East Branch & Lincoln Railroad, Trestle 17 - Built in the early 1900s, probably 1906-1908 (one reference states 1908) trestle 17 was located along the Upper East Branch of the East Branch & Lincoln Railroad. It spanned the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River near the site of logging Camp 17. Camp 17 was located on the south side of the trestle. This trestle is within today’s Pemigewasset Wilderness...[Continue reading] ...

East Branch & Lincoln Railroad, Narrow Gauge Line - The EB&L Railroad was a standard gauge railroad, but in 1901 J.E. Henry and Sons attempted to use a narrow gauge railroad to harvest timber. With the exception of a May 1902 article by Albert W. Cooper and T.S. Woolsey, Jr. in Forestry & Irrigation little is known about this short-lived railroad. There are only a handful of photos (above) of this railroad, and over the years the actual location of ...

1907 Owl's Head Mountain Fire, White Mountains – During the late 1800s and early 1900s, logging activities from railroad logging contributed to a number of forest fires in the New Hampshire White Mountains. Sparks from locomotives were responsible for starting fires along the railroads. And the logging slash (unwanted part of the tree left behind after an area is logged) left on the moun...[Continue reading] ...

East Branch & Lincoln Railroad, Trestle 7 - During the days of the East Branch & Lincoln (EB&L) Railroad, there were two trestles built at this crossing of Franconia Brook (above). And each trestle serviced different areas of today’s Pemigewasset Wilderness. The first trestle built serviced the Franconia Brook and Lincoln Brook Valleys. And the second trestle, built just below...[Continue reading] ...

Don't Remove Historic Artifacts - Here in the New Hampshire White Mountains, outdoor recreation is growing at an alarming rate. And there has been a huge surge of people exploring the many historical sites that are in the region. For historic preservation to be successful, it is imperative that we create awareness for the laws that protect these historical sites....[Continue reading] ...

Trails of the Pemigewasset Wilderness - At 45,000-acres, the Pemigewasset Wilderness is one of six designated wilderness areas in the White Mountain National Forest. Wilderness areas are governed under the National Wilderness Preservation System and the Wilderness Act of 1964. They are managed much differently than other parts of the National Forest....[Continue reading] ...

East Branch & Lincoln, Forgotten Trestles - In October of 2015, I wrote about the forgotten spur lines along the East Branch & Lincoln (EB&L) Railroad in New Hampshire, and today I am going to continue with this theme and focus on the timber trestles of the railroad. The EB&L Railroad was built by J.E. Henry, and was in operation from 1893-1948 with much of the railroad being in the area we...[Continue reading] ...

East Branch & Lincoln, Abandoned Spur Lines - The East Branch & Lincoln Logging Railroad (1893-1948) in the New Hampshire White Mountains has been fairly well documented. And with the current documentation we can get a good idea of the layout of the railroad, first hand accounts from loggers who worked the woods, and though based on educated guesses, we can also decipher the locations of the abandoned logging camp....[Continue reading] ...

February 1959 Plane Crash, Pemigewasset Wilderness - On Saturday, February 21, 1959 a Piper Comanche airplane took off from the Berlin, New Hampshire Airport, around 3:30 p.m., destined for Lebanon, New Hampshire Airport. The pilot was Dr. Ralph E. Miller and his passenger was Dr. Robert E. Quinn. Both were doctors affiliated with Dartmouth Medical School...[Continue reading] ...

East Branch & Lincoln Railroad - The East Branch & Lincoln Railroad, built by timber baron James E. Henry, was a logging railroad that operated from 1893-1948 in the New Hampshire towns of Lincoln and Franconia. Much of the railroad was in the area we know today as the Pemigewasset Wilderness. If you venture into the Pemi, from the Lincoln Woods Trail....[Continue reading] ...