Spring had come early to the Conn. River valley and the weather was unusually warm that May of 1676. Unrest and distrust between the early settlers (most of whom still lived south in the valley near Northampton and Hadley) and the Native American tribes was at a peak. Months of war with the English had exhausted much of the Native American food supply. The early settlers in nearby Deerfield had temporarily abandoned the settlement after numerous raids and attacks by local warriors.
The best hope for the Native Americans to replenish their food stores was the Spring run of fish at "Peskeompscut" - the Amerindian tribe name for the great falls on the Conn. River at present day Turners Falls. Here the river narroowed and plunged over a 40-50 foot drop into the gorge below. The river then surged a mile or so south through the gorge and pulsed over a 10 foot high rock ledge. (This ledge still exists and can be paddled to today!! - more on that later) The river then continued south and joined with the Deerfield River on its way to present day Sunderland. The fishing at these ledges and rapids was bountiful. The Native American tribes encamped in the fields just above the falls - an area which is now under water in the area off RT. 2 known as Barton's Cove.
Although the fishing was good, the lure of beef in the form of cattle belonging to settlers proved too strong. On May 13, 1676, a war party left the encampment at Peskeompscut, heading south along the Conn. River. That night the warriors attacked Hatfield. After a brief clash, the raiding party made off with most of the settler's cattle and drove them north, back to their encampment (at present day Barton's Cove). The Native Americans ate well - but these were meals that were to come at a terrible price in human lives.
The settlers were outraged - determined to secure the return of their cattle and perhaps revenge for the continuing raids. Captain William Turner of Hatfield sent out the call for volunteers; nearly 150 men and boys responded. They gathered in Hatfield and marched north along the river. They passed the site at "Bloody Brook" in S. Deerfield, where a year before more than 70 settlers had been killed in an ambush by Amerindian warriors and were buried in a mass grave. They passed the abandoned village of Deerfield and the sheer ledges at what we today call Sugarloaf Mtn (across from the canoe launch at Sunderland). They were angry and spoiling for blood.
By the morning of May 19, the colonials had crossed the Green River (near present day Greenfield) and moved to within a mile of the Native American encampment. They left their horses behind and moved in for an ambush of their own.The tribes and their familes stood no chance. Upon their return with the cattle, the warriors had celebrated too much. They ate their fill and then failed to send out scouts or post sentinels. What followed was a massacre - the kind that does not distinguish anyone's history but was all too common during this era - with men, women , and children being killed by the colonials under Captain Turner. Many Amerindians tried to escape by plunging into the Conn. River, only to be swept over the falls, which now forms the rock base of the present day dam. (The next time you train at Barton's Cove, remember the violence that happened there long ago beneath the waters upon which we now paddle so peacefully).
Ah, but the bloodshed was not over, and the Native Americans were about to work to try to even the bloody score. The attack left the colonials in disarray - and in disagreement on how to get back south. Word of the attack quickly spread through the various tribes and encampments in the side valleys, and warriors gathered for the counterattack.
Time to retreat!! - except that Capt. Turner had not given much thought to this important subject. The colonials split up, trying to get home as best they could. The warriors began to fall upon the small groups of settlers - time for a massacre of their own. Panic was the order of the day. It was every man for himself - with many never returning to Hatfield. Over 40 settlers were killed.
And what of Capt. Turner? He didn't make it back. Capt. Turner was killed as he tried to get back across the Green River. His body was not recovered for nearly a month, and was eventually buried on a bluff just west of where he fell. A tablet marks the spot and you can still see it today.
So keep this in mind the next time you are training at Sunderland or Barton's Cove. Historians will always debate the whys and what ifs of all of this - there is certainly enough blame and blood to go around. But as paddlers we get to see and experience these important areas of history in a unique way most people cannot. The important thing is not to forget the people - all the people - who lived, paddled, and died here long ago. Now you know how Turners Falls got its name. And while you can no longer paddle where the old falls existed (now under the dam at Turners), here's a little known fact - you can still paddle right up to, climb on, and experience the last naturally existing rock ledge drop on the Conn. River!!
Yes, all the others have been long since buried beneath impoundments behind dams, but in Turners Falls gorge, about a mile below the dam, is the 10 foot high rock ledge drop, just as it existed in 1676!! To get there just paddle upstream from Sunderland, continuing up the Conn. River past the junction of the Deerfield River - then when the water level is right (usually early summer) continue upstream beyond where the Turners canal dumps back into the river, around a sharp right-hand bend, and there it will be. You won't miss it. A giant 10 foot rock ledge completely across the river with a gorgeous waterfall in one section - just like it always was!! Take a moment and imagine in your mind's eye the Native Americans fishing there or the early settlers scrambling over the falls - the people that lived and died here. I think you will agree that being a paddler gives you a very special perspective of our world and the history that has gone before. Enjoy.
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So. Deerfield photo from Wikimedia Commons
