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(c) Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, Deerfield MA. All rights reserved.
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Electric trolley service greatly changed people's lives in the early 1900's. A wide network of trolley lines provided inexpensive, dependable transportation on a reliable schedule. This opened the world for many people, allowing them to get around far more conveniently and less expensively than hitching up a horse and buggy. This was especially true for women and people who did not personally own a horse and wagon. Trolleys also made it easier for people to travel in and out of the larger towns that were often hubs for the trolley lines. These larger towns offered access to a wider selection of goods and services as well as greater work, social and entertainment opportunities. The Connecticut Valley Street Railway Company trolley line pictured here terminated at the base of Mount Sugarloaf in Deerfield, Massachusetts, (in the far right of the photograph) where the company maintained a pavilion for public outings until the mid 1920's.

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