Changes are coming to one of this regions most spectacular areas - the Chapel Pond Pass corridor. Soon there'll be (if current thought holds true) limited or no roadside parking, new parking lots and rerouted trails...Here's a bit of this area's history:
- The original 9 mile road through the pass was built in 1812 and was generally located to the SW of current rt. 73. It can still be followed.
- The second road was built in 1865 and generally followed the current path of rt. 73. The section ascending the hill by Roaring Brook Falls was a very dangerous, sandy, single track lane that often slid and required a great deal of maintenance. Passengers leaned into the hill (and prayed) as their stage, cart or early auto passed through this section.
- Major work was done in 1935 when macadam was laid down and the numerous road-cuts were blasted. The 1865 road remains can be followed above and to the SW of these blasted sections of today's rt. 73.
- Leantos used to exist at The Washbowl, Round Pond (western end) and 2 facing each other on Giant's summit.
- Chiseled dates/names can be found and still deciphered in the bedrock that forms the open summit of Giant Mountain. This was done by the reserves that were called in to fight the fire of 1913 (which came very close to wiping out the Ausable Club).
- An Ausable Club member named Col. Loring built a camp near the cliffs and beach on the southern shore of Chapel Pond. He built it in 1888 and it burnt in the great fire of 1903.
- Lee Garfield built a logging camp in the early 1900s just north of the Round Pond Trailhead on the SW side of rt. 73. Buildings existed there into the 1920s.
- An Ausable Club nanny from Germany was lost and became stuck on the cliffs of Round Mountain above Chapel Pond in 1938. She screamed for help and was eventually heard and rescued (after several failed attempts). A wire from one of those failed attempts leading from Chapel Pond Canyon up through the cliffs still exists, wrapped around (and deeply cut into) several trees.
- A horse on a logging crew fell off a cliff into Dipper Brook - the inlet brook to Chapel Pond that rt. 73 crosses just south of Chapel Pond - (or possibly Putnam Brook depending on the source) in 1916. The crew boss who owned the horse felt it was impossible to retrieve and was ready to leave it when a worker offered him $10 for the horse. The worker and friends spent 4 days (and nights keeping the horse warm and fed) attempting to get him out and finally succeeded using a block and tackle system.
Lots of cool human history here!
- The original 9 mile road through the pass was built in 1812 and was generally located to the SW of current rt. 73. It can still be followed.
- The second road was built in 1865 and generally followed the current path of rt. 73. The section ascending the hill by Roaring Brook Falls was a very dangerous, sandy, single track lane that often slid and required a great deal of maintenance. Passengers leaned into the hill (and prayed) as their stage, cart or early auto passed through this section.
- Major work was done in 1935 when macadam was laid down and the numerous road-cuts were blasted. The 1865 road remains can be followed above and to the SW of these blasted sections of today's rt. 73.
- Leantos used to exist at The Washbowl, Round Pond (western end) and 2 facing each other on Giant's summit.
- Chiseled dates/names can be found and still deciphered in the bedrock that forms the open summit of Giant Mountain. This was done by the reserves that were called in to fight the fire of 1913 (which came very close to wiping out the Ausable Club).
- An Ausable Club member named Col. Loring built a camp near the cliffs and beach on the southern shore of Chapel Pond. He built it in 1888 and it burnt in the great fire of 1903.
- Lee Garfield built a logging camp in the early 1900s just north of the Round Pond Trailhead on the SW side of rt. 73. Buildings existed there into the 1920s.
- An Ausable Club nanny from Germany was lost and became stuck on the cliffs of Round Mountain above Chapel Pond in 1938. She screamed for help and was eventually heard and rescued (after several failed attempts). A wire from one of those failed attempts leading from Chapel Pond Canyon up through the cliffs still exists, wrapped around (and deeply cut into) several trees.
- A horse on a logging crew fell off a cliff into Dipper Brook - the inlet brook to Chapel Pond that rt. 73 crosses just south of Chapel Pond - (or possibly Putnam Brook depending on the source) in 1916. The crew boss who owned the horse felt it was impossible to retrieve and was ready to leave it when a worker offered him $10 for the horse. The worker and friends spent 4 days (and nights keeping the horse warm and fed) attempting to get him out and finally succeeded using a block and tackle system.
Lots of cool human history here!
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