“Calling the Ferryman”, ca. 1898-1900, vintage cyanotype, (detail) unknown American photographer, 8.5 x 8.7 | 8.8 x 10.0 cm on album leaf 24.4 x 18.5 cm. Young women, either Smith or Mt. Holyoke College students, gather with their bicycles at Smith’s Ferry, MA, located in Holyoke next to the Connecticut River. Known regionally as the Hockanum Ferry, the reveler at center blows a horn as the ferry approaches in background. Before bridges, ferry service made possible the river crossing between the Massachusetts towns of Northampton and South Hadley. A rope stretched from bank to bank allowed the ferryman to pull the boat across the river while a second man controlled the rudder. The first documented ferry began operating here in 1658, continuing to operate at this location until the early 1900s. Mt. Holyoke College founder Mary Lyon (1797-1849) was known to have “crossed the ferry many times and the students made frequent trips across on Mountain Day or other holidays.” From: PhotoSeed Archive