Introduction

The Berkshire Mountain Range in Western Massachusetts sits in the very top left corner of the state. The Troy and Greenfield Railroad Company wanted to lace some track that would cut through the mountains, so they began work on a tunnel. At least 200 men lost their lives cutting that hole through the bones of the earth. It ultimately took the work crew 24 years to wrap up and had a total cost of $21.2 million. That's over $400 million in today's money.