Trailside History, White Mountains – The history of the trail system in the New Hampshire White Mountains is amazing; early 19th-century trail builders are true legends of the White Mountains, and they are forever implanted into the history books. Trails built in the 1800s, such as Crawford Path, Davis Path, and Lowe’s Path, are still in use today. And while the building of hiking trails is a great topic, there are also many interesting features along the trails.

Trailside features such as Cow Cave, Gibbs Brook dam, Walton’s Cascade, and the many abandoned cellar holes along the trail system have some intriguing history attached to them, but they are often unnoticed by today’s hikers. So this blog article focuses on a few trailside features.

Named for J.L Gibbs, an earlier proprietor of the 19th-century Crawford House, Gibbs Brook supplied water to the Crawford House. Near where the Crawford Connector crosses Gibbs Brook, at its junction with Crawford Path, the abandoned dam can still be seen in the brook. When the Crawford House management rebuilt the dam in the 1960s (possibly late 1950s), they reinforced the dam with old iron cots that were in the basement of the Crawford House. The iron cots can be seen in the dam today.

Along the Ethan Pond Trail (Appalachian Trail) at the North Fork of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River crossing are remnants of a Geological Survey Gage from a 1911-1912 study. During the early 1900s, the United States Geological Survey built a number of water gaging stations in the White Mountains to determine the effects of deforestation on stream flow.

Built 1923-1924, Memorial Bridge crosses Cold Brook along “The Link” trail in Randolph. The bridge was dedicated as a memorial to Randolph's early pathmakers (19th-century trail builders) on August 23, 1924. These early pathmakers are responsible for cutting many of the trails in the Northern Presidential Range.

Just off the Lincoln Brook Trail at the Franconia Brook crossing in the Pemigewasset Wilderness is an interesting artifact from the East Branch & Lincoln Railroad era (1893-1948). A spur line of the railroad crossed Franconia Brook at today's Lincoln Brook Trail crossing, and it ended just beyond the brook. This artifact is possibly the hoisting system of an old steam-powered crane or steam shovel; steam-powered cranes were used to load logs on to railroad log trucks.

In the area known as Breezy Point in Warren, along the Mousilauke Carriage Road, is the abandoned site of Merrill’s Mountain House. In 1834 Nathaniel Merrill built a farmhouse at this site, and in 1860 the Merrill family converted the farmhouse to an inn known as Merrill’s Mountain Home (or House). The inn burned down in 1915. Breezy Point was also the site of two 19th-century resort hotels, the Breezy Point House and the Moosilauke Inn.

Along old Cherry Mountain Road (old Jefferson Turnpike), which the Cohos Trail utilizes, is the picturesque Fabyan Guard Station. Built in 1923 by Clifford L. Graham (Graham would eventually become Supervisor of the White Mountain National Forest), and restored in 2014, it is the last remaining guard station in the White Mountain National Forest. Spruce logs from the surrounding area were used to build the cabin. And it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in May 2018.

The Basin-Cascades Trail travels in the area of Cascade Brook. This brook has numerous cascades on it, but the one above is of interest. Dating back to the 1800s, photographers have referred to this cascade by different names; Walton’s Cascade: E. & H. T. Anthony & Company, Moss Cascades: John P Soule, Walker’s Cascade: Clough & Kimball, and we know it as Cascade Brook Falls today. This trailside waterfall is a great example of how 19th-century writers and photographers unofficially named landmarks in the White Mountains.

Along Lowe’s Path in the Presidential Range is an overlook where hikers can look down on the Gray Knob Cabin site. Originally built as a private cabin by Dr. E.Y. Hincks family in 1905, it was renovated a number of times, and in 1989 it was torn down, and a new cabin was built.

The Robertson bridge crosses the Saco River along the Webster Cliff Trail (Appalachian Trail) in Hart’s Location. This bridge, built in 2008, is dedicated to the memory of Albert Robertson and his wife, Priscilla. Both volunteered their time to the AMC Four Thousand Footer Club, and Albert was one of the founding members.

To license any of the trailside photos in this blog article for publications, click on the photo. And you can view photos and read more about the history of the White Mountains here.

Happy image making..

© Erin Paul Donovan. All rights reserved | Historic Information Disclaimer | White Mountains History
 

Erin Paul Donovan

Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC

Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.