USA > New Hampshire > Carroll County > Sandwich > Sketches of Sandwich, New Hampshire, past and present > Part 2
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Chocorua was a real Indian. An old settler of Tamworth, Jo-
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seph Gilman, who lived some seventy years ago or more, used to converse with an older pioneer who had been on intimate terms with the Indian. There are several different versions of the Chocorua legend, all agreeing, however, on the chieftain's death here. The commonest one and the one written down by this old settler in Tam- worth is probably the truest one. At a late period in the history of the Indians around Conway and Albany, Chocorua was among the few remaining Red Men. He was friendly to the incoming white people, and especially one named Campbell, who lived near what is now Tamworth. He had a son in whom all his hopes and love were centered. On one occasion he was obliged to consult with some of his people at St. Francis, Canada. His son was left in the care of Campbell, and was tenderly welcomed at the pioneer's camp. One day, however, he found a bottle of poison which had been prepared for a mischievous fox, and with the unsuspecting curiosity of the In- dians, he drank a portion of it. Chocorua returned only to find his beloved son dead and buried. The improbable story of his fatality failed to satisfy the heart-broken chief, and his spirit demanded ven- geance.
Campbell went home from the fields one day and found the dead and mangled bodies of his wife and children on the floor of his hut. He tracked Chocorua, found him on the crest of the mountain and shot him.
While dying, Chocorua cried out, "A curse upon ye, white men ! May the great spirit curse ye when he speaks in the clouds and his words are: 'Chocorua had a son and ye killed him while the sky looked bright.' Lightning blast your crops! Wind and fire destroy your dwellings ! The evil spirit breathe upon your cattle! Your graves lie in the warpath of the Indian. Panthers howl and wolves fatten upon your bones! Chocorua goes to the Great Spirit, but his curse stays with the white man!"
Not only has this mountain been crowned with a legend, but pictures have been painted of it and poems written about it. Mr. Thomas Cole produced two very spirited pictures of Chocorua. His autumn scene, Coraway peak, which now hangs in the gallery of the New York Historical Society, and his other picture, The Death of Chocorua, have become widely known.
During Whittier's last days in New Hampshire, he was unable to climb mountains with his friends. He enjoyed being quiet and alone. One day a party of seven of Whittier's friends climbed Chocorua under the guidance of the Knox brothers, two young farm- ers and bear hunters of West Ossipee, camping for the night. The young ladies reported to the poet how they had heard the growling of bears and other blood curdling incidents. Shortly afterward the Knox brothers gave a husking bee to which Mr. Whittier was invited.
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Whittier wrote a poem entitled, "How They Climbed Chocorua," and induced Lucy Larcom to read it as the production of an unknown author. These humorous stanzas, with their references to incidents of the excursion, and their personal mentions of the climbers, were received with great delight.
David H. Hill has written a poem of Chocorua, which to me has the spirit of one who really loves the granite hills. He expresses his thoughts for them in these words :
Sing me a song, a pleasing song,
Of the wild granite hills ; Some weird old legends of the north,
Whose mystic romance thrills Both heart and brain at thought of deeds That long ago had birth
Among these ancient hills that stand
Like giant kings of earth.
Where'er the dewes of genius fall, Go to that pleasant clime,
And mark the footprints --
List to the voices of old time,
And sing of the imperial hills,
Thy romance summon forth,
And sing some mystic song of old,
Some legend of the North.
Wonalancet, The Unusual ELLIOTT GORDON, '27
Long before the white men came to this country the Indians lived here in solemn peace, hunting, fishing and tramping over the hills.
A few years before the Pilgrims landed, the Mohawks of the Catskills in New York, entered into a dispute with the small tribes of Vermont over the fish in Lake Champlain. These small tribes of Vermont greatly feared the mighty Mohawks. Chief Papesseconewa of the Pennacooks united with the tribes of New Hampshire, eastern Maine, Vermont, and northern Massachusetts for protection against the hated Mohawks.
After sorely beating back the enemy, Papesseconewa returned to his home, the greatest Sachem east of the Alleghany Mountains.
This great chief sent his three sons out to the North, South and East, to rule the far-away tribes in his confederation .- To the North he sent Wonne Nangshonat. This is the son in whom we are most
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interested, for it is from this jumble of letters that we derive Wona- lancet. This young chief set up his hut at the head of the Saco. Here he fished, hunted and roamed the mountains of the Sandwich range.
