USA > New Hampshire > New Hampshire as it is. In three parts. Part I. A historical sketch of New hampshire. Part II. A gazetter of New Hampshire. Part III. A general view of New Hampshire. Together with the constitution of the State > Part 32
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" The prospect of this lake and its environs is enchant-
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ing, and its beauties are seen with great advantage from a delightful elevation a little distance from the road towards Plymouth. The day was remarkably fine. Not a breath disturbed the leaves, or ruffled the surface of the waters. The sky was serene and beautiful. The Winnipiseogee was an immense field of glass, silvered by the lustre which floated on its surface. Its borders, now in full view, now dimly retiring from the eye, were formed by those flowing lines, those masterly sweeps of nature from which art has derived all its apprehension of ease and grace, alternated, at the same time, by the intrusion of points, by turns rough and bold, or marked with the highest elegance of figure. In the centre, a noble channel spread out 22 miles before the eye, uninterrupted even by a bush or a rock. On both sides of this avenue a train of islands arranged themselves, as if to adorn it with the finish that could be given only by their glowing verdure and graceful forms. That the internal and successive beauties of the Winnipiseogee strongly resemble and nearly approach those of Lake George, I cannot enter- tain a doubt. That they exceed them seems scarcely credible. But the prospect from the hill at the head of Centre Harbor is much superior to that of Fort George. The Winnipiseogee presents a field of at least twice the extent. The islands in view are more numerous, of finer forms, and more happily arranged. The shores are not inferior. The expansion is far more magnificent, and the grandeur of the mountains can scarcely be rivalled."
RIVERS.
AMMONOOSUC RIVER. - There are two rivers of this name, distinguished as Upper and Lower. The Upper Ammonoosuc has its source in the town of Milan, and empties into the Connecticut, near the centre of Northum-
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berland. Its course is somewhat circuitous, but generally in a westerly direction. Its length is about fifty miles. Its most considerable tributary is Phillips River.
The Lower Ammonoosuc rises on the west side of the White Mountains, near the Notch, flows in a south-wester- ly direction about fifty miles, and falls into the Connecticut in the southern part of Bath. Two miles from its mouth it receives the Wild Ammonoosuc, a rapid and turbulent stream, especially when swollen by freshets.
ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER receives the waters of Umbagog Lake, and also of the Magalloway River, which unites with it about two miles below the lake. From this junc- tion it pursues a southerly course, until it reaches the vicinity of the White Mountains, where it passes into Maine. It then bends to the east and south-east, passes over the falls at Brunswick, not far from Bowdoin College, and finally empties into the Kennebec.
ASHUELOT RIVER has its source in a pond in Washing- ton. It flows in a south-westerly direction, and falls into the Connecticut in Hinsdale, three miles from the state line.
CONNECTICUT RIVER. - The principal sources of this river are among the highlands in the northern part of the state. It extends along the western border of New Hamp- shire about one hundred and seventy miles, its western shore forming the boundary between this state and Ver- mont. Its general course is south. Passing through the western part of Massachusetts and the centre of Connecti- cut, it empties into Long Island Sound; its total length being about four hundred and fifty miles. There are many rapids in the Connecticut, the most celebrated of which are Bellows Falls, in Walpole.
The most important tributaries of the Connecticut
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in New Hampshire are the Upper and Lower Ammo- noosuc, Israel's, John's, Mascomy, Sugar, and Ashuelot Rivers.
The intervals are generally spread out on one or both sides of the river, and extending from one half a mile to five miles in breadth, though in some places the banks are rocky and precipitous. The valley of the Connecticut, is justly admired for the unsurpassed beauty of its scenery, while the river itself is unquestionably the finest in the Eastern States. The ancient orthography of the Indian name was Quonehtiquot, signifying Long River.
CONTOOCOOK RIVER waters most of the towns in the western part of Hillsborough county. It has its origin from several ponds in, Jaffrey and Rindge. In its course northward it receives numerous tributaries. In Hills- borough it takes a north-east and easterly direction, and, after meandering through Concord, falls into the Merri- mack between Concord and Boscawen.
HALL'S STREAM rises in the highlands that separate this state from Canada, and forms the north-western boundary of the state from its source to its junction with the Con- necticut at Stewartstown.
