Three years later the Mount Washington Summit Road Company was formed, and they took over funding the project.

Washington Auto Road archives.īy autumn 1856, when the road was halfway complete, the money ran out. They labored even through the turbulent weather, sleeping in tents and shanties.Ī horse drawn carriage climbing up Mt. Instead of dynamite, workers used black powder to help clear the path. With no accessible machinery, boulders and gravel had to be moved by hand. Workers toiled between ten and twelve hours a day, hauling supplies up the mountain via horse and oxen. Thus, in the summer of 1854, construction for the Auto Road began.Īt the time, it was still called the Mount Washington Carriage Road. Both of these required easy access from the base.

Washington hotel and observatory was enormous. And everyone, from the railway company (which funded the road construction) to the town officials, knew they were sitting on a golden goose. A tagline along the lines of “Hike this long and difficult path in dangerous weather to the summit” probably wouldn’t have attracted many tourists. But the hike was still arduous, and the weather still potentially fatal. This was later turned into a bridle path, in hopes of attracting tourists. In 1819, Abel and Ethan Crawford were the first to blaze up to the summit of Mt. They want to go up that mountain, of course. Washington.Īnd what do tourists want to do when they arrive to the town at the base of the largest mountain the Northeast US? How did a mountain with the worst weather in the world come to be such a tourist destination? Why did this happen? To answer your questions, and more, let’s dive into the history of Mt. Just drive your car to the top or, better yet, take a train.

Are you elderly, disabled, or otherwise unable to make the 6,289-foot climb? No worries, we got your back. Washington different from similar mountains – say, for example, Mt. Is the tallest mountain in the Northeastern United States.Ĭheck, check, and check.Oh, you’re telling me people have died trying to summit? Well then, if it’s worth dying for, I definitely need to check it out. Then the desire to climb said mountain is doubled. Shocking, right? This is especially true when the view is from “The Largest Mountain in a Given Location”. Here’s a surprise – people like the view from tall mountains.

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