Boutor says, "He was wronged by the whites, disturbed by the Indians, a wanderer in the wilderness, at one time a prisoner at Do- ver and at last, like his noble father, he died in poverty." The name of this noble Red-Man has been attached to many places and things, but the one which is dearest to my heart, is the little peak of the Sandwich Range called Wonalancet. This mountain is not large, but from the summit one can view an intervale rich in scenic splendor.
This intervale was first settled about the time of the Revolu- tionary war by Mark Jewel, whose father lived in Sandwich. In times past it has had a more extensive population than it now sup- ports. The forests of the low hills tempted the lumbermen, and their mills brought many families here. When the mills were at their height, it was deemed very necessary to have a community church. The lumbermen went out into the woods and cut and sawed the lum- ber, while the farmers built the first church. Today the church may still be seen, but a tower and bell have been added.
With the passing of the mills, and the failure of the uplands to vield a suitable return for labor, the population died out until at last only a dozen farmers were left. Since then the valley has turned from a thriving mill center to a beautiful summer residence section, supported by the several clubs of the district.
Some of the clubs are the Appalachian Mountain Club. the Wonalancet Out Door Club and the Chocorua Mountain Club; of the three we are most interested in the Wonalancet Out Door Club, be- cause it was founded in Wonalancet.
This club was established in 1893. In the early nineties, Mrs. Walden, returning from a trip to the city, entered into a conversation with Dr. Fay, who remarked that it was a shame that the beautiful little intervale of Wonalancet should be sealed up like a book from the outside world. Mrs. Walden invited Dr. Fay and Mr. Ladd, then Principal of Chelsea High School, to meet with the townspeople and impress upon them the importance of opening up the mountains around Wonalancet to pleasure-seekers.
That night a heavy thunderstorm prevented many from getting there, but those who did go were so impressed that they started the next day to open a trail to the top of Passaconaway, clearing out an old logging road up the ridge or steep part, and continuing by cut- ting a narrow path the rest of the way.
In those days a good man earned $1.25 if he brought his dinner pail, and most of the men who did not take part in the work paid that price toward expenses.
The next year the men gave work on the highway and improved
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it very much. From then on each year they gave labor to improve the mountains and roads.
After some time the summer residents began to realize the value of this work, and decided to give annual dues to be used in paying the men for their labor. Thus was the starting of the Wonalancet Outdoor Club. Ever since then the summer people have supported the club, carried on by the people of Wonalancet.
At present the Wonalancet Out Door Club can boast of a Fire Department and are responsible for Tamworth Precinct. They also have an electric light plant which supplies the settlement with lights summer and winter.
Chinook, Leading Arthur T. Walden's Dog Team at Wonalancet
There are many interesting features in a visit to Wonalancet, but the one I consider most interesting is the Chinook Kennels, es- tablished by Arthur T. Walden.
Walden began his career with dogs in Alaska. There, he drove for a living, carrying supplies to the mines along the Klondike River.
When Walden returned to this country he did not rest until he bought a team of four dogs, which were mongrels. Their names were Rud, Yard, Kip and Lin, which, if pronounced quickly is Rud- vard Kipling. The next year he bought a leader and named him "Kim," after the book by Kipling. Thus was formed the first dog team in this country.
Later, having a friend who knew Peary, he purchased Ningo, leader of the team that successfully carried that heroic man over the frozen expanse of the Northland.
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Walden set about to raise a new type of dog. Kim and Ningo were the parents of Chinook, renowned in dogdom, of which we have heard so much. The descendants of these two dogs make the team which has won many trophies, one at Poland Springs in 1926 and another at the first Eastern International Race at Berlin. They also accomplished a feat of which no other team can boast, namely, reach- ing the top of Mt. Washington in the dead of winter.
The race at Berlin was a thing never to be forgotten by the vete- ran driver, Walden. He drove entirely without a whip, which re- quires a great deal of skill.
While on the road he was met by a horse and sleigh. The driver was so interested that he forgot to drive. His horse reared at the dogs. When they were partly past, Mr. Walden gave one yell of "Gee." Chinook wheeled into the snow and over a bank. By quick obedience on the part of Chinook, a team of huskies were saved, and possibly this breed of dogs.
