EXPLORATIONS AMONG THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. 63 



Mountains, on a warm day in the Month of March, in 1 746, were alarmed 

 with a repeated noise, which they supposed to be the firing of guns. On 

 further search, they found it to be caused by rocks falling from the south 

 side of a steep mountain."* This is the first notice that we find of the 

 mighty force that has left its furrows and scars all through the mountains, 

 and which caused to be written the saddest page in their history. 



DISCOVERY OF THE WHITE MOUNTAIN NOTCH. 



It is supposed that the Indians were aware of the central pass through 

 the White Mountains, and took their captives through it to Canada ; but 

 its existence was unknown to the English at the time of the first settle- 

 ments of the Coos country. The value of these lands was thus very 

 much diminished on account of the wide circuit which must be made 

 either to east or west to communicate with the seaboard, so that it 

 became a matter of inquiry to the authorities of the state how a way 

 should be opened through this almost impassable chain. Its discovery 

 was made in 1771 by one Timothy Nash, a pioneer hunter who had 

 established himself in this solitary region. Climbing a tree on Cherry 

 mountain in search of a moose, he discovered, as he thought, the wished- 

 for pass. Steering for the opening, he soon struck the Saco river, a mere 

 brook, and, following down, stopped at what is now known as the gate 

 of the notch. Here the sharp rocks came so near together as to prevent 

 his following the stream ; but, seeing that by a reasonable expenditure 

 a road could be opened at the point, he scaled the cliffs and continued 

 on to Portsmouth. Here he made known his discovery to Governor 

 Wentworth. The wary governor, to test the practicability of the pass, 

 informed Nash that if he would bring him a horse down through the 

 gorge from Lancaster, he would grant him the tract of land now known 

 as Nash and Sawyer's location. To accomplish this, Nash admitted 

 a fellow hunter, Benjamin Sawyer, to a share in his trade. By means 

 of ropes they succeeded in getting the horse over the projecting cliff 

 and down the rugged pathway of the mountain torrent, and brought 

 him to the governor. When they saw the horse safely lowered on the 

 south side of the last projection, it is said that Sawyer, draining the last 



*Belknap, N. H., Hi, p. 27. 



