While in New Hampshire in 1984, Karen and
Lee Duquette went to Franconia Notch State Park. and saw The Old
Man of the Mountain, and rode on The Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway.
Karen did not take a lot of pictures in those days. |
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Franconia Notch State Park is a public
recreation area and nature preserve that straddles eight miles of Interstate
93 as it passes through Franconia Notch, a mountain pass between the
Kinsman Range and Franconia Range in the White Mountains of northern
New Hampshire. The northern part includes Cannon Mountain plus Echo
and Profile Lakes in the town of Franconia. The southern part includes
Lonesome Lake and The Flume in Lincoln. |
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The Old Man
of the Mountain |
The profile formed during
the Ice Age, and was worshipped by the Indians as the profile of the
"Great Spirit". It was first discovered by white men in 1805.
The face measured 48-feet from forehead to chin and was 1200 feet above
Profile Lake, and 3200 feet above sea level. |
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The mountain
is named for a rock formation in the shape of a cannon mound on the
summit. The Old Man of the Mountain, also called the Great Stone Face
and the Profile, was a series of five granite cliff ledges on Cannon
Mountain in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States, that appeared to
be the jagged profile of a human face when viewed from the north. The
rock formation, 1,200 feet above Profile Lake, was 40 feet tall and
25 feet wide.
The Old Man of the Mountain is called "Stone Face" by the
Abenaki and is a symbol within their culture. It is also a symbol to
the Mohawk people. The first written mention of the Old Man was in 1805.
It became a landmark and a cultural icon for the state of New Hampshire.
It collapsed on May 3, 2003. After its collapse, residents considered
replacing it with a replica, but the idea was ultimately rejected. It
remains a visual icon on the state's license plates and in other places. |
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Below: Karen Duquette got
a quick photograph of The Old Man of the Mountain as they drove
past it in 1984, which is posted below. They were unable to stop at
that time. |
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Below: Since Karen Duquette
was unable to get a good picture of The Old Man of the Mountain, she
bought a postcard. |
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