ISRAEL'S RIVER, in Coos county, receives the waters from the northern part of the White Mountain range, and, flowing north-west, empties into the Connecticut in Lancas- ter. It received its name from Israel Glines, a hunter, who, with his brother, frequented these regions long before the settlement of the country.
JOHN'S RIVER, named from John Glines, has its princi- pal source in Pondicherry Pond in Jefferson. It falls into the Connecticut in Dalton.
MAGALLOWAY RIVER rises among the highlands near the boundary line between New Hampshire and Maine, and,
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after receiving the waters of Dead and Diamond Rivers, empties into the Androscoggin two miles from the outlet of Umbagog Lake.
MASCOMY RIVER is composed of several branches which have their sources in Lebanon, Enfield, and Canaan. These unite and fall into Mascomy Lake in Enfield. From thence the river pursues a westerly course through Lebanon, and empties into the Connecticut.
MERRIMACK RIVER is composed of two branches. The north branch, called the Pemigewasset, has its sources among the White and Franconia Mountains, and flows south, receiving the waters of Baker's and Mad River, until it unites with the Winnipiseogee in Franklin. The latter branch is the outlet of Winnipiseogee Lake. From this junction the river is called the Merrimack, originally written Merramacke and Monnomake, which in the Indian language signifies a sturgeon. The river pursues a south course seventy-eight miles to Chelmsford, Massachusetts, and thence flows east twenty-eight miles, emptying into the sea at Newburyport. Some of its principal tributaries are the Contoocook, which empties into it near the north line of Con- cord ; the Soucook in Pembroke; the Suncook, between Pem- broke and Allenstown ; the Piscataquog in Bedford ; the Sou- hegan in Merrimack ; and a beautiful stream called the Nashua River in Dunstable. The Merrimack, whose fountains are nearly on a level with those of the Connecticut, is much shorter than the latter, and, of course, has a more rapid descent to the sea. Hence the intervals bordering on it are less extensive, and the scenery less beautiful, than on the Connecticut. It is, however, a noble river; and on its borders are some of the most flourishing towns in the state. Its width varies from fifty to one hundred rods, and at its mouth it presents a beautiful expanse of water, half a mile
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in width. This river, with Lake Winnipiseogee as a reser- voir, affords an immense water power, which has given rise to several flourishing manufacturing villages and cities.
PISCATAQUA RIVER, the only large river which is wholly in New Hampshire, is formed by the junction of several streams, which unite in a broad channel, hollowed out partly by them and partly by the tide. The names of the tributaries, beginning at the north-east, are Salmon Fall, Cocheco, Bellamy Bank, Oyster, Lamprey, Swamscot, and Winnicut Rivers. The last five unite their waters in Great Bay, which resembles a lake more than a river, lying be- tween Durham and Greenland. The waters from this bay unite with the Salmon Fall and Cocheco Rivers a few miles below Dover. After this junction they proceed in a direct course to the south-east, and join the ocean a short distance below Portsmouth, imbosoming several islands in their course, and forming one of the best harbors in the country. Although the Piscataqua makes an imposing appearance, most of its tributaries are small ; the Salmon Fall furnish- ing more water than all the rest. This river is called Newichawannock from the falls in Berwick to its junction with the Cocheco.
SACO RIVER rises near the Notch of the White Moun- tains, within a few rods of the sources of the Lower Am- monoosuc. It flows in a south-east course, receiving several tributaries from the mountains, the principal of which is Ellis's River, and passes through Conway into Maine, and from thence to the ocean. Its whole length is estimated at one hundred and sixty miles. . This river rises and overflows very suddenly in rainy weather, and subsides rapidly on the cessation of the rain. Its ordinary rise in the spring freshets is from ten to fifteen feet, but in some instances it has been known to exceed twenty feet.
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SUGAR RIVER is the outlet of Sunapee Lake. It flows west, and empties into the Connecticut in Claremont. In its rapid descent it affords a large amount of water power, which is now improved to a considerable extent.
WINNIPISEOGEE RIVER. - See Merrimack River.
MOUNTAINS.
BLUE HILLS is the name commonly applied to a range of mountains in the eastern part of the state, commencing in Nottingham, and extending in a northerly direction through Strafford, Farmington, and Milton. The several peaks are known as Teneriffe, Saddleback, Tuckaway, &c.
