October History, White Mountains

October history, Beaver Brook Cascades on Beaver Brook in Kinsman Notch in the New Hampshire White Mountains during the autumn months. A segment of the scenic Appalachian Tail, the steep and rough Beaver Brook Trail passes by these cascades. Completed in 1937, the roughly 2,190 mile long Appalachian Trail (A.T.) begins in Georgia and ends in Maine.
Beaver Brook – Appalachian Tail, New Hampshire
 

October History, White Mountains – October in the White Mountains is like no other month. With fall foliage peaking during this time of year, our mountain towns, hiking trails, and roadways are crowded with travelers interested in viewing the spectacular foliage.

When it comes to White Mountains history, a number of interesting events took place in October. A Shawnee warrior indirectly linked to the White Mountains was killed, thousands of acres of land were granted, and lumber companies were formed. Included here are a few interesting events.

October, Tecumseh Brook in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire during the autumn month of October. This is believed to be Tecumseh Rapids This mountain is named for the Shawnee war chief, Tecumseh (1768–1813).
Tecumseh Brook – Mount Tecumseh, New Hampshire
 

On October 5, 1813, Tecumseh, a Shawnee Native American chief and warrior, was killed at the Battle of Thames. It’s believed that Tecumseh's body was carried off the battlefield and secretly buried in an unmarked grave. He fought in many battles against the United States and supported the British during the War of 1812. Mount Tecumseh in Waterville Valley is named for him. However, he was from the Ohio Territory and probably never visited the White Mountains region.

Blowing snow from the summit of Mount Crawford in Hadley's Purchase, New Hampshire.
View From Mount Crawford – Hadley's Purchase, New Hampshire
 

For the price of $500.00, on October 23, 1834, land commissioner James Willey granted Hadley’s Purchase to Henry G Hadley. Consisting of around 8,000 acres, the entire tract of land lies within the White Mountain National Forest.

October history, mountain scene from a scenic pulloff along Bear Notch Road in the White Mountains, New Hampshire USA. Parts of Bear Notch Road follow the old Bartlett and Albany Railroad which was a logging railroad in operation from 1887-1894.
Scenic Viewpoint – Bear Notch Road, White Mountains
 

Incorporated on October 21, 1887, and in operation from 1887-1894, the Bartlett & Albany Railroad was a logging railroad in the towns of Albany and Bartlett. It began off the Maine Central Railroad in Bartlett, traveled over Bear Notch, and ended at the Passaconaway settlement.

Remnants of a trestle (may have been more of a bridge) at the Jackman Brook crossing along the Jackman Brook Branch of the Gordon Pond Railroad (logging railroad, 1907-1916) in Woodstock, New Hampshire.
Remnants of the Jackman Brook Branch – Gordon Pond Railroad
 

The Johnson Lumber Company was incorporated on October 24, 1905. Owned by George L. Johnson of Monroe, New Hampshire, the Johnson Lumber Company was one of the many lumber companies in the White Mountains region during the 20th-century. Johnson logged the Woodstock and Lincoln area with his Gordon Pond Railroad.

Remnants of the sawmill in the abandoned village of Livermore during the autumn months. This was a logging village in the late 19th and early 20th centuries along the Sawyer River Logging Railroad in Livermore, New Hampshire. The town and railroad were owned by the Saunders family.
Remnants of the Sawmill – Village of Livermore, New Hampshire
 

Livermore was a logging town in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The village of Livermore was located along the Sawyer River Railroad, on the Sawyer River. Both the railroad and town were owned by the Saunders family. The village had a post office, powerhouse, school, store, a sawmill, which burned down a few times, and numerous other dwellings. The second sawmill burned down on October 28, 1918.

East Pond in Livermore, New Hampshire. Tripoli Mill dredged this pond for diatomaceous earth during the early 1900s. This area was logged during the Woodstock & Thornton Gore Railroad era (1909-1914).
East Pond – Livermore, New Hampshire
 

Incorporated in 1911, the Livermore Tripoli Company mined diatomaceous earth (also known as Tripoli) from East Pond in Livermore during the 1900s. This business adventure was a failure, and the Livermore Tripoli Company was officially dissolved in October 1919.

RiverWalk Resort at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, New Hampshire during the autumn months. This resort occupies the site of the old mill complex that J.E Henry and Sons built in the early 1900s.
RiverWalk Resort – Lincoln, New Hampshire
 

The Parker-Young Company purchased J.E Henry and Sons’ East Branch & Lincoln Railroad, land, mill complex, and the town in 1917. Parker-Young ran the mill and the railroad until October 1946, when they sold both to the Marcalus Manufacturing Company. Marcalus would reorganize in 1950 as the Franconia Paper Corporation. RiverWalk Resort (above) in Lincoln occupies the site of the old mill complex.

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

Happy image making..


 

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Bibliography:
Donovan, Erin Paul. “Russell-Colbath House, Passaconaway .” ScenicNH Photography LLC, 24 Jan 2019, https://www.scenicnh.com/blog/2019/01/russell-colbath-house-passaconaway/.

Donovan, Erin Paul. “Gordon Pond Railroad, New Hampshire.” ScenicNH Photography LLC, 15 Feb 2016, https://www.scenicnh.com/blog/2016/02/gordon-pond-railroad/.

Donovan, Erin Paul. “Village of Livermore, New Hampshire.” ScenicNH Photography LLC, 16 Nov 2015, https://www.scenicnh.com/blog/2015/11/village-of-livermore-new-hampshire/.

Donovan, Erin Paul. East Branch & Lincoln Railroad. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2018.

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