Holyoke Dam--Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge

Holyoke Dam--Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge

South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075

Tips for Birding

If you carefully keep your bird records by county, be sure to use the specific hotspots in this area so that the birds will be assigned to the proper county. The Hampden-Hampshire county line is in the middle of the Connecticut River. Birds reported on checklists for this hotspot are assigned to Hampshire County.

About this Location

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge is a bridge that connects the towns of Holyoke and South Hadley in Massachusetts. It crosses the Connecticut River, which is the longest river in New England. The bridge was built in 1990 to replace the old County Bridge, which was constructed in 1889 and designed by Edward S. Shaw. The new bridge was named in honor of the veterans who served in the Vietnam War, which lasted from 1959 to 1975. The bridge has a girder design and carries MA-116, a state highway that runs from Springfield to Sunderland. The bridge is also known as the Holyoke Bridge, the South Hadley Falls Bridge, or simply the County Bridge.

There is a sidewalk that crosses the bridge and provides the safest way to view birds. 

About Holyoke Dam

See all hotspots at Holyoke Dam

The Holyoke Dam is a historic structure that harnesses the power of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts. It was built in 1900 to replace two earlier timber dams that failed. The dam is made of granite and is 30 feet high and 1,020 feet long. It diverts water from the river into the Holyoke Canal System, which provides hydroelectric energy to the city of Holyoke and its industries. 

The current dam is the third structure to be built across the Great Falls at South Hadley. The dam, along with the Canal System and its Testing Flume, is recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark for its use by Clemens Herschel in the development of the Venturi meter, the first means of measuring large-scale flows, and the McCormick-Holyoke Turbine by John B. McCormick, also known as the Hercules Turbine, which doubled the efficiency of turbines to more than 80% in its time.

Features

  • Wheelchair accessible trail

  • Restrooms on site

  • Entrance fee

Last updated November 26, 2023

Map adapted from © OpenStreetMap contributors