page_title: Cannon Mountain Ski Area
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Cannon Mountain Ski Area / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Routine maintenance at the upper tpwer
context_page_description: Cannon Mountain Ski Area is a state-owned ski resort located on Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, United States. Cannon is located within Franconia Notch State Park and offers 10 lifts servicing 265 acres of skiing. Cannon has 23 miles of trails and a north-northeast exposure and has the only aerial tram in New Hampshire. Cannon has the most vertical of any ski area in New Hampshire, 2,330 feet, and is the seventh largest in New England. US Olympic skier Bode Miller grew up skiing at Cannon.
context_section_description: Cannon Mountain was the site of the first passenger aerial tramway in North America. From its construction in 1938 to its 1980 retirement, the first tram carried 6,581,338 passengers up the 2.1-mile (3.4 km) route to near the summit of Cannon Mountain. On May 24, 1980, the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway II was dedicated. Alexander Bright, a skier involved in developing the sport in the area, conceived the idea of building a tramway in New Hampshire during his trip to Europe as a member of the US Olympic Ski Team in 1933. In Europe, Bright had seen passenger-carrying tramways and recognized that building one in New Hampshire could foster the growth of skiing and summer tourism in the White Mountains. Bright persuaded L.R. Batemen of the American Steel and Wire Company to conduct a preliminary survey to locate a suitable site for a tramway and to estimate construction costs. In November 1933, the first physical survey of Franconia Notch was made by Batemen, E.J. Lloyd and Roland Peabody of Franconia, who was called in as an advisor because of his knowledge of the area and his enthusiasm for recreation development in the White Mountains. Bright's idea appealed to an increasing numbers of people and groups associate with winter sports, and Peabody, through his enthusiasm, aroused the support of the New Hampshire legislature.
  In the spring of 1934, after estimating construction costs, completing research on operating costs and potential income, and examining seven promising sites for a tramway, a committee appointed by Governor John G. Winant unanimously recommended Cannon Mountain.
  Environmental concerns were a principal reason for selecting the Cannon site. At Cannon, it was possible to build a tramway with only minor cutting of forests and without marring the scenic beauty of the Notch. In addition, the area was already a major route for tourists in the White Mountains.
  Legislation was drafted and passed in 1935, but the project hit a snag when federal financing, a provision of the legislation, proved unavailable. In June 1937, a bill was passed by the New Hampshire legislature and signed into law by Governor Francis P. Murphy authorizing a $250,000 bond issue to finance erection of the tramway. Later Roland E. Peabody was named Managing Director of the Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway.
  In August, American Steel Wire Company was awarded the construction contract and the project rapidly took shape. As the contractor began construction of the tramway, a 200-man CCC camp began work on a parking area and developing the Coppermine, Tucker Brook, Kinsman and Cannon ski trails. Old logging roads on the mountain had been used for skiing since 1929, and the famous Richard Taft Race Course had been developed in 1931-1932.
  To build the final passenger tramway it was first necessary to construct a freight tramway to carry materials. Carrying cement and materials by backpack, four dozen men completed the formidable task in December. Construction of the tramway continued through the winter, with almost all the work, pouring 32 carloads of cement, assembling 232 tons of steel and four miles (6 km) of cable, done by hand. It was considered an outstanding engineering feat of the period. On June 28, 1938, after nine months of construction and one year after the passage of legislation, North America’s first aerial tramway was dedicated.
  The opening attracted newspapermen, photographers, newsreel cameramen and syndicated writers from across the nation. Later Lowell Thomas made evening news broadcasts from both the valley and mountain stations. The tramway quickly became a major tourist attraction, carrying 163,000 passengers in its first year.
  As its proponents had predicted, the tramway proved not only a sound financial investment for the state, but also confirmed the viability of skiing as an industry in New Hampshire. Cannon Mountain, with the highest vertical drop of any ski mountain in the state, became the pinnacle of Eastern skiing. The success of the state's venture attracted the interest and investment of the private sector, and the sk
caption: Routine maintenance at the upper tower
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