Book excerpt: The Gateway District in Massachusetts is composed of seven towns served by the Gateway School System: Huntington, Russell, Montgomery, Worthington, Middlefield, Chester, and Blandford. Nestled comfortably together along the banks of the Westfield River and its tributaries, these seven small towns have worked together for over one hundred and fifty years to build a community. This photographic essay chronicles the development of these towns and villages from their earliest days. In the beginning, many were farming communities, sustaining themselves with the earth's bounty. With industrialization in the nineteenth century came numerous mills along the river, and the seven rural towns were forever changed. A look at the people, places, and events of this period will prove surprising for many, and will certainly preserve valuable information about the region's history for generations to come.