East branch of the Housatonic River at Dalton, Mass.; photo by wikipedia user:Faolin42Situated just east of Pittsfield on Rt. 9, the Berkshire county town of Dalton, Mass. has great recreational and athletic resources, including Wahconah Falls State Park. In 1801, Zenas Crane, Henry Wiswall and John Willard set up a paper mill along the river which, by 1844, had begun producing bank note paper, which was purchased by banks all the way to Boston. The company, Crane & Co., still is the largest employer in town, making paper products, stationery, and, since 1873, has been the only supplier for the Federal Reserve Note, the United States’ paper money.
