Nestled at the foot of the Berkshires, the city of Westfield, Massachusetts, was first settled in 1639. In its earliest days, Westfield was a farming community, but by the end of the nineteenth century the history of the town was marked by great industrial growth. With the Industrial Revolution came an influx of newcomers from faraway lands, and Westfield became home to many Irish, Lithuanian, Polish, and Slovak immigrants. The people of Westfield, with their varied backgrounds, ideals, and dreams, worked together to make the city well-known as the whip capital of the world and the home of the Columbia bicycle.