CAMEL'S RUMP. - This mountain is situated near the boundary line between New Hampshire and Canada. It was ascended, in 1840, by Messrs. Whitney and Williams, the assistants of Dr. Jackson in the geological survey of the state. They estimated its height at 3615 feet above the sea level. "Its geological character is peculiar. The specimens which we obtained from the mountain consisted of amorphous masses of hornstone, of various hues of color, from a light apple-green to almost black. The mountain is covered with a low and tangled undergrowth, with stunted fir-balsams and spruce. Although the ascent was difficult, we were amply repaid by the magnificent extent of the view which was displayed before us. In the north, a series of high hills, stretching beyond each other for five or ten miles, divides the waters flowing into the St. Lawrence from those of the Magalloway and Connecti- cut, beyond which, as far as the eye could reach, lay the extended table lands of Canada, unbroken by any abrupt elevation ; to the east, the lofty granite ranges of Maine, Mount Bigelow, and Mount Abraham ; farther south, the
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numerous large lakes near Umbagog, and the Diamond Hills ; while in the farthest distance were seen the lofty peaks of the White Mountains; and to the west lay the lakes and tributary streams of the Connecticut, and the rolling ranges of the Green Mountains."
CAPE HORN is an abrupt mountain of about 1000 feet in height, situated near the centre of Northumberland. Its north base is separated from the Connecticut by a nar- row plain, while the Upper Ammonoosuc passes near the eastern base.
CARDIGAN MOUNTAIN is situated in the eastern part of Orange. It is composed of porphyritic granite. Its height is about 1500 feet.
CARR'S MOUNTAIN is in Ellsworth. It is composed of granite, overlying mica slate. Its height is 3381 feet above the level of the sea.
CARTER'S MOUNTAIN lies between Jackson and Chat- ham.
CATAMOUNT HILLS. - The highest of these hills, situat- ed in Pittsfield, is 1415 feet above the level of the sea.
CHOCORUA MOUNTAIN is in Albany. Its height is 3358 feet above the level of the sea.
GUNSTOCK MOUNTAIN, in Gilford, consists of three dis- tinct peaks, the highest of which is 2447 feet above the level of the sea. From the most southerly peak there is a magnificent view of Winnipiseogee Lake.
KEARSARGE MOUNTAIN is a conspicuous elevation in Warner. Its sides are thickly covered with trees, which renders the ascent difficult, but the top is a bare rock. It is composed of mica slate. The height of the mountain is 3067 feet above the level of the sea.
MOUNT LA FAYETTE is a lofty conical mountain of gran- ite in Franconia. The view from its summit is regarded as
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not inferior to that from Mount Washington. Its height is 5067 feet above the level of the sea.
. MONADNOCK MOUNTAIN, commonly called the Grand Monadnock, is situated in Jaffrey and Dublin, 22 miles east from Connecticut River. Its height is 3718 feet above the level of the sea. The rocks near the summit consist of a hard variety of gneiss. The plants are gener- ally of an alpine character; only a few dwarfish spruce trees grow in the crevices of the rocks. The scenery, as viewed from the top of the mountain, is extremely fine. The surrounding country appears like a level plain, studded with numerous villages and ponds. Of the latter, some thirty are visible, some of them of considerable size. It is said that evidences of volcanic action have been observed here.
MOOSEHILLOCK is a noble eminence in the south-east part of Benton. Its height is estimated at 4636 feet above the level of the sea, thus giving it rank among the highest mountains in New England.
MOOSE MOUNTAIN is the name given to an elevation in Hanover, and to another between Brookfield and Mid- dleton.
OSSIPEE MOUNTAIN, in Ossipee, is about four miles from the eastern shore of Winnipiseogee Lake. It consists of several distinct peaks, the highest of which is 2361 feet above the level of the sea. It is well wooded to the sum- mit. The rock is gneiss.
PEQUAKET MOUNTAIN is situated in Bartlett. Its height is 3367 feet above the level of the sea. The view of the surrounding country from its summit is truly magnificent.
PILOT MOUNTAIN. - See Gazetteer, Kilkenny.
PROFILE MOUNTAIN. - See Gazetteer, Franconia.
RAGGED MOUNTAINS, so called from their rough appear-
MOUNT WASHINGTON NORTH CONWAY.
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ance, are situated between Andover and Hill, extending about ten miles from the Pemigewasset to the vicinity of Kearsarge. It is a bleak and precipitous range. The northern portion is about 2000 feet in height.
THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. - The White Mountain range is in Coos county, and extends about twenty miles from south-west to north-east. The width of the range is various, but hardly exceeds in any place more than nine or ten miles. Here are found the highest elevations in New England, and, with a single exception, the highest in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The unsur- passed magnificence and grandeur of the scenery attract multitudes of visitors annually, and give to New Hamp- shire the well-deserved appellation of the "Switzerland of America."
According to Dr. Belknap the Indian name of the mountains was Agiocochook. An ancient tradition pre- vailed among them that a deluge once occurred, which swept away every human being except a single Powwow and his wife, who fled to the mountains, and were there preserved. From them the earth was repeopled. They had, moreover, a superstitious dread of ascending the sum- mits, which their imagination peopled with invisible beings, who sometimes manifested their power in storms and tem- pests, over which they were supposed to hold absolute control. But though the savages never attempted the ascent, believing success impossible, they frequented the surrounding country and the mountain defiles, and propa- gated many marvellous tales of what they alleged could there be seen. Among other things, they gave accounts of immense carbuncles far up the steep and inaccessible sides of the mountains, which shone in the night with the most brilliant and dazzling splendor.
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The first visit of white men to these regions was made by Neal, Jocelyn, and Field in 1632. They were urged partly, no doubt, by curiosity, and partly by the hope of finding mineral treasures. They gave a glowing account of their adventures, and of the extent and grandeur of the mountains, which they called the Crystal Hills. Since then they have frequently been visited by hunters and men of science ; and within a few years they have become one of the most fashionable places of summer resort in the United States.
The geological characteristics of the White Mountains are chiefly interesting from the fact that they exhibit the operations of Nature on a grand scale. The rock is gener- ally granite, sometimes capped, as on the summit of Mount Washington, with coarse mica slate. No minerals of much value or rarity have been found here, and no evidences of volcanic action have been discovered. It is altogether probable that the mountains have for ages exhibited the same unvarying appearance.
The sides of the mountains, as well as most of the sur- rounding country, are thickly covered with trees, which in autumn present a most beautifully variegated appearance. The summits of the higher elevations are destitute of vege- tation, excepting a few mosses and plants of alpine spe- cies. For eight or ten months in the year they are covered with snow, giving them that bright and dazzling appearance from which they derive their name.
Many of the finest rivers of New England originate among these highlands. The Saco flows from the east side of the mountains, the tributaries of the Androscoggin from the north, the Ammonoosuc and other branches of the Connecticut from the west, and the Pemigewasset from the south. The fountain of the latter is near that of the Saco.
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The height of the mountains has been variously estimat- ed. The Rev. Dr. Cutler, who, with several others, visited the mountains and made a series of observations in 1784, fixed the height of Mount Washington at 10,000 feet, which Dr. Belknap supposed would prove too low an esti- mate. Other and later computations have given results much less than this. Dr. Jackson, while engaged in the geological survey of the state, made a series of observa- tions under favorable circumstances, from which he calcu- lated it to be 6226 feet above the high water mark in Portsmouth Harbor. The height of several of the other summits is estimated as follows : Mount Adams, 5759 feet ; Mount Jefferson, 5657 ; Mount Madison, 5415; Mount Monroe, 5349 ; Mount Franklin, 4850 ; Mount Pleasant, 4715.
Of these Mount Washington is easily known by its su- perior elevation, and by its being the southern of the three highest summits. Mount Adams is known by its sharp ter- minating peak, and by its being the second north of Mount Washington. Mount Jefferson is situated between these two. Mount Madison is the eastern peak of the range. Mount Monroe is the first south of Mount Washington. . Mount Franklin is the second south, and is known by its level surface. Mount Pleasant is known by its conical shape, and by its being the third south of Mount Wash- ington.
