Russell

History

Russell was originally part of the Pocumtuc (also called Deerfield) nation, who spoke an Algonquian language. Like most native peoples, they were decimated by smallpox, then their participation in King Philip's War 1675–1676 proved their undoing as victory by colonial forces led to the dispersal of remnants of this tribe west into New York and north into Canada. Although the way was open for settlement beyond the Pioneer Valley lowlands, the thin, rocky soil and hilly topography of uplands to the west delayed settlement until about 1725, when there was no more promising land left to settle in the valley. Because river valleys in the hilly areas were subject to cold air pockets and late frosts—especially during the Little Ice Age that persisted until the late 19th century—most early settlement was in uplands in and near South Quarter. Relatively unproductive soils and small fields were not conducive to growing cash crops, so farming was more of a subsistence nature. Most of what was consumed on these farms was homemade or bartered for. The upland farm population peaked around 1800, when more productive farmland opened up beyond the Appalachian Mountains in western New York and the Northwest Territory—today's Great Lakes states. Employment opportunities became significant by about 1825 as the first (water power-dependent) Industrial Revolution unfolded in New England. The cash income gave farmsteads access to manufactured goods and imported food such as cane sugar from the West Indies in lieu of local maple products. Farming became more of a part-time occupation and a growing number of farms were abandoned, gradually reverting to forest until only stonewalls and cellar holes remain. The Industrial Revolution led to development in the Westfield River valley, as the…

Geography

Russell is in western Hampden County, bordered by Granville to the south, Blandford to the west, Huntington to the north, Montgomery to the northeast and Westfield to the southeast. The main village, Russell, is in the northwestern part of town and is a census-designated place. The village of Woronoco is in the eastern part of town. Both villages are along the Westfield River and are connected by U.S. Route 20, which leads southeast to Westfield and northwest to Lee. Interstate 90, the Massachusetts Turnpike, crosses the center of Russell, but has no exits in the town. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Russell has a total area of , of which are land and , or 2.39%, are water. The town features two very different topographical sections: South Quarter is mainly uplands at elevations from along the rim of a plateau west of the Connecticut River Valley, while the rest of the town is a deep valley along the swift Westfield River. The South Quarter uplands end at an escarpment near the southeastern border of the town, the edge of a rift valley originating in the Mesozoic Era when Europe and North America separated. The Connecticut River still follows this rift valley, known as the Pioneer Valley for its early settlement by English Puritans. The escarpment between the South Quarter uplands and the valley is forested—too steep to farm—and dissected by streams that have eroded ravines back into the uplands. Along the Westfield River valley, during the Pleistocene epoch, continental glaciers scraped away soil and steepened cliffs on hills around the valley, particularly on Mounts Tekoa and Shatterack east of the river, and on Turtle Bend Mountain standing in the middle of the valley. Although none of these peaks actually rises much above the…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Westfield High
  High · Westfield · 1,027 students · 12.2:1 ratio
• Westfield Middle School
  Middle · Westfield · 691 students · 11.3:1 ratio
• Westfield Intermediate School
  Middle · Westfield · 668 students · 10.4:1 ratio
• Westfield Technical Academy
  High · Westfield · 543 students · 9.1:1 ratio
• Highland
  Elementary · Westfield · 370 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Paper Mill
  Elementary · Westfield · 341 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Munger Hill
  Elementary · Westfield · 340 students · 11.7:1 ratio
• Southampton Road
  Elementary · Westfield · 325 students · 14.1:1 ratio