|
|
White Mountain Scenery
|
|
Many early travelers through the White Mountains were explorers,
scientists,
and writers. As means for travel began to improve, the numbers of
visitors
to the mountains increased. Some began to settle there, while
others traveled
there for recreation and fun. Taking advantage of the increase in
tourists,
the settlers began to build better roads, and constructed some of
the
first inns and hotels in the area. Seen here is an image of Mount
Washington
from North Conway, NH. Click to enlarge.
|
|
|
|
This lithograph is from Scenery of the White Mountains,
1848
by William Oakes (1799-1848). Oakes visited the White Mountains
and
wrote about what he found there. This image, titled "The
Falls
on the Amonoosuck, near the Mt. Washington House," was
drawn by
Isaac Sprague (1811-1895). The Mount Washington House was built
in the
1830's by Ethan Allen Crawford (1792-1846) and later run by
Horace Fabyan
(1807-1881). It was one of the first hotels in the area, though
no known
images of it exist. Click to enlarge.
|
|
The White Mountains have some of the most beautiful views in New
England.
While these views have inspired artists to record their
impressions, the
emerging tourist industry left behind a legacy of illustrations,
prints,
trade cards, and photography. This is a drawing by G. B. Wilder,
ca. 1860,
titled "Lake Winnipasake and Belknap Mountains.". Click
to enlarge.
|
|
|
|
|
| One memorable site in the
White
Mountains, known as "The Old Man of the Mountain," is now
gone,
but is preserved by the many illustrations, lithographs, engravings,
and
photographs. On the right is a lithograph by C. Parsons, and on the
left
is a stereo card titled "Old Man Above the
Clouds," ca. 1884.
Click to enlarge. |
|
|
Mt. Washington Railway opened in 1869, which allowed the tourism
industry
to grow at an very fast rate. Seen here is a trade card for the
Mt. Washington
Railway. Click to enlarge.
|
|
|
|
| Boulders that can be found
in New
Hampshire were deposited by a melting glacier during the last ice
age. One
of the most popular tourist attractions until the 1880's was
"The Great
Hanging Boulder," found at "The Flume," in Franconia
Notch.
It was approximately ten feet by twelve feet and was wedged between
two
rock walls of the Flume. However, in 1883, during a storm, lightning
struck
nearby, causing mud and debris to push through the Flume Gorge. The
pressure
was too great, and the boulder was washed away. The image on the
left is
a lithograph titled "The Flume, Lincoln,
NH," ca. 1856. The image
on the right is an undated stereocard titled "Flume above the
Boulder."
Click to enlarge. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This site and all contents © 2004 American Antiquarian
Society
Last updated December 10, 2004
|