But to return to Wonalancet. Its soil is very rich. This can easily be seen by the abundance of crops of corn and hay which are grown on this fertile flat.
Today as one enters the valley, the first thing that attracts the eye is the location.
Many summer residences may be seen snuggled back among a grove of trees or beside some cliff, set at the foot of the mountains as if the hills were protecting it, as hens cover their chickens with their wings. The appearance of Wonalancet on the whole is most unusual.
Not many realize that all Indian names have some special mean- ing behind them, whether it is Minnehaha, Laughing Water, Winne- pesaukee, the Smile of the Great Spirit or Wonalancet, which liter- ally interpreted means Pleasant Breathing.
Wonalancet received this name in his early manhood, because of his gentle spirit, goodness and pleasantness toward all, whether' red or white.
No better title could be given this unusual little hamlet that breathes forth peace and beauty than Wonalancet,-Wonalancet the Pleasant Breathing.
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Sandwich, The Productive
Sandwich, the Productive, is the theme around which the Class of 1928 centered their graduation essays.
During the years of its existence many industries have flour- ished in this community, and many great men have gone into the world to follow different professions, or have stayed at home here and given their services to Sandwich.
"Industries of Yesterday" briefly outlines the chief industries and occupations of the various sections of Sandwich in the past. "Bookshelves of Sandwich" not only deals with the value of the gift of the Samuel H. Wentworth Library, but also pays tribute to the spirit of sacrifice behind it. The topic of higher education and its sponsors is covered by "The Higher Step." This shows the advances made in higher education, and at the same time makes clear the gen- erous spirit of the men that have given their services in order that the various systems of higher learning might exist. "Memoirs" briefly reviews the activities of Sandwich in the past, and is a chal- lenge to the citizens of today.
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Industries of Yesterday ARTHUR J. WATSON, '28
The people who first settled Sandwich were of a very industrious and ambitious nature. When the early settlers came here about 1778 and scattered from place to place, a few of them went at once to Sandwich Notch to live, and this was one of the first sections of the town where industries developed to any extent.
There was quite an extent of smooth, cleared land near the heart of the Notch, upon which were grown many agricultural crops such as rye, wheat, barley, flax, potatoes and other products, needed by the families that lived there.
There were many sheep raised in the Notch at this period. The number of families increased until there were thirty-two in all. A school was established in this district, in which Mrs. Emma Gilman taught at one time. The only pupil now living who ever attended this school is Moses Hall.
The first settlers went to the notch by trails; then they made paths; later ox teams and carriages came into use; now automobiles go over the road. Road building was agitated at town meetings about 1828, and it was voted to build a "tote" road for horseback riding. This first road was laid out from Guinea Hill to the pond, thence by the old mill site, then on to Campton. This main "tote" road extended from eastern Vermont and western New Hampshire on to Portland. The state of New Hampshire as well as Vermont, contributed several pounds toward its construction. This road is still state-maintained. New Hampshire contributes two-thirds of the money.
The early settlers built two sawmills in the Notch, one on the Carter River, and another near Munsey Hill on a branch of the Beebe River. About the time of the early sawmills, an individual bought up a large tract of land suitable for agriculture, and induced people to raise potatoes there for whiskey. The distilling was carried on in what is now known as the Arthur Avery place.
Later, in 1850, or about seventy-five years ago, a large mill con- taining a board saw, shingling and lathe machine, was built by Jono- than Gilman and his son Elijah. One of the first circular saws in town was used there. This mill was operated by John Hart, Sylves- ter Carter and Hoyt & Gilman, each in turn for a period of five to ten years. This old mill, which stood for about 75 years, was burned in 1913. The fire was probably due to hunters or campers.
About 1828, during the height of operations, trips were made to Portland and Portsmouth to secure supplies such as tobacco, molasses and rum.
Large lumber wagons, much like prairie schooners, drawn by horses and oxen were used to make the journey, the wagons going in
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groups for protection. The distance was covered twice a year, and during the winter the trip was made across Lake Winnepesaukee on the ice.
