Many of the photographs of Mountain Park from its founding in 1897 through the 1920s were taken by George Graham, a Holyoke photographer who took up residence at the park every summer.  Most of his business was from a novelty photo booth he ran, but he also licensed many of his photographs to publishing houses for use as postcards.

The park was founded by William Loomis in 1894 as a simple trolley stop with picnic groves.  Three years later, the property was chartered as Mountain Park, a "pleasure resort."  This view from about 1897 shows the end of the trolley run at the park, looking north toward Little Mount Tom.  (Note the fire tower at the top of the hill.)  The building on the left was an open-air trolley stop.  It would also serve food and drink.

This is the earliest known photo of the midway, taken in 1897.  The dance pavilion in on the left.  On either side of it are the stations for the Switchback Railway.  To the right is the trolley stop / restaurant.  The cairns in the foreground flank the path down to the stage.  Notice all the young trees that have been planted.

On the left is a bear cage; on the right is a deer cage.  The small collection of animals was variously known as Deer Park and the Mountain Park Zoo.  The huge glacial erratic in the background was held in place by a concrete foundation.  In front of it ran the trolley line to Northampton.

This is what brought most people up to Mountain Park: beautiful shady areas in which the hot city folk could relax and enjoy a picnic lunch.  Toward the right of the image is the stage on which all manner of entertainment was presented.

Located near the trolley stop pavilion, this lily pond was a popular photo spot.  Note the glacial erratic peeking out between the two pine trees in the background.

This postcard from the early 1900s clearly shows the dance pavilion, Switchback Railway, trolley stop and, off to the right, the original carousel pavilion.  The Summit House at the top of Mount Tom was an extension of the park and a huge attraction.

The twenty minute ride to the Summit House (an extra nickel) was taken by a set of cable cars with an ingenious switching mechanism.  The view was spectacular.

The Summit House had observation decks and a fancy restaurant.  Patrons received excellent food and unparalleled views.

The original Summit House burned down in 1900.  This seven-story structure replaced it the following year, complete with a gold-plated dome.  It could be seen for miles around the valley and drew tens of thousands of people each year.  In Loomis' typical frugal fashion, the structure of the walkways was built from trolley tracks.

In 1911, the dance pavilion was converted into an arcade.  A new dance hall was built, a large beautiful ballroom, visible on the left in this photo.  On the right is the Tap Room, a large open-air restaurant designed in the Greek Revival style.

The old carousel pavilion was given a face-life in 1911, covered with stucco in a Greek Revival style to match the nearby ballroom and Tap Room.  The building itself survived until 1982, used as a storage building until it became unstable and was demolished.

Another view of the Tap Room next to the busy trolley tracks, with the dance pavilion in the background.

Loomis, recognizing the popularity of the little stage, expanded and enclosed it to seat 2500 patrons.  The Casino began to outstrip the Summit House in popularity.  Loomis eventually retired and turned the park over to his assistant Louis Pellissier.

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