased the property and turned it into a roadside attraction. Finally in 1983 it was sold to the state of Massachusetts to become the state park we enjoy today! For a complete history, well maybe not 13,000 years complete, but close enough, we highly recommend the website New England’s Natural Bridge.
In addition to the interpretive trail explaining the history of the Natural Bridge and quarry, there is also the Guardian Sculpture Garden, with unique artwork made by students.
Dogs are allowed at the Natural Bridge State Park in North Adams, Massachusetts on-leash, and always clean up after them. Follow McAuley Road to the parking area. There you will also find a visitor center with more information on the fascinating history of this unique marble bridge, that has been attracting visitors for centuries.
