Question about A Mountain's old name

[walker]

I just read Steve Smith's Blog "Mountain Wanderer" on his short walk up to Roger's Ledge. He writes " Bob Hatch led a campaign to change the offensive former name of this mountain and succeeded in 1965".

I've looks on some old maps produced in the 1930's and have not found any other name than "Rogers Ledge".

This name change took place in the mid 1960's. I find it funny, a word, (in this case a name of a geographic location), can be fine to use one century, than somehow, it morphs to something so obscene, it needs to be taken off the map so it won't corrupt the public.

I'm curious about the former name. I love learning about the obscure history of the Whites and Northern New Hampshire.

So, what name could be that bad it had to removed from the public eye. I can think of a couple, but what I'm thinking wouldn't be on the map in the first place.

See You On The Trail (SYOTT)....Walker

 

[LRiz]

Just PM'd you...

 

[walker]

Just My Answer

Thanks to LRiz I have my answer. Ya, I can understand why it was changed.
Another piece of White Mountain trivia I can file away an never use.
Thanks Again LRiz

SYOTT.....Walker

 

[TDawg]

Ha, aww man, now I'M curious!! It's that bad you can't even post in internetland??

 

[bikehikeskifish]

The answer can be found here:

http://docs.unh.edu/NH/perc34sw.jpg

Here's a magazine clipping



Tim

 

[TDawg]

Oooo, alrightyyy then.... Cheers to Mr. Hatch.

 

[Lefty E]

nice map

bikehikeskifish: nice addition with that map..though it says surveyed in1930, wonder what year it was published. I see there were some trails, like the Old Summer Club trail to N. Percy, on it, but the Kilkenny Ridge Trail doesn't seem to be there from South Pond to Cabot..would it be possible for you to add the next map south and or east, as there were quite a few firetowers in the area at that time..?

 

[Snowflea]

It's that bad you can't even post in internetland??

Yeah, unless your name is "Dr. Laura"...

 

[NewHampshire]

bikehikeskifish: nice addition with that map..though it says surveyed in1930, wonder what year it was published. I see there were some trails, like the Old Summer Club trail to N. Percy, on it, but the Kilkenny Ridge Trail doesn't seem to be there from South Pond to Cabot..would it be possible for you to add the next map south and or east, as there were quite a few firetowers in the area at that time..?

Here is the historic map website courtesy of UNH:

http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/nhtopos.htm

It is a mapophile's dream webstie and I visit it occasionally!

Brian

 

[TDawg]

Lefty, play around with this.

http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/Percy.htm

For all historic topos go here.

edit: NH beat me to it!

 

[Lefty E]

thanks

for the referral, guys! will be checking them out quite a bit..

 

[RoySwkr]

the Kilkenny Ridge Trail doesn't seem to be there from South Pond to Cabot..

That's a new trail since I've been hiking, Horn and Weeks used to be bushwhacks

 

[KRobi]

Lefty E,
According to The 4000-Footers of the White Mountains (pg 511), Kilkenny ridge trail wasn't built until the late 1980's. Most likely by a trail crew with mullets

 

[dug]

Yeah, unless your name is "Dr. Laura"...

Or Kanye West

 

[peakbagger]

The Kilkenny Ridge Trail was put in the late eighties by the forest service and blazed anbd partially cleared by the Boy Scout Troop in Gorham NH for Eagle Scout project. I happened to be one of the adults that went with them to blaze on Columbus day weekend. The rangers from the Androscoggin ranger district were quite proud that we got the last cans of the "good" trail blazing paint, which was lead based and tended to last a lot longer than the newer replacements. Unfortunately these spray cans were very heavy duty construction and weighed a lot, which meant lugging some heavy packs. There was some controversy at the time that the trail was underblazed, as we were trained in a new standard for distances between blazes which was far longer than prior methods, the rules also prohibited scarring the bark of the trees to be blazed, so scraping was limited to removing loose debris. Given that the a large majority of the trees suitable for blazing were white birches, that also impacted the durability of the blazes. I supplied Gene Danielle a trip report and portions of it were incorporated in the WMG trail description. The cannisters were still up on North and South Weeks when we went through.

The trail was mostly connecting up a series of older herd paths and local trails and was intended as an alternative long distance backpacking trip with little day use. For several years, it was a "recomended long distance trail" in the WMNF literature in hopes of steering people away from the more popular areas. Given the lack of views and lack of water along the ridgeline, it has always stayed a lesser used trail and also tends to be minimally maintained. Its one of the rare places you can go on a labor day weekend and find relative solitude. It does serve as a vital section of the Cohos Trail (although it is not signed as such) and given the addition of the Pond of Safety area to the WMNF, The Town of Randolph Town Forest, the state of NH Jericho purchase and the long term Gorham Town Forest, this a large area of the New Hampshire woods that surprisingly few ever travel.

I do wish I had convinced RMC to run a trail from Pond Of Safety to the ridgecrest a few years back prior to transfer of the land to the federal government as it would have extended the trail further and skipped the Starr King trail. By connecting up with a snowmachine trail from Bog Dam loop it could have been a real nice several day loop hike.

The KRT likely is the last new major hiking trail to be built in the WMNF as it was leftover form the hiking boom in the late seventies and early eighties, as usual given the federal government, the boom was over before the trail got built.

I have heard references to the source of the "nose" name as there is a profile similiar to Mt Mansfield visible from RT 110 on the hill just prior to the turn off to the York Pond Road, but from that vantage point the Horn is the nose, so I expect it will take some research to pin it down.

 

[Tom Rankin]

There is a not-quite-as-sensitive name on the current map, near Arkville, NY.

 

[RoySwkr]

The trail was mostly connecting up a series of older herd paths and local trails and was intended as an alternative long distance backpacking trip with little day use. For several years, it was a "recomended long distance trail" in the WMNF literature in hopes of steering people away from the more popular areas.

In light of this, the FS planned to close many of the side trails so that it could only be hiked long distance, they did actually close that part of the Mill Brook Trail that followed Mill Brook The Bunnell Notch Trail was closed for awhile but had to be brought back for the Mt Cabot situation, and York Pond Trail was to be for snowmobiles.

 

[cyohman]

Reference in old AMC guide from the 40s

I told my Dad about the old name last night. He looked it up in one of the old guides he has kicking around. Sure enough it was there. I can post a scan for whomever wants to read it.

 

[bikehikeskifish]

See this fine thread by 1HappyHiker to see the profile picture of Roger's Ledge and its likeness to a nose.

Tim

 

[--M.]

I saw a pretty goofy Spencer Tracy movie once ("Northwest Passage," 1940 [do I remember color?], http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Passage_(film)) in which he played the role of "Major Rogers." It was a story, not a documentary (meaning it reeked of inaccuracy), but it did allow for enough basic history to make the topic interesting. I haven't gone too much beyond the legend pitched in the film, but there are several named locations throughout the northeast that reference the history of the French & Indian War and Rogers' Rangers. Cool stuff!

As for inappropriately-anachronistic names, I'd go with the re-do for this particular one. How to pronounce "Tripoli" or "Berlin" (or how to spell "Low's [Lowe's] Bald Spot") should continue to play out with vigor!

Maybe we could get Tracy Morgan to do two minutes on it on SNL ( for those who need it).