Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-03-14
The WHITE HILLS.
New Hampshire's Beautiful Mountains
Bear Many Names.

These mountains got their nanieS,-a
question we have often asked ourselves
II. c. Durham tells the following in the
Coos Democrat:
While approaching GrOveton in a
railway train few years ago the writ
err heard q conversation between two
men, regarding the heights commonly
known as the Percy Peaks and which
one of the dispiltants insisted were the
'Starks' Peaks; the question being re-
ferred to the passenger in the next seat
farmer, he answered that they were
the "Stratford'' Peaks. The three We're
eft in the train arguing the subject
and all were right, because these strik-
ing mountains have borne all three an
pellations.
They are generally known today as
the Percy Peaks" though it is diff
cult to determine by whose authority
Israels and Johns rivers were named
for the two brothers Glines, hunters
who had camp on each; and yet it
was afterwards claimed that the name
John was given to the latter because
John Stark mad lodged on its banks
when captive by the Indians.
Probably the faithful dog "Pilot" will
not In this generation be robbed of the
honor of having given his name to the
mountains to the east of Lancaster, but
some future "reforuer" will doubtless
come along with Il new and more fash
ionably title. In this case we empiati-
cally say, let the dog alone; the story
that he piloted his master out of the
woods to safety when lost is good one,
and ought to go down in history.
How easy it is to go wrong in repeat
ing the names of mountains has fresh
personal illustration. For years II had
been the habit to point out to visitors
on the summit of Mount Washington
the three hills overlooking Lancaster.
as Mount, Prospect, Mount Pleasant
and Martin Meadows Hill, whereas the
latter is Mount Orne and all three are
known as Martin Meadow Hills. Most
of the mistakes in nomenclature are
thus easily made! if persisted in they
become features of true local history.
In many localities it is impossible to
50 completely change the name Of a
| mountain or other object that the old
one will not cling to it however I'M
suitable it may be. They nave their
| Blacks, Speckled, etc, 10 matter how
many of the same name there may be
within radius of a few miles. When
Sweetser was preparing his White
Mountain Guide ne found that in the
vicinity of Gorham every mountain
that had no other name seemed to be
called Mount Moriah, but the peaks
around Gorham bear appropriate
| names, and the Mount Moriah Range
as it is now known is one of the most
picturesque in the whole region.
The furious battle that ragged over the
name "Kearsarge" a few years ago IS
still fresh in memory. One kearSarge
(SoutfO is in the town of Warner n.
H., and the other (NOrth) overloOkS In
tervale and North Conway. not to men,
ton Kearsarge Village. The people ev
er want something distinctive and dis
tinguiShing, and so when the Kearsarge
sunk the Alabama, of course the gall
liant ship was named in honor of our
mountain. so the residents of the two
widely separated regions insisted. And
today one is the North kearsarge ana
the other the South Kearsarge.
No certainty exists as to who first call
u Ultc IlIS summit houHl w ASH
ington." DR.. Belknap. in his History of
New Hampshire. published in 1892,
says of it, at has lately been distin-
guished by the name of Mount Wash
ington." A few years before this, Gin
July, I1S4,) the Summit was reached by
a party consisting of Rev. Mansasseh
Cutler of Ipswich. Mass. Rev. Daniel
Little of kennebunk. and Col. John
Whipple of Dartmouth (now Jefferson).
DR.. Bellnap quotes in another place
from the manuscript of DR.. Cutler the
account of the zones of vegetation,
where mention is made of Mount
Washington, as if it were well known
even then.
Where is there a more happily named
group than those aboriginal titles borne
by some in the Sandwich Range-Cho-
corua PaSsaconaway, PauguS, Wona-
lancet? 1t is pity they gave out be-
fore they reached Whiteface. Tripyra-
mid. and the Sandwich Dome.
Lincoln and Garfield are honored
with names. but that is no reason why
every President should be thus COM
memorated Garfield was formerly
"Haystack' there are still plenty of
Haystackks all around), and where a
change of name would be an improve
ment, such action might fill long felt
want in preventing confusion.
The round mountain in Kilkenny is
called Mount Willard from Jonathan
Willard who came here from Charles
town, Mass. The other Mount Willard
near Breton Woods, as before stated,
was named for Clerk Willard of Boston.
Near Groveton an abrupt hill is called
Cape Horn. and another Cape Horn
overlooks the road near the Halfway
House on the side of Mount Washing
ton. Colebrook has a Mount Monad-
mock. which does not detract from the
glory of the great mountain of the
same name further south.
There was a Gulf of Mexico between
Mount Washington and the Northern
Peaks until the AppalachianS christen-
ed it the Great Gulf; but after score
of years the old name sticks to the
brains of many.
Lancaster boasts of a Mount Pleas
ant. like the Presidential Range. Last
but not least, we have a genuine Bun
ker bill, quite as big as that in Charles
town. aud with a. full supply of the
Spirit OF rs on and around ii.