FIRST PURCHASE OF WHITE MOUNTAIN LANDS 



UNDER THE WEEKS LAW 



J^s^'HE purchase of 30,365 acres of 

 CJ land in the White Mountains of 

 ^^"^ New Hampshire was authorized 

 on June 19 by the National Forest 

 Reservation Commission. The land is 

 to be purchased under the Weeks Law 

 which provides for the acquisition of 

 lands by the Federal Government on 

 the headwaters of navigable streams. 

 A report previously rendered by the 

 Geological Survey showed that these 

 lands were of importance in protecting 

 the flow of the Connecticut and Andro- 

 scoggin Rivers. 



The lands purchased include a tract 

 of 29,570 acres at $8 an acre, owned by 

 the Berlin Timberland Company of Ber- 

 lin, N. H., acreage to be determined by 

 a horizontal survey to be made by the 

 United States. The Commission also 

 authorized the purchase of 795 acres 

 belonging to Airs. E. M. Libbey, of 

 Littleton. N. H. This tract consists of 

 an undivided interest in certain lots 

 owned with the Berlin Timberland 

 Company and forming a part of the 

 tract purchased from that company. 



The land purchased consists for the 

 most part of valuable timber-producing 

 lands on the north slopes of the Presi- 

 dential Range. In addition to their 

 value for their standing timber and for 

 timber production they have other im- 

 portant advantages which make them 

 among the most desirable of any in the 

 White Mountains for the purposes of 

 the Weeks Law. The tract has been 

 carefully protected from hre for a num- 

 ber of years so that the ground where 

 the mature timber was removed a num- 

 ber of years ago is now fully restocked 

 with a good quality of young growth. 



The nearness of all parts of the tract 

 to the railroad adds materially to its 

 advantages. Due in part to its near- 

 ness to railroads and in part to its nat- 

 ural scenery this tract is undoubt- 

 edly one of the best known of any in 

 the White Mountains, containing many 

 of the most prominent features of the 

 vine. The Ravine of the Cascades, and 



440 



White Mountain region. Kings Ra- 

 the Castellated Ridge are all on this 

 tract, and it also atTords many com- 

 manding views of the high peaks of the 

 I^-esidential Range. During the past 

 thirty years the Appalachian Mountain 

 Club has developed a network of trails 

 on the north slopes of this range, a 

 greater portion being on this tract. 

 Thousands of persons tramp these 

 trails every year. It was considered 

 by the Commission that in no other part 

 of the White Mountains would the edu- 

 cational effect of a demonstration in 

 forestry be so great. 



The Connecticut River is by far the 

 most important navigable stream orig- 

 inating in the White Mountains and 

 three-fourths of this tract drains into 

 that stream. 



With the lands authorized for pur- 

 chase at the meeting of the Commission 

 a week previous authority has now been 

 given for the acquisition of 72,000 acres 

 in the White Mountains. 



The land first purchased was what 

 is known as the Bean Purchase, Iving 

 just east of the Carter Range and being 

 the watershed of the Wild River. This 

 comprised 33,800 acres at $5 an acre 

 and was the property of the Hastings 

 Lumber Company, while 7,500 acres 

 in Bethlehem and Franconia belonging 

 to the Berlin Mills Company was 

 bought at $4 an acre. The Bean Pur- 

 ::hase was swept by fire in 1903 and 

 9,000 acres damaged, but since then it 

 has been well protected, and is con- 

 sidered by the Forest Service officials 

 to be a valuable acquisition. 



Options have been secured on 20,000 

 acres in Benton and Easton and Chief 

 Forester Henry S. Graves left on June 

 20 to make a careful examination of 

 them. He was joined by expert lum- 

 berman Eugene S. Bruce, of the Forest 

 Service, a few days later. More or less 

 other land has been offered and is de- 

 sired, but the Forest Service officials 

 consider that the price asked is too high. 



