Click in each page's link to NeVar to watch him tell stories about the Mt. Tom Range, particularly the Mt. Tom Area. He is the mascot and spokesperson for this website’s extensive stories.

034navar

Ravens have been followers of our kind for all of recorded history and are a rich part of our folklore. To Native Americans ravens are revered noble spirits: intelligent, adaptable, sociable.

And so the common raven was chosen to tell the story of the Mt. Tom Range and why the ridge that makes up the spine of Holyoke, Massachusetts, should be preserved largely as undeveloped open space.

Listen to audio file below:

Nevar© and his mate NeVara© are a not so common raven pair. Together, they have become the mascots and narrators for this website.

Ravens were chosen for their intelligence, sociability and adaptability. They have been companions to humankind for all of recorded history and are a rich part of our folklore. To some ravens are evil. To others they are revered as noble spirits. And so ravens were chosen to tell the story of Mount Tom and why the ridge that makes up the spine of Holyoke should be preserved largely as undeveloped open space.

Should you have skills in animation, graphic arts, audio and video recording, photography, voice-overs, research, law, and would like to help tell the story of the Mt. Tom Range, please leave a comment under Recent Posts.

Closed Ski Area

In 1959-1960, Daniel O’Connell of O’Connell and Sons Construction Co. became interested in building a facility to keep local kids busy in the winter. Advisors to the included Roland Palmedo, Walter F. Stugger, and Stan Brown.

On December 17, 1960, the ski area opened with snow-making. A 1,400 foot T-Bar served the Big Tom slope, while a 400 foot rope tow operated on the Little Tom slope. Beyond those slopes, the Big Tom trail was advertised as being open via snow-cat service, giving skiers some additional 300 vertical feet above the 285 feet provided by the T-Bar. Ed Wakelin was listed as manager of the ski area while Robert Savard ran the ski school for the inaugural season.

For more of the story of the former Mt. Tom Ski Area, log on to http://vimeo.com/115637047

Want to contribute to a book and companion DVD of Mt. Tom Ski Area’s history? Send me, NeVar, a Post.

Please use the Post Page to share comments.

The illustration above is courtesy of Harry Craven.