The First Bridle Path

Ethan Allen Crawford ramps up his tourism business...

Willey Family Disaster

A COMICS POEM; Extrapolatedย from Frank Leavitt's original 3-verse poemย (1885): SOURCE LINKS: I drew this comic using Frank Leavitt's poem as my starting point. I added some details from other sources (see below) & then made up a couple of my own lines to fill out the story. I have found that the poem actually fits … Continue reading Willey Family Disaster

Ethan Allen Crawford

Spaulding's "Giant Mountaineer"...

Ravages of the Wind-Fiend

Two painters summit Mt. Chocorua in 1828...

Tom & Hen Hike Chocorua

Drawn from Thomas Cole's diary.

“Almost an Accident”

Unsafe cannonades almost end in tragedy for guests at the Profile House...

Swett 10: Snow-balling in June

1865: The restorative powers of the White Mountains during the closing months of the Civil War...

I Saw You on I-93

Here's my apocalyptic morning meditation on mortality & traffic in the "Live Free or Die" state...

Swett 8: The Old Man of the Mountain

1865: Swett gets his first glimpse of a rocky NH icon ...

Swett 7: Signs & Gestures

1865: Guests mix and meet in the Profile House dining room ...

Swett 6: Profile House

1865: Swett approaches his destination ...

Swett 5: Spring Blizzard

1865: A late-spring snow storm surprises Swett in his seat on the roof of the stage...

ADVENTURES of a DEAF-MUTE… (Cover & Intro Links)

Let's kick off this series with a pin-up image of Mr. Swett in the Flumeโ€ฆ

Swett 1: Adventures of a Deaf-Mute in the White Mountains

1865: Deaf-mute Henniker native William B. Swett begins his journey to the White Mountains...

“God almighty has hung out a sign…”

Daniel Webster's orating again... or IS he?!?! Drawn after attending Maggie Stier's talk "The Old Man of the Mountain: "Substance and Symbol"ย (NHHC-HTG catalog) hosted by the Antrim Historical Society. For more on the Old Man of the Mountain, visit NHStateParks.org or wikipedia...

Darby Field Climbs Mount Washington (1642)

Two Indian guides lead the first European expedition to the top of the White Mountains... I first encountered this account in Colin G. Calloway'sย Dawnland Encounters, but the full text is available on pp. 62-63 of John Winthrop's Journal (1630-1649). ย In addition to keeping such detailed notes on New England history,ย John Winthrop was of course a … Continue reading Darby Field Climbs Mount Washington (1642)

Video: “John Weeks, 1911”

A sing-along music video based on the landmark Weeks Act of 1911... https://youtu.be/f5TBLWKyPWo ALSO SEE: The Weeks Act Comic! >> DOWNLOAD:Printable 2-page PDF 2-page JPG version: SOURCE MATERIALS: Here are some of the primary sources that helped make this song & comic possible: The Weeks Act itself = I looked up the pages from the 1911 … Continue reading Video: “John Weeks, 1911”

“Walk to Camp” by Becky Rule (Guest Post)

NH storyteller Becky Rule adds some quick cartoons to her tale of a fashionable bear encounter: (Drawn & told at the Weeks Act Centennial festivals, 2011)

The Weeks Act Story (1911)

Here's a comic to celebrate the Weeks Act of 1911 & the origins of our National Forest system! Download the printable PDF >> "John Weeks 1911" music video >> Support this work @ Patreon >> PRIMARY SOURCES: The starting point for my research was the text of the Weeks Act itself: SOURCE: The official descriptive … Continue reading The Weeks Act Story (1911)