The ascent of the mountains, though fatiguing, is by no means difficult or dangerous. There are two or three points from which the summit of Mount Washington can be ascended by horses. The prospect from Mount Pleas- ant, over which one of these routes passes, though inferior in extent and grandeur to that from Mount Washington, is in some respects more satisfactory, as the objects viewed
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are generally nearer and more distinct. The top of this mountain is smooth, and gradually slopes away in every direction from the centre. It is every where covered with short tufts of grass, interspersed here and there with moun- tain flowers, which give life and beauty to the scene. From this point the summit of Mount Washington is in full view to the north-east, being distant about three miles in a straight line. To the north-west are seen the settlements in Jefferson ; west, the courses of the Ammonoosuc, as though delineated on a map ; to the south-west the Moose- hillock and Haystack are visible ; south, Chocorua Peak ; south-east, the settlements and mountains in Bartlett ; while to the east are seen only dark mountains and forests. Pass- ing from this place over Mount Franklin and the eastern part of Mount Monroe, the traveller reaches a plain of consid- erable extent at the foot of Mount Washington. There are here several ponds and springs, the largest of which is a beautiful sheet of water of an oval form, covering about three fourths of an acre. The waters are clear and pleas- ant to the taste. The pinnacle of Mount Washington, ele- vated 1500 feet above this plain, stands in majestic gran- deur, like an immense pyramid, or some vast Kremlin in this city of mountains.
The view from Mount Washington has been well de- scribed by a traveller as follows : -
" From the summit, if the day be clear, is afforded a view unequalled, perhaps, on the eastern side of the North American continent. Around you in every direction are confused masses of mountains, bearing the appearance of a sea of molten lava suddenly cooled whilst its ponderous waves were yet in commotion. On the south-east horizon gleams a rim of silver light; it is the Atlantic Ocean, 65 miles distant, laving the shores of Maine. Lakes of all
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' sizes, from Lake Winnipiseogee to mere mountain ponds, and mountains beneath you, gleam misty and wide." Far off to the north-east is Mount Katahdin. In the western hori- zon are the Green Mountains of Vermont, and to the south and south-west are Mount Monadnock and Kearsarge, while the space between is filled up with every variety of land- scape - mountain and hill, plain and valley, lake and river.
The Notch of the White Mountains is the name applied to a very narrow defile extending two miles in length be- tween two huge cliffs, apparently rent asunder by some convulsion of nature. The mountain, otherwise a contin- uous range, is here cleft asunder, affording a passage for the waters of the Saco. Through this defile a road has been constructed, following the course of the stream. At the southern extremity the mountain walls on each side are regular and parallel, but towards the north they become irregular and much lower. The road gradually ascends from the south, and the passage grows narrower until it terminates at its northern extremity in the Gate of the Notch. The distance between the perpendicular rocks on each side of the chasm at this point is only 22 feet, af- fording barely sufficient room for the river and the road.
About half a mile below the northern entrance of the Notch is seen a most beautiful cascade, issuing from a mountain eight hundred feet above the subjacent valley, on the right as you ascend from the south. The strean passes over a series of rocks nearly perpendicular, with a course so little broken as to preserve the appearance of a uniform current, and yet so much disturbed as to appear perfectly white. When swollen by rains it presents a magnificent ap- pearance. It was called by Dr. Dwight the Silver Cascade. Further up on the road, to the left, is a smaller branch of the Saco, falling over three precipices some 250 feet.
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The Notch was once the scene of a fearful catastrophe, . which resulted in the destruction of an entire family. The old Notch Tavern, now called the Willey House, stood on the westerly side of the road in the Notch, at the foot of an abrupt elevation 2000 feet in height. Adjoining the house were a barn and wood house, in front was a beautiful little meadow, and along the eastern precipice flowed the Saco. This house was occupied, in 1826, by Captain Sam- uel Willey and his family, consisting of his wife, five chil- dren, and two men named Nickerson and Allen. In the month of June an avalanche, or slide, came down from the mountain, and crossed the road, a few rods north of the house, which led Captain Willey to prepare a place of refuge to which they might flee in case there should be signs of another slide. On the 28th of August, af- ter several successive days of rainy weather, there were closing showers, in which the rain poured down in tor- rents, raising the rivers to an unusual height, and caus- ing numerous slides among the mountains. A traveller, passing through the Notch a day or two after, found the house deserted. An immense slide, coming down directly in the rear of the house, had been divided by a huge block of granite about five rods distant, and passing on each side of the house had again united in front. The barn and other out-buildings were destroyed ; the house alone es- caped unharmed. But the family had left this, the only place of safety, and in attempting to flee were overwhelmed by the moving mass. The bodies of six of them were dis- covered not long after. The house which they occupied is still standing, in a good state of repair. The meadow was covered with stones and gravel, and the road, together with the valley, was elevated for a considerable distance. The course of the river was changed.
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ROUTES TO THE WHITE MOUNTAINS.
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