The Story of Franconia Notch, signed copy

Autographed by anthropologist, historian, and author Daniel Heyduk, Ph. D.

For many thousands of years flowing glaciers scoured Franconia Notch, carving its Eagle Cliff and the massive face of Cannon Mountain. Glacial ice melted, and cascades plunged down the Notch's steep sides, feeding Echo, Profile and Lonesome lakes, the Flume, the Basin, and infant Pemigewasset River. The deep valley became a White Mountain travel corridor for Native Americans, who were first to see its majestic sights. Settlers visited to hunt in the Notch's forest, fish in its waters, and discover anew its hidden wonders. Word of the scenery spread, and artists and tourists arrived, served by elegant, now-vanished hotels. Paths were cut up thousands of vertical feet to surrounding summits. The Notch's plentiful timber attracted lumbermen, but conservationists, women's' clubs and school children contributed to preserve Franconia Notch as a park. Later, ski trails were created and the Cannon Mountain Tramway carried skiers and summer visitors to the Notch's rim. These and other threads of the Notch's past are a unique story of nature, and people's use of it.