Around 1870 the timber became of little value in the notch, sell- ing as low as $10 per thousand feet delivered at the village. So lit- tle interest was shown that the town received very small taxes from the Notch section, and the people forgot the limits of their lots. The land lay idle until the latter part of the last century, or about 1898.
During this period there was some activity by a man named White, who bought up a spruce tract some forty years ago. He floated the logs down the Carter River to the Avery place in Sandwich, where a mill called the Josselyn Mill was located.
George James, a representative of the Publisher's Paper Com- pany, began to buy up lots of the town for taxes about 1898, pay- ing as low as $10 per lot. Very soon James sold this stand to the Parker & Young Co. Immediately the land began to rise in value, and before Parker & Young had made all the purchases, they paid as high as $10,000 per lot. This company built a logging railroad, nine miles of which runs across Sandwich. They began operations about fifteen years ago, removing all the spruce and soft wood. Some of this soft wood was used for aeroplane building material. It has been estimated that as much aeroplane material came out of Sand- wich Notch for use during the World War as from any other area of similar size in the east. Some of the lumber was sent to Vermont for pianos, and some to Lincoln for woodpulp. Most of it was sawed at Campton, where the main mill was located. After Parker & Young Company completed operations there, they sold the tract to Draper and Company of Hopedale, Mass., who now owns 14,221 acres. This company intends to operate permanently, using the hard woods which they will cut for shoe lasts.
Today, as formerly, there is a great deal of hunting and fishing carried on in the Notch. Guinea Pond, the three Hall ponds, Kiah Pond, Atwood Pond and Blackmountain Pond, together with numer- ous streams, furnish excellent trout fishing. Here, too, is the source of Bearcamp River which runs into Bearcamp Pond in East Sandwich.
For the lovers of rugged scenery there is Cow Cave, Beede's Falls and many wild hills. In former years deer, bear and other wild animals lurked in the forests. There are quite a number taken out of this section today.
Among the outstanding industries in the Notch Section at one time was the potash industry carried on by John Fellows and Peter Gilman. Green wood was used because it makes more ashes. They also bought ashes of the people of the district for fifty cents a bushel. A mash was made from these ashes and boiled down, then stirred to a powder and baked in brick ovens. This was done twice a year.
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every spring and fall. The potash was barreled up, shipped to Dover and sold to the glass works. When a load of potash was carried away, a load of provisions was brought back.
Basket-bottom chair making was another important industry of the time. As early as 1836 Daniel Tappan made chairs at his home at the head of Bennet Street, where the chair industry flourished for fifty-one years. Brown ash was used for the bottoms of the chairs, while the rounds and posts were made of maple, which was turned out by foot power lathes. These chairs are sold for a very good price in the antique market today.
Page's Mill, where Lumber was Sawed, Meal Ground and Wool Carded, in North Sandwich, About 50-60 Years Ago
The first sawmill near the settlement, known today as Weed's Mills, was built by Leroid and Magoon, on the Chase River. Here they made excelsior. This excelsior mill was moved to Weed's Mill and sold to Henry Weed about 80 years ago, or around 1842. Mr. Weed converted it into a general mill where lumber was sawed, corn and wheat ground and wool carded. Wooden cogs were used in this mill for gearing, and all the framing timber was hewn out by hand.
Later it was bought by the Page family, who ran it until it was washed away by a freshet or rotted down.
A mill where lumber was sawed and spool stock and dowels made, was built near this same location in 1894 by Walter S. Tappan, who ran it for twenty-eight years.
Similar industries were carried on at Durgin's Mills, where a man named Howe made dowels, spool stock, sawed lumber and made white birch pegs. It was sold to James Durgin, who converted it into a grain threshing mill, and was later taken over by his son, Bartlett Dur- gin, who made excelsior.
Sleighs were made at Weed's Mill as early as 1828. Cabinet
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work such as making bureaus, bedsteads, and coffins was carried on by a man named Fowler. There were two blacksmith shops and a fulling mill there also.
At about this same time there was a man on the edge of Tam- worth who made. coffins that sold as high as $4.50, and this was the town talk of extravagance.
Practically every farmer made his own ox bows, goads and axe handles. The only person on record as making ox bows on a com- mercial scale was Charles Bennett, who sold them at town meeting in North Sandwich. This was at the time when the Town Hall was located where John Weed's house is today. There was a peg mill located east of Ansel Lee's store at North Sandwich, where ribbon pegs were made about the middle of the nineteenth century. This mill was run by a man named Sturtevant.
In almost every home there was shoe making. The families used to have the leather tanned at the tannery in Chocorua and at Center Sandwich. The greatest amount of commercial shoe making was done by Jacob Moulton, who made cowhide boots.
Basket making was a universal industry in quite a number of homes during the period of 1840-1860. Every Fogg, Bent and Bach- elder made baskets. They used to load the baskets into hayracks and go from place to place peddling them out to the surrounding towns about sixty-five years ago. Some of these baskets were taken to Port- land to be sold.
There were quite a number of brick yards in town in 1860, one being located near the Chase bridge, seventy-five to eighty years ago, two kilns being found on the „Frank Atwood place, besides at least ten other places in the north district where bricks were made. The blue clay for the industry located on the Chase road, was obtained from banks nearby.
In and around the village there were quite a number of indus- tries carried on. Near the Adams bridge, there was a tannery which made use of the bark from the various mills around the town. Farther down the road, by the canal, there was a grist mill, a saw mill, and a fulling mill, run by Augustus Blanchard. Woolen cloth was also made there. The grist mill, which ground the grain as fine as the modern mills today, was a very good type.
Woolen cloth which was made at home was taken to the fulling mill to have the porous places filled in. Here the cloth was put on rollers and a series of wire brushes applied to bring out the nap. This process was called fulling.
Before the Civil War, a mill where buckets and butter tubs were made was located near the sawmill. This industry was also carried on near Red Hill River at Squam Lake, by Samuel Dorr.
Cooper shops also existed at Goss' mills, where the power came
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from Squam Lake and Barvel Pond. The wood was secured from what is the Coolidge Estate today. A shook mill where barrel staves were made was located above the town-pound. The oak which was used to make the staves was secured from Israel Mountain with ox teams, twelve to fifteen teams making the trip twice a day. The product was sold as far away as Cuba, where the staves were made into molasses barrels. Another cooper shop, where hogsheads were made, was located near the gravel pit just this side of the brook be- low Elmer Hart's. This shop was owned by Riddlin and Stacy. A
'Leslie Magoon and Daniel Weeks Working in Their Prosperous Maple Sugar Orchard in 1885
co-operative creamery, where cheese and butter were made, was lo- cated on this same brook.
About fifty to sixty years ago Sandwich was an extensive sheep and cattle center. There were about four hundred oxen in the entire community at that time, while last year there were only forty-four, and none at all in West Sandwich. At about this same period Daniel Hoyt kept as many as two hundred sheep; this was considered a very large flock, for the average at that time was about fifty to sev- enty-five. The sheep and cattle were turned out on Israel Moun- tain, where very fine and extensive pastures were found. Many people from a radius of twenty-five miles around made use of the pastures for their cattle. A man from Rhode Island used to bring as many
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as three hundred head of cattle here to be fattened and then taken on to Brighton, Mass., where they were sold. The natives often sheared their own sheep, carded their own wool or raised their own flax, and thus provided clothes for themselves. Daniel Weeks, a Sandwich school teacher, sheared sheep for other people on a com- mercial scale for a period of thirty to forty years.
Shoe making and harness making were first carried on by Ezra Gould, in what is now the historical building. Another shop of this kind run by Robert Russell was located on this slope near the Russell home in the village. Later, about twenty years ago, the tools were
Daniel Weeks, a Sandwich School Teacher Who Sheared Sheep for Over Forty Years, at Work in 1885 or 1886
moved to quarters above the postoffice, where the industry was con- tinued for a while. Frank Burleigh bound shoes and finished pants and clothes in 1883 in the second story of the building where Dear- born's store is located now. His wife, together with other women, finished stockings in the winter.
Isaac Adams contributed greatly to the well-being of Lower Cor- ner, for he spent $500,000 during his lifetime employing worthy and needy men upon his walls and buildings. There were approximately two miles of this famous wall construction, ten feet wide and seven to eight feet deep, reaching nearly as far underground as above ground. At one time, sixty to a hundred men were working on this alone, and he kept thirteen yoke of oxen at work the year round.
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