The Kancamagus Highway region is rich in history that dates back to the Indian Tribes of the 1600’s. Along the Kancamagus Highway you will find informational postings about the area you are visiting, many times they will offer some history about the area you are in as well.
The mountains surrounding the Kancamagus Highway (and the Kanc itself) are named after some of the earliest and most notorious residents along the Kanc, like:
Kancamagus
Kancamagus “The Fearless One” was the grandson of Passaconaway.
Passaconaway
Passaconaway “Child of the Bear” was Kancamagus’s grandfather. Passaconaway passed along his offers of peace to other tribes and united over 17 Indian tribes within central New England in 1627. This unification formed the later known Penacook Confederacy. Passaconaway ruled the Penacook Confederacy until he passed away in 1669. He turned over the Sagamon of the Confederacy to his son “Wonalancet.”
Wonalancet
Wonalancet ruled the Confederacy until 1684 when Kancamagus became the 3rd and final Sagamon of the Penacook Confederacy.
Kancamagus tried to keep his grandfather’s dreams of peace for the confederacy but around 1690, the white Englishmen brought war and violence to the region. Kancamagus led the Penacook Confederacy and left the area heading North to the now Canadian border region of New Hampshire.
Paugus
Paugus “The Oak,” was chief of the Pequawket Tribe along the Saco river in Conway, NH. Mt. Paugus can been seen in the South of the Kancamagus Highway, West of Mt. Chocorua.
Chocorua
Some common towns and mountains are named after native American Indians:
The town of Conway NH gets its name from Passaconaway.
The town of Penacook NH gets its name from the Penacook Indians.
Ossipee NH gets its name from the Ossipee Tribe.
Mt. Chocorua in New Hampshire gets its name from Chocorua.
And of course the Kancamagus Highway gets its name from Kancamagus, the grandson of Passaconaway.
Many towns and mountains in New Hampshire are named after famous Indians and Indian tribes.
The Russell Colbath House
The Russell Colbath House was built in the early 1830’s. For over 100 years, these early settlers used the land for farming and logging. They also took in boarders in the Summer months. The logging industry peaked around the year 1900 here.
The Russell Colbath House is now used by the US Forest Service and offered as an historic site for public viewing and an information center. The house is open in late Spring through the Fall foliage season daily.
The Kancamagus Highway today…
The Kancamagus Highway started as two small town roads. One in Lincoln, NH and the other in Passaconaway. The road to Passaconaway was completed in the year 1837. 100 years later in 1937, these two town roads were extended in both directions, East and West from Passaconaway and from Lincoln NH and were connected. The Kancamagus Highway opened 22 years later to through traffic in 1959. The Kancamagus became so popular, and was somewhat dangerous as a dirt road, so it was recommended it be paved. The paving of the highway was approved and was paved in 1964. Even though it was paved, the Kanc was closed in the winter months until 1968 when it was plowed for the first time.
The Kancamagus celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2009 with a few special events.
I really feel calling the kancamagus the kanc is an insult to the Indian and people that it was named for! Learn how to pronounce it!
Oh relax. It’s not that big of a deal.
Sally Martin is correct. we indigenous do matter
I agree, Sally. The Dawnland People, the Penacook Abenaki, who lived here before us–and the ones who still do–deserve our respect. Our culture has learned so much from theirs.
I really agree that it is not a big deal, there are more things to worry about, and if you want to get picky Sally maybe you should capitalize Kancamagus, seeing as it is a persons name, and actually I think the Kanc is a cute pet name, and not an insult at all. Please find better things to lose your **** over.
yes i agree. I am the BEOTHUK FIRSTNATION TRIBE whose family ancestry lived there all my life but we were called extinct. I finally got fed up with being called extinct and fought to prove we are alive. Now biologist have proven we are alive. I skied the the rope toe and won many trophies there. It was difficult being indigenous in the area and early school life I suffered much extreme abuses from the teachers of the Lincoln elementary school. The Martin & Newfoundland are my early grandparents of Quebec; welcome . It is our goal to bring many into our nation for New Hampshire. I am the Grand Chief of the Beothuk First Nation Tribe dual citizen of New Hampshire and Newfoundland. I am working on this now and welcome all residents to apply at [email protected]
much love, Cousin
Its beautiful area to enjoy no matter what its history is, I look forward to
driving thru it when I am up in N.H. enjoying what mother nature has
achieved!!!
If you knew the history of the White Mountains, around the Kancamagus highway area, mother nature may have originally created this beautiful spot but due to the European timber barons, this forest was almost completely denuded. As such the nature that you see and appreciate now, was NOT possible without help from conservationists from early 1900’s. In the diary of the ancestor from daughter Ruth Russell-Colbath of the last standing homestead in that area, in 1900’s it was so denuded that from the window Ruth could see 23 mountain peaks. In 1911, the White Mountain National Forest was formed because of the Weeks Act supported by President Taft. The area then was replanted with a mix of trees in the 1920’s and is the beautiful forests that one sees now which is considered “new growth” forests because it is a little over 100 years old.
Granted, it was great the conservationist stopped even further destruction by the European timber barons, but this type of atrocity would have never happened if the First Nation people were allowed to stay on their land and not pushed off the land in the first place. This is because First Nation people respect mother nature and would have NEVER clearcut for greed. If anything, we all should study the sustainability and respect the First Nation people had for mother earth and stop consuming and destroying it.
Beothuk lived here before the Abenaki ever existed ; the Beothuk First Nation families are buried here to this day and the Mitachondria is 40,000 years old Beothuk Red Indians and is proven through the Family Tree DNA mitachondria furensic test. It has been introduced into court in Newfoundland Labrador and is ongoing battle due to the mikmaq and abenaki allied to robbing the current SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENT BEOTHUK FIRST NATION human remains and sustainable resources. The Democrat party secretary of state filed the SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENT BEOTHUK FIRST NATIONS CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS ON YEAR 2016.
yes i agree. I am the BEOTHUK FIRSTNATION TRIBE whose family ancestry lived there all my life but we were called extinct. I finally got fed up with being called extinct and fought to prove we are alive. Now biologist have proven we are alive. I skied the the rope toe and won many trophies there. It was difficult being indigenous in the area and early school life I suffered much extreme abuses from the teachers of the Lincoln elementary school. The Martin & Newfoundland are my early grandparents of Quebec; welcome . It is our goal to bring many into our nation for New Hampshire. I am the Grand Chief of the Beothuk First Nation Tribe dual citizen of New Hampshire and Newfoