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Learn It! Preserving New Hampshire

Franconia Notch, White Mountains, Echo Lake and Profile House

How do you balance the needs of people and businesses while protecting New Hampshire’s natural resources? As more factories opened in the Granite State in the 19th century, it became harder to take care of the natural resources in New Hampshire. Some natural resources, like forests, were used up faster than they could regrow. Others, like the state’s lakes and rivers, became polluted. Over time, the people of New Hampshire found ways to protect the environment while still allowing businesses and factories to thrive.

As you learn about New Hampshire and its efforts to protect the natural world, think about the following questions:

How did industrialization threaten the landscape in New Hampshire?
How did people work together to protect the environment in the Granite State?

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NEW HAMPSHIRE EVENTS

U.S. & WORLD EVENTS

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1875-1900

1881

Camp Chocorua opens

A black and white drawing shows people in a woodland scene. There are large trees, showing only their trunks. There is a large cross made from birch tree branches in the center of the drawing. About ten boys are standing under the cross facing left; they have books and their mouths open. They are wearing uniforms with shorts and button down shirts with small ties. A man in a dark suit is standing next to a pulpit made of rock; he is standing solemnly. In the background to the left, seated boys can be seen.

1881

Camp Chocorua opens

In the summer of 1881, a New Hampshire man named Ernest Balch opened the first children’s summer camp in the United States. Located on Squam Lake, he called it Camp Chocorua. The camp was for boys who lived in big cities, like Boston and New York...

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1886

Statue of Liberty

A colorful painting shows a statue of a woman, clothed in robes. She is holding a book in her left hand at her waist. Her right hand is held aloft with a torch in it. She wears a crown of seven spikes. She stands on a square pedestal, which then sits on a slanted lawn supported by star-shaped brick walls. The surrounding scene shows how tall her form and base are, as the water in the background has three-masted ships which seem smaller than her head. There are clouds and blue sky in the background. Underneath the painting, words read

1886

Statue of Liberty

In honor of America’s 100th birthday in 1876, the French people donated a giant, copper statue of Lady Liberty. It took 10 years to design and build her, but when the French were finished, the Statue of Liberty stood over 300 feet high in New York Harbor...

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1899

First Old Home Week

A document has ornate printing. It is titled

1899

First Old Home Week

At the end of the 19th century, more people were moving out of New Hampshire than moving to it. People especially didn’t want to stay working on farms. Many of the state’s small towns saw a decline in their population...

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1900-1925

1903

Wright Brothers’ first flight

In a black and white photograph, a biplane is shown with two wings stacked on each other. A small engine is seen along with a small body of the plane behind the wings. The plane is on a beach and a man stands watching it, near a wooden bench.

1903

Wright Brothers’ first flight

The first airplane in the world was built by two brothers from Ohio, Wilbur and Orville Wright. The Wright Brothers made their first powered flight, which lasted for 59 seconds, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. Within just a few years of this flight, many others had built airplanes using a similar design, and flying eventually became a popular way to travel, offering people a way to go long distances in a short amount of time.

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1903

Forest fires burn the White Mountains

A black and white photograph of a wide landscape is seen. The landscape is hilly but not steep; there are trees and brush throughout. There are also several dirt paths across the hill. In a line across the photograph, a wildfire is raging. The smoke reaches far into the sky and is dark and voluminous. Flames are seen across the hill in a thick line.

1903

Forest fires burn the White Mountains

The White Mountains have long been known for their beautiful forests and abundant trees. In 1903, though, a series of forest fires swept through the mountains and burned over 12,000 acres and millions of trees. The loss of so much of the forest made many people in New Hampshire concerned for the forests’ survival...

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1909

Lewis Hine photographs child mill workers

In a black and white photograph, the outside of a brick building is shown. Wrought-iron gates with tall brick columns fence the building. People are exiting through the gate out to the dusty sidewalk. One women wears long dark skirts, a formal jacket, and a decorative hat. Behind her, four girls just leaving the gate wear shin length skirts, jackets, and hats or bows in their hair. One man wears a dark suit and a casual hat and is watching them all leave.

1909

Lewis Hine photographs child mill workers

Thousands of people worked in the factories and mills of New Hampshire, including many children. Kids could work in the factories starting at the age of 5, and often they worked instead of going to school. For many struggling families, the money that children earned helped them survive...

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1909

NAACP founded

A black and white photograph shows a man's head and shoulders. His hair is balding on top and he has a mustache curled at the edges. He wears a dark suit with a bow tie. His shoulders are slightly tilted away from the camera, but he looks directly at the viewer.

1909

NAACP founded

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was formed in 1909 to fight for the rights of African Americans. Its founder, a man named W.E.B. Dubois, argued that African Americans were not treated equally in America...

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1913

Moving assembly lines

In a black and white photograph, many people work in an assembly line. They are in some sort of factory, and on their line are circular metal pieces, about 18

1913

Moving assembly lines

Although factories had been in America since the early 1800s, inventor Henry Ford developed a better way to produce factory goods faster with a moving assembly line. Ford introduced this technique in his most popular invention, the Model T automobile...

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1914–1918

World War I

In a colorful poster, a drawing shows soldiers running through a field. They are wearing wide-brimmed hats, green uniforms with backpacks and belts equipped with gear. They hold rifles. At the top of the poster in red, it reads

1914–1918

World War I

World War I was such a big war with such terrible fighting that people thought it could never happen again. That’s why it is sometimes called “the war to end all wars.” Most of the fighting was in Europe between France, England, and Russia on one side, and Germany and Austria-Hungary on the other...

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1917

Yankee Division formed

1917

Yankee Division formed

In April 1917, the United States joined World War I, fighting on the side of England and France. America had a small army at the time, so the government encouraged volunteers to join up. Thousands of young men from New Hampshire signed up for the army...

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1918

White Mountain National Forest opens

A large black and white square map is shown. It is dense with information, and includes markings for rivers, mountains, lakes, as well as town, county, and landmark notations. On the right is a black dotted border, with New Hampshire labeled to the left and Maine to the right. It is titled

1918

White Mountain National Forest opens

The White Mountains are among the most important of New Hampshire’s natural resources. One of the state’s biggest exports has been the timber found in the mountains. By the early 1900s, so many trees had been cut down that people began to worry that the White Mountains would no longer have such beautiful forests...

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1918

Potato drive campaign

A black and white poster has a border and printing of various sizes. The border has four small corner pictures encouraging public support for food conservation efforts. The text reads in part

1918

Potato drive campaign

During World War I, Granite State farmers grew food for the soldiers serving in Europe. The U.S. government told the farmers what crops to plant and how much to plant to cover the needs of the army. But in the spring of 1918, New Hampshire farmers discovered that they had grown too many potatoes...

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1920

19th Amendment passes

A black and white photograph shows a broad city street filled with people and no cars, seen from above. People generally wear long skirts or coats and hats. The buildings are decorated with half-circle flags draped from windows. Words in cursive in the lower right hand corner read

1920

19th Amendment passes

Before 1920, women could not vote in national elections in the United States. Women had been fighting for the right to vote since the mid-1800s. They finally got the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment. An amendment is a change to the Constitution.

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1920

Radio becomes popular

A black and white photograph shows a man in a long coat and hat standing outside a store on a street. Next to him is a table with a large black box on it. On the box are two circles with markings. He is holding something connected with a wire to the black box up to his ear, and touching one of the circles with the other hand. He is looking down at the box..

1920

Radio becomes popular

In November 1920, radio station KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, went on the air to announce the results of the presidential election. Over the next several weeks, it began broadcasting all sorts of programs, including sports, news, and music...

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1923

Robert Frost publishes New Hampshire poems

An open book is shown with an illustration and title page. The illustration on the left shows a woodcut of a rural mountain scene. A country lane with a large tree next to it leads to a small house and pond. There are mountains and hills in the background, and clouds in the sky. The title page on the right reads

1923

Robert Frost publishes New Hampshire poems

One of the most famous writers to live in New Hampshire was a poet named Robert Frost. He had two farms in the Granite State: one in Derry and one in Franconia. In 1923, Frost published a book of poems that were all about his home state...

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1925-1950

1929

Stock market crash

Part of a large stately building with columns and multiple entrances is seen in a black and white photograph. A large crowd of people have gathered on the street, and most wear wide brimmed hats, suits, and long jackets. Three 1930s cars are among the crowd.

1929

Stock market crash

On October 24, 1929, the stock market crashed. The stock market is a place where many Americans invest their money. When the market crashed in 1929, millions of Americans lost all their savings. The day was such a disaster for so many people that Americans began calling it Black Tuesday...

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1929

Chinook saves the day

A black and white photograph shows four men and a dog outside. The four men are talking together, and wearing winter outdoors clothes. One man has a hat with a broad rim all around. The dog is sitting looking at the men. There is a barn and lean-to in the background as well as two toboggins. One toboggin is lying in front of the men and one man has his foot on it; the other toboggin is standing up against the lean-to behind them.

1929

Chinook saves the day

New Hampshire has an official state dog—the chinook. All chinooks are descended from one dog, who was named, unsurprisingly, Chinook. Chinook was a sled dog, who was trained to survive in extreme weather conditions...

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1929–1939

Great Depression

In a black and white photograph, a woman stares off into the distance, looking worried or tired. Her upper torso, shoulders, and head are seen, and her hand is holding her chin. Her hair is loosely pulled back, and she wears a blouse with cardigan. A small child is on either side of her with mussed hair and worn clothing. They have their heads on her shoulders and are facing away from the camera.

1929–1939

Great Depression

The Great Depression was a 10-year period in American history when the American economy did very poorly. It started with the stock market crash of 1929. Soon after the crash, many businesses closed. Millions of people lost their jobs. Lots of people struggled to find enough food to eat...

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1931

League of New Hampshire Craftsmen formed

A long horizontal light-orange rectangle shows black printing and a woodcut scene of a village. The printing reads

1931

League of New Hampshire Craftsmen formed

Many artists have lived in New Hampshire over the years. Some of them are painters who were inspired by the state’s beauty, especially the White Mountains. Others created pottery or glassware. Still others made jewelry or furniture...

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1934

Highest wind speed recorded

A page shows a black and white drawing of a standing man with his back to the viewer, holding onto a pole. The pole is secured to the base with lines, and has a small rectagular box on top. The man wears winter clothing, and is standing on a narrow tower. The text reads

1934

Highest wind speed recorded

As the highest peak in the Northeast, Mount Washington sees all sorts of crazy weather. Even on days when it’s sunny in the rest of New Hampshire, it can be cold and windy on top of Mount Washington. To monitor weather conditions on the mountain, scientists built the Mount Washington Observatory where they record weather conditions like temperature, barometric pressure, and wind speed...

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1935

Yankee Magazine founded

The cover of a magazine is white with blue printing and a drawing. The large title at the top says

1935

Yankee Magazine founded

One of the most popular publications about life in New England is Yankee Magazine, which was first published in Dublin, New Hampshire, in 1935. “Yankee” is a term used to describe someone from New England, particularly northern New England...

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1936

Amoskeag mills close

A black and white photograph shows many mill buildings from a high perspective. In the foreground, they run horizontally and vertically, and in the background there is one long factory building. Behind and on the sides of the buildings, the surrounding town can be seen. The caption reads

1936

Amoskeag mills close

Although New Hampshire had a long history of having mills and factories, the state’s economy began to change in the early 20th century. Most of the factories moved to the southern part of America, where people would work for less money...

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1937

First chair ski lift

A black and white photograph shows a small mountain in the winter. Up the mountain runs a wide, white trail as well as supporting posts and wires for an old chair lift. In the foreground, people in winter clothes line up along a fence. The viewer can see one person getting ready to board the next chair that is coming.

1937

First chair ski lift

In the 1920s and 1930s, downhill skiing became a popular new sport in America, particularly in New Hampshire’s White Mountains. But if it was fun to ski down a mountain, it was hard work to climb up the mountain in the first place...

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1938

Hurricane of 1938

In a black and white photograph, a suburban house with large lawn is seen. In front of the house, a large tree has uprooted and fallen towards the house, hitting it in some places. A small child in shorts and jacket stands next to the roots of the tree, looking at the viewer.

1938

Hurricane of 1938

On a September day in 1938, New England got hit with the strongest hurricane in its history. It was a Category 5 hurricane, which is the worst kind of hurricane. The hurricane destroyed thousands of homes and buildings and caused widespread flooding...

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1939–1945

World War II

A colorful poster shows soldiers running up and over a mound of earth. They have helmets, uniforms, backpacks, and rifles with bayonets. Two are on the top of the mound, and more soldiers are running behind them along with a tank. In the distance behind them, there is a beach with more soldiers and boats in the water. Overhead, there are clouds and small airplanes flying in the same direction as the soldiers are running. In the clouds above it reads

1939–1945

World War II

World War II was the biggest war the world has ever seen—even bigger than World War I! It involved over 30 countries, and there was fighting all over the globe on almost every continent. The fighting was mainly between Germany, Italy, and Japan on one side, against England, France, Russia, and America on the other side...

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1947

Jackie Robinson plays major league baseball

A red cover of a magazine is seen. A man's head and shoulders encompass most of the cover; he is wearing a blue cap with a

1947

Jackie Robinson plays major league baseball

Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play major league baseball. Before that, African Americans had to play in their own separate leagues. Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, where he played second base. He was a great all-around player, although he was known for being able to steal bases...

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1950-1975

1952

First presidential primary

In a photograph of a street scene a man in an overcoat and hat stands near an open doorway on a sidewalk, holding a microphone and speaking to a crowd of people gathered around him. People wear raincoats, women are wearing hats or scarves over their heads, and men are wearing hats. A car parked at the curb has loudspeakers on its roof and a sign reading

1952

First presidential primary

New Hampshire is now famous for holding the first-in-the-nation presidential primary, which means the people of New Hampshire get to pick before people in other states who should run for president. A presidential primary is not an election to see who becomes president—it’s an election to see who will be nominated to run for president by one of the major political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans...

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1953

Chippa Granite is created

A colorful rectanglar poster, oriented horizontally, shows a cartoon of a boy lying on his stomach in the grass. He is wearing overalls, a striped short-sleeve shirt, and no socks or shoes. He is smiling, and appears to be talking to three chicks who are walking on the grass next to a mother hen. Around the boy in the grass are various food products, like a basket of potatoes, tomatoes, wheat, apples, berries, and corn. The words above the boy read

1953

Chippa Granite is created

In the 1950s, the state government wanted people to use more products made or grown in New Hampshire. The government asked artist Alice Cosgrove to design a character who could be used for this type of promotion. Cosgrove created Chippa Granite, a fresh-faced boy who appeared on all sorts of posters and flyers promoting everything to do with New Hampshire, from skiing to apples.

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1954

Birth of rock n’ roll

A black and white photograph shows a large room with a pillar and some decorations. Teenangers dance in the room in pairs. Boys wears jackets and ties and girls wears skirts or dresses.

1954

Birth of rock n’ roll

In the 1950s, a new kind of music swept through America known as rock and roll. Rock and roll music had simple melodies, usually played on guitars, and a loud beat with lots of drums. It was particularly popular with American teenagers as dance music...

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1955

Rosa Parks arrested

In a black and white photograph, a woman looks at the camera with a small smile. She has glasses, a striped blouse with a vest, and her hair pulled back. In the background, there is a car, and a man with a suit and tie, who is talking with his arms crossed.

1955

Rosa Parks arrested

Even though slavery had ended at the end of the Civil War, many African Americans still were not treated equally with other Americans. For example, for many years African-Americans went to different schools than other Americans, had to use different drinking fountains, and were only allowed to sit in some sections of movie theaters...

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1959

Hawaii becomes the 50th state

A closeup of a white stamp with red print shows a man with a spear, helmet, and cape on the left. He holds up a garland to the right. On the right is a large, five-pointed star. In the middle are islands, arranged in an arc from bottom right to upper left. They are labeled, the biggest one named

1959

Hawaii becomes the 50th state

How many states are there in America? 50! The 50th state, Hawaii, became a state on August 21, 1959. Hawaii was known for being a tropical paradise. The weather was always warm, and there were beautiful beaches. It was also known for growing sugar cane and pineapples...

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1963

Martin Luther King Jr. speech

A black and white photograph shows a man wearing a suit speaking into several microphones. In front of him is an officer in uniform with large brimmed hat. There are other people listening, and the backdrop is a large column.

1963

Martin Luther King Jr. speech

One of the most important leaders of the civil rights movement was a man named Martin Luther King Jr., who was a minister from Georgia. He led many protests for more equality for African Americans. He believed that all protests should be peaceful and that eventually Americans would come to agree with him that whether people were black or white they should be treated the same...

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1964

Beatles come to America

Five men in suits and jackets stand in a line facing the viewer in a black and white photograph. In front of the two rightmost men are many microphones on stands. All the men are looking off to the left, and are standing in a large room with flags hanging from the ceiling.

1964

Beatles come to America

Although rock and roll had been popular in America since the 1950s, a new kind of rock and roll music became popular in the early 1960s when a British rock band called the Beatles came to America. The Beatles were four handsome, young men who played an upbeat, fun form of rock and roll that made people want to sing along...

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1969

Apollo 11 lands on the moon

In a color photograph, an astronaut with a white spacesuit and large backpack descends a ladder. He is leaving a small spaceship and stepping down to walk on the moon.

1969

Apollo 11 lands on the moon

In 1960, President John F. Kennedy promised the American people that the United States would be able to send a man to the moon within 10 years. Nine years later, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to stand on the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969...

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1970

First Earth Day

1970

First Earth Day

By the middle of the 20th century, some people began to realize that the earth was a precious resource that needed to be cared for and preserved, not just used up. To remind everyone to care for the planet, some Americans started celebrating Earth Day in 1970 to draw attention to the environment and the need to protect it.

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1975-2000

1980

Refugee resettlement communities

Two people stand in a parking lot in a color photograph. A woman wears a black jacket and smiles, and a smiling man wears a cap, and casual pants and shirt. He holds two signs that are the same stacked on each other on a wooden pole, and she holds one of the same sign. The signs read “SAFIYA/ WAZIR/ STATE REP/ SEPT 11.”

1980

Refugee resettlement communities

Thousands of people fled from war-torn countries in the 1970s and 1980s. The American government made arrangements with several cities around the country to take in these refugees and help them get settled in new communities...

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Protecting the Environment
New Hampshire's Forests
Saving Franconia Notch
New Hampshire's Waterways
Modern Environmentalism

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Protecting the Environment

How were New Hampshire’s natural resources threatened in the 19th and 20th centuries?

For thousands of years, New Hampshire had plenty of natural resources to support life here. Forests, rivers, and lakes covered the land, providing a place to live for trees, plants, animals, fish, and the native Abenaki people.

When English settlers came to New Hampshire in the early 17th century, they developed industries that used these natural resources. They caught fish in New Hampshire’s waterways and then shipped the fish they caught to Europe where the fish fed millions of people. The colonists cut down trees in the forests to build their settlements and to sell to other places in the world that needed lumber. Settlers trapped beaver so they could sell the fur to people in Europe, where beaver pelts were used to make hats and coats.

These industries helped New Hampshire grow during the colonial period. More people moved here, and they built towns and businesses that used the natural resources around them.

Unit 14 Vocabulary

NH Industries in the Colonial Period

NH Industries in the Early 19th Century

Water Power

In the early decades of the 19th century, new industries developed in New Hampshire that used even more of the state’s natural resources. Textile mills and factories were built along the state’s many rivers. The machines in the factories were powered by the water flowing in the rivers.

Cities grew up around the biggest factories in New Hampshire, but almost every town in the state had at least a small factory that used the water from nearby rivers to provide power.

New Hampshire’s lumber industry became one of the most important businesses in the state. People who worked for the lumber industry cut down trees and cleared forests so that lumber could be sold to people who lived in cities far away. Some factories in New Hampshire used the trees to make paper, which was used all over the country to print newspapers and books.

Uncanoonuc Incline Railway Climbing the Mountain

By the middle of the 19th century, New Hampshire had developed another new industry that became very important to the state’s economy: tourism. People came from all over the country to see the beautiful scenery in New Hampshire. Tourists visited the White Mountains and the Isles of Shoals. They spent time in the Lakes Region and exploring Mount Monadnock. Visitors traveled all over the state to enjoy the state’s natural resources.

But visitors also changed the landscape. People built hotels and restaurants so that visitors had places to stay and eat. They built roads and railroads so visitors could get to New Hampshire and move around the state once they were here. Stores opened to sell souvenirs to tourists. Trails were cut into the sides of mountains so visitors could climb to the top and look around. All of these developments changed the landscape and consumed natural resources.

By the second half of the 19th century, New Hampshire’s natural resources were in trouble. Industries were using up the trees and destroying the forests. Factories were changing the water levels in the rivers and lakes to keep their machines working.

The state’s population had grown by tens of thousands of people, who needed to be housed and fed. They also produced garbage and waste. So did all the visitors who came to the state every year.

Factories During the Industrial Revolution

Granite Staters began to worry that the natural resources that made their state a nice place to live would disappear. They also worried that if the state’s natural resources were used up, they would lose their jobs.

Tourism and factories were important to New Hampshire. Most people in New Hampshire worked in one or the other of these industries. These industries also brought a lot of good things to the state, including all sorts of modern developments, like railroads, cities, and electricity.

Granite Staters needed to find a way to make natural resources last longer and keep New Hampshire beautiful. Lots of people began to look for ways to protect New Hampshire’s natural resources.

Other Americans were also worried about natural resources and how fast they seemed to be disappearing. Many of them believed that people could solve these problems by working together. They also believed that the government could play a role in protecting the environment, which was a new idea for Americans.

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Abundant Natural Resources

New Hampshire has tons of resources that support life, including many waterways, thick forests, and abundant plant and animal life. These resources developed over thousands of years and sustained the indigenous Abenaki as well as the settlers who arrived after 1600.

Water, Trees, and Tourists

Settlers to New Hampshire created industries that relied on natural resources, particularly water to power factories and trees that supported the lumber industry. The state's natural resources also brought tourists, which was another important industry.

Threats to Nature

People began to worry in the late 19th century that the state's natural resources were being used up, which would destroy NH's industries and strip the state of its natural beauty.

Protecting the Environment

People in New Hampshire decided to take action to protect the state's natural resources and that the state and federal governments should play an active role in helping them.

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Brainstorm: What Do Trees Give Us?

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New Hampshire's Forests

How were New Hampshire’s forests threatened?

For centuries, trees were some of New Hampshire’s most important natural resources. Thick forests covered the land when the first Europeans arrived here in the early 1600s. Many of the forests in southern New Hampshire got used up in the 18th century and the 19th century. In northern New Hampshire during this period, it seemed like the forests in the White Mountains would last forever.

But beginning in the late 19th century, even the forests in that part of the state started to suffer. Timber companies purchased thousands of acres of land in the White Mountains and began to harvest the trees, which made many different types of products that were in high demand, like the bobbins that were used in textile factories. Trees were also used to make paper for things like newspapers and books.

The White Pine Tree

Forest Density Map

Cutting down so many trees caused all sorts of problems in the White Mountains, though. Huge sections of the mountains were cleared of trees entirely in a practice called clear-cutting. That means that instead of cutting down some trees in an area and leaving others to grow, lumber companies cut down all the trees so that the only thing left behind were stumps and debris.

Clear-cutting was very hard on the environment because trees play an important role in nature. Other plants and animals depend on trees for food and protection. The root system of trees help hold the soil in place. When it rains or snows in the White Mountains, the soil is much more likely to shift and cause mudslides or avalanches in areas that were clear-cut. The soil from clear-cut areas also slips into waterways and clogs up rivers and lakes.

With less water flowing through the state’s rivers, the factories that used water power had trouble getting enough energy to run their machines. Since factories were an important part of the economy, the rivers needed to flow with lots of water or the factories would go out of business.

The loss of trees also impacted New Hampshire’s other big industry: tourism. The thousands of people who came to New Hampshire every year wanted to see its natural beauty, not look at tree stumps and barren mountainsides.

Clear-cutting also led to terrible forest fires. The timber companies took the large trees and sold them, but they left behind on the ground lots of small trees and branches, which dried out after they had been cut down. This leftover material was called slash, and it caught on fire very easily.

Between 1875 and 1915, forest fires became a big problem in the White Mountains. The year 1903 was the worst year of all. There were more than 500 fires in the White Mountains in that year alone. The ash from the fires was blown all over the state. Tourists could not enjoy the state’s scenery and worried that they would be injured if the fires burned down their hotels. It seemed like the White Mountains were being destroyed.

Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests Membership Certificate

How did the people of New Hampshire save the White Mountains?

Even before the terrible fires of 1903, Granite Staters began to organize to save the forests. In 1893, the state government formed a committee called the State Forestry Commission. The committee started looking at ways to protect parts of the White Mountains.

About 10 years later, a group of citizens formed an organization called the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF). The people who joined this group believed the government should pass laws to protect the environment. They convinced the state legislature to appoint a state forester.

The SPNHF also found other ways to protect the White Mountains. They taught the public about the environmental threats to the forests by publishing articles in newspapers and magazines. They gave talks and lectures to the public about what was happening in the White Mountains. The group worked with the lumber companies to find ways to harvest trees that didn’t cause so much environmental damage. They also bought as much land in the White Mountains as they could and convinced other people to donate land so the forests could be protected.

The SPNHF wanted the state to take over the White Mountains so that the land could be saved for the public. The idea was that some of the land could be harvested to support the lumber companies, while the rest of the land could be protected and used as parks. Granite Staters and all the tourists who came to New Hampshire could use the land for recreation. But the state government did not have enough money to buy all this land.

Since the state government couldn’t save the White Mountains, the SPNHF turned to the federal government. The group worked together with many other organizations in New Hampshire, like women’s clubs, business leaders in industry and tourism, and the Appalachian Mountain Club, which was formed to encourage hiking.

This group of organizations and business leaders worked with a U.S. congressman from Massachusetts named John Wingate Weeks. He was originally from Lancaster, New Hampshire, and he loved the White Mountains. In 1911, Weeks got a law passed by the federal government that allowed the U.S. government to buy land and create national parks. The federal government started buying land in New Hampshire, and in 1918, the U.S. government owned enough land to create the White Mountain National Forest. It was the first national forest created in the eastern part of the United States.

Once the White Mountain National Forest was created, the federal and state governments, the SPNHF, the timber industry, and many other groups worked together to repair all the damage that had been done to the landscape in that part of the state.

Now, the White Mountains support both the timber industry and the tourist industry. It also offers lots of opportunities for people to enjoy the state’s natural resources in a way that makes sure those resources will last for a very long time.

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NH's Lumber Industry

There were many companies that harvested lumber in New Hampshire and sold it all over the world. New Hampshire lumber companies also made paper, which was used throughout the country for newspapers and books.

Damage to the Forests

Lumber companies in the 19th century did a lot of damage to the forests through practices like clear-cutting. These practices destroyed the forests, clogged up the state's waterways with silt and debris, and caused devastating wildfires.

Society for the Protection of NH Forests

Citizens came together to form a grassroots group to save the forests. The SPNHF raised public awareness, prodded the state government to take action, and worked with lumber companies to take better care of the forests.

White Mountain National Forest

The federal government passed the Weeks Act in 1913, which allowed the government to buy land in the White Mountains and create a national forest. It was the first national forest in the eastern United States.

Draw Your Own Comic: Forest Fires

Recording History: Saving the White Mountains

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Saving Franconia Notch

How did the public save Franconia Notch?

The White Mountain National Forest protects a lot of land in the White Mountains, but not all of it. Some land is still owned by timber companies, hotel owners, or individuals. Although most of the well-known landmarks are now owned by the state or federal governments, in the early part of the 20th century, many of these sites were still in private hands.

Franconia Mountains and the Pemigewasset

What Was the Old Man of the Mountain?

For many years, Franconia Notch was owned by a family that ran a popular grand resort hotel called the Profile House. Thousands of people came to stay at the Profile House over the years, where they could get a great view of the Old Man of the Mountain. In fact, the same family also owned the Old Man and other famous tourist spots in the area: the Flume Gorge and Profile Lake.

In 1923, the Profile House burned down, and the family that owned it decided they wanted to sell their land in Franconia Notch. Some timber companies were interested in buying the land because it was heavily forested, but the family first approached the state government. The family offered to sell it to the state for $400,000.

The state government agreed to pay half of the price, but it couldn’t afford to pay the full amount. The last $200,000 had to be raised by public donation.

The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF) and the New Hampshire Federation of Women’s Clubs joined together to organize a public campaign to raise the money.

These two groups used the Old Man of the Mountain to promote their fundraising effort. They believed that the Old Man was a national treasure, and everyone should want to save it. National magazines ran stories about the Old Man of the Mountain, which made it a familiar landmark to people all over the country. It became a symbol of America’s natural beauty.

The two groups also organized ways for people to contribute money to help buy the land in Franconia Notch.

One way people contributed was to “Buy a Tree for a Dollar” in Franconia Notch. For a $1 contribution, a person could adopt a tree in the notch. They got a certificate in the mail showing that they owned a tree, although they couldn’t cut the tree down or harm it in any way. Instead, their contribution went to save the tree by preserving it in a park.

Child Participating in Franconia Notch Campaign

School children also got involved in the fundraising campaign. The state declared January 28, 1928, to be Franconia Notch Day. Students spent that day learning all about the notch, including its natural features, history, legends, and stories. The kids also brought pennies and nickels to school that day to contribute to buying the land.

Grassroots efforts like this—where people come together and made small contributions that add up to big changes—helped save Franconia Notch. In September 1928, the state officially bought the notch, including the Old Man and the Flume. The land bought by the state eventually became a state park that you can still visit today, even though the Old Man of the Mountain collapsed in 2003.

The effort to save Franconia Notch was one of the most important public environmental campaigns of the early 20th century because it reminded all Americans that natural resources needed to be protected. It also showed how grassroot campaigns could make a big difference!

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Tourist Sites

Some of New Hampshire's most popular tourist sites are located in Franconia Notch in the White Mountains, including the Old Man of the Mountain, the Flume Gorge, and Profile Lake. before the 1920s, this land was privately owned by one family.

Selling Franconia Notch

When the family decided to sell their land in Franconia Notch, they offered to sell it to the state government instead of to lumber companies. The state government contributed half of the amount needed to buy the land but said the other half needed to be raised by the public.

Old Man as National Symbol

The people who wanted to save the notch started a national campaign to bring attention to their efforts. The Old Man of the Mountain was used in advertisements and on posters. The rock formation became famous as a national symbol of American determination.

Public Campaign

The money needed to buy the land was raised in several different ways, including the "Buy a Tree" campaign and a big effort by the state's schoolchildren. After the land was purchased by the state of New Hampshire, it was turned into state parks so everyone could enjoy it.

Word Scramble: Protecting NH's Forests

The 5Ws: Saving Franconia Notch

Crossword Puzzle: Protecting NH's Forests

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New Hampshire's Waterways

What environmental challenges threatened New Hampshire’s waterways?

New Hampshire’s forests weren’t the only natural resources that were threatened in the state. The lakes and rivers in New Hampshire were also in danger of becoming too polluted to use.

New Hampshire is full of lakes and rivers. In fact, there are over 1,300 lakes and ponds in the state, and over 40,000 miles of rivers and streams. That’s a lot of waterways!

Rivers as Highways

Mason's Fun Fact

Water has also been very important for New Hampshire’s development. Plants, animals, and people all need water to live and grow. The Abenaki used New Hampshire’s waterways to travel from one place to another. When European settlers arrived in New Hampshire in the early 17th century, they used the waterways to get around too. They also hunted the beaver who lived in the waterways. The farmers who came to New Hampshire used water to support their crops and livestock.

When factories were built in New Hampshire in the early 1800s, they used the water to power their machinery. The Industrial Revolution became so important to New Hampshire because there were so many lakes and rivers to support all the mills.

But industrialization also harmed the waterways. Factory owners built canals to manage the flow of the water, since the water provided the power for their machines. They wanted to make sure the water flowed when they needed it to. By changing the water’s flow, they often damaged the waterway and changed its natural course.

Timeline: First Textile Mill in NH

In the 19th century and the 20th century, factories also dumped a lot of chemicals and waste in the rivers, which polluted them. People even dumped their garbage and trash in the waterways. All this waste material clogged up the rivers and stopped water from flowing the way it had in the past.

Many of the fish in the rivers and lakes died because the water was too polluted for them. A lot of other people and animals couldn’t drink the water in the rivers and lakes anymore because it made them sick. New Hampshire’s waterways, which had once been among our most precious natural resources, seemed to be dying.

In the 1950s and 1960s, people in New Hampshire began to realize that the waterways were important natural resources that needed to be cared for and protected. In fact, many Americans were becoming more concerned about the environment at this time. People demanded that the state and federal governments take action to protect these natural resources.

Political leaders worked with grassroots activists, and sometimes with business leaders, to pass laws to limit pollution. The state and federal governments cleaned up places that had become very polluted and sometimes forced companies to clean up the pollution they made.

The public also became more aware of the role they played in pollution. Some communities organized clean-up days when volunteers picked up trash. People started to become less tolerant of littering. There were even public awareness campaigns to explain to people how littering contributed to pollution and harmed the environment.

Most of New Hampshire’s waterways were cleaned up during this time. Everyone started to see that they had to do their part to control pollution.

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NH's Waterways

New Hampshire has thousands of miles of lakes, rivers, streams, and seacoast. All of this water has supported life for millions of years.

Water for Industry

During the Industrial Revolution, NH factories used water to power machinery and make products that were sold around the world.

Flow and Pollution

Factory owners changed the amount of water flowing in the state's rivers so they could control the source of power. Factories also dumped chemicals and waste into the state's waterways, which polluted them.

Cleaning the Water

Groups of concerned citizens, the state government, and industry leaders worked together to clean up the state's waterways in the middle of the 20th century.

Find Your Way Maze: Cleaning Up NH's Waterways

Fill-in-the-Blank: NH's Natural Resources

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Modern Environmentalism

A lot of the worst pollution in America—and in New Hampshire—was cleaned up in the mid-20th century, but everyone recognized that they had to pay more attention to taking care of the environment to protect our natural resources for generations to come, which is known as environmentalism.

Environmentalism became very popular throughout the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. In fact, in 1970, Americans organized the first Earth Day, which was a way to celebrate the planet on which we live and remind people that our natural resources need to be protected. Americans became much more focused on finding ways to control pollution during this period. Grassroots activists also worked with the state and federal governments in a partnership to do so. Some businesses have joined this partnership, while other businesses have not.

Timeline: First Earth Day

Finding Energy Sources

How has the need for energy threatened the environment?

Throughout the 20th century, Americans became more dependent on energy in their daily lives.

Water and steam had long been important to power New Hampshire’s factories, which was one of the reasons why the state’s rivers needed to be protected. But in the 20th century, people began to use electricity to run their lights, appliances, and eventually their computers. As cars became more popular in the early 20th century, people started using gasoline to power them. And instead of heating their houses by burning wood in their fireplaces as they did in the 17th century, 18th century, and 19th century, people started using heating oil to run furnaces that kept their houses warm in the winter. These new inventions needed energy to work, but getting that energy from the planet often uses up lots of natural resources and generates pollution.

Olympic Oil Refinery. In 1973, a Greek billionaire decided to build an oil refinery on New Hampshire’s Great Bay. He planned to ship oil to the coast of New Hampshire in giant supertanker ships and then pump the oil in underwater pipelines to an oil refinery. There, the oil would be processed so that it could be used as energy. Eventually, the company that owned the oil refinery would sell the oil.

Some Granite Staters liked this plan because the oil refinery would bring jobs to the state and it would lower the price of oil for everyone.

Other Granite Staters did not like this plan because they worried about the environmental damage that could happen if there was an oil spill. If there was an accident with one of the supertankers, or a leak in the underwater pipes, or a problem at the refinery, billions of gallons of oil could be dumped in New Hampshire. An accident like that would kill all the plant and animal life and destroy New Hampshire’s natural resources in that area of the state.

A group of people in the seacoast region joined together and formed an organization called Save Our Shores. They brought the public’s attention to the oil refinery project and explained how much damage it could cause to the environment.

Because the oil refinery was going to be located in the town of Durham, the people of Durham got to vote on the idea at their town meeting in March 1974. They voted against the project, and the oil refinery was not built.

Seabrook Nuclear Power Project. Only a few years later, environmentalists were not able to stop another project in the seacoast region. This project was to build a nuclear power plant in the town of Seabrook.

Nuclear power is a kind of energy that was developed in the middle of the 20th century. It can generate lots and lots of power, but it can also cause lots of damage to the environment and to people, especially if there is an accident at the nuclear power plant.

Just like with the Olympic Oil Refinery, some people in New Hampshire liked this idea because a nuclear power plant needs lots of workers, so people could get jobs there. It also produces energy at a low price so it would be cheaper for everyone.

But other people worried that the risk of generating nuclear power was too great and that it might harm the environment too much.

In 1976, grassroots activists formed a group called the Clamshell Alliance to fight against the Seabrook nuclear power project. Like Save Our Shores, they tried to raise public awareness of the dangers of nuclear power. They also tried to get the state government to stop the project.

Although most people in New Hampshire were against the project, it moved forward anyway. The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant opened in 1990 and is still in operation today.

Northern Pass. Almost 100 years after the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (SPNHF) saved the White Mountains, a new threat to them emerged called Northern Pass.

An energy company in New England and an energy company in Canada came up with a plan to run giant power lines through the White Mountains to bring energy from hydroelectric dams in Canada to New England. The companies said that the project would bring down the cost of electricity for Granite Staters and other New Englanders. In order to do that, though, the companies would need to cut down a lot of New Hampshire’s forests and build big towers to hold the power lines.

The SPNHF organized a public campaign against Northern Pass, and thousands of people contacted their representatives in the state government to stop the project. They argued that cutting down so much of the forests would ruin the state’s tourism industry, which was very important to the economy in New Hampshire.

The state government stopped the project from moving forward. When the two companies sued the state government in 2018, the case went to the N.H. Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the state.

Protecting the Land

How have Granite Staters protected the land in recent years?

New Hampshire has a long tradition of protecting the natural landscape, starting with the effort to save the state’s forests in the 1890s. As more people and businesses have moved into New Hampshire, the state government has gotten more involved in protecting the state’s natural resources. The public is also more aware now of the need to protect the land and the environment for future generations.

New Hampshire State Parks. One way the state has protected land is by creating a network of state parks. Today, there are 93 state parks and recreation areas in New Hampshire, which include beaches, campgrounds, natural areas, ski areas, trails, and historic sites. Almost 10 percent of New Hampshire is protected in this way.

LCHIP. The state government also runs a program called the Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP), which provides money to towns and community groups to buy and protect natural and historic sites. LCHIP helps to keep the sites open to the public and safe from development.

Some of the money to support LCHIP comes from the Moose Plate program. Granite Staters can pay a little extra to buy a license plate with a moose on it. The extra money goes to LCHIP.

Statement on Climate Change

Climate Change

Over the past several decades, the climate of New Hampshire—and the world—has been changing too quickly. Most of this change is due to things people do, especially activities that burn a lot of fuel, like powering factories and driving cars.

Because of these activities, the earth is warming up faster than it should, which is called global warming. If the world gets even a few degrees warmer, it can have a big impact on the environment. The weather will get more unstable and extreme. We could have colder winters and hotter summers. There will also be more big weather events, like hurricanes, tornadoes, and storms.

Global warming also leads to geological change, like the melting of the glaciers at the North and South Poles. When the glaciers melt, the level of the water in the oceans will rise. It will affect weather all over the globe.

In the early 21st century, many organizations and businesses have changed how they do things because of climate change. The New Hampshire Historical Society, for example, made a lot of changes to its building so that it doesn’t need as much energy to heat or cool. These changes reduced the carbon footprint of the building, so that it won’t contribute to climate change.

New Hampshire Historical Society Renovations

Granite Staters have also been working to find new sources of energy that don’t harm the environment, including solar power and wind power. These types of power generate electricity that can be used for all sorts of things, like heating houses and running cars. Because they will never run out, solar power and wind power are called renewable resources. They don’t use up the state’s natural resources.

The state government also works with businesses and community groups to manage our natural resources. That way companies can run their businesses while the public gets to enjoy New Hampshire’s scenic beauty and recreational opportunities.

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Environmentalism

In the late 20th century, Americans became more concerned with protecting the environment and demanded that the government take steps to preserve our natural resources.

Sources of Energy

One of the biggest challenges of the modern era is finding new forms of energy to provide power for all things people need without harming the environment. In NH, some energy projects have been created while concerned citizens have stopped other projects.

Public-Private Partnerships

In the 20th century, the government began working with citizens groups and businesses to find ways to protect natural resources. These partnerships have worked to balance the needs of everyone.

Climate Change

Today, climate change threatens to destroy our natural resources because the earth is warming up too fast. The private-public partnership can work to find ways for us to do less damage to the world around us.

Unit 14 Student Reading

A printable version of the student reading for this unit, without pictures or graphics.

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GAME SETTINGS

Learn It! Preserving New Hampshire

NEW HAMPSHIRE EVENTS

U.S. & WORLD EVENTS

Protecting the Environment

Unit 14 Vocabulary

NH Industries in the Colonial Period

NH Industries in the Early 19th Century

Water Power

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Abundant Natural Resources

Water, Trees, and Tourists

Threats to Nature

Protecting the Environment

Find It! Word Search

Brainstorm: What Do Trees Give Us?

New Hampshire's Forests

The White Pine Tree

Forest Density Map

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NH's Lumber Industry

Damage to the Forests

Society for the Protection of NH Forests

White Mountain National Forest

Draw Your Own Comic: Forest Fires

Recording History: Saving the White Mountains

Saving Franconia Notch

What Was the Old Man of the Mountain?

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Tourist Sites

Selling Franconia Notch

Old Man as National Symbol

Public Campaign

Word Scramble: Protecting NH's Forests

The 5Ws: Saving Franconia Notch

Crossword Puzzle: Protecting NH's Forests

New Hampshire's Waterways

Rivers as Highways

Timeline: First Textile Mill in NH

Let's Review!

NH's Waterways

Water for Industry

Flow and Pollution

Cleaning the Water

Find Your Way Maze: Cleaning Up NH's Waterways

Fill-in-the-Blank: NH's Natural Resources

Modern Environmentalism

Timeline: First Earth Day

Finding Energy Sources

Protecting the Land

Statement on Climate Change

Climate Change

Let's Review!

Environmentalism

Sources of Energy

Public-Private Partnerships

Climate Change

Brainstorm: A to Z Chart

My Community Responsibilities

Create Your Own Advertisement

Unit 14 Activities Answer Key

Unit 14 Student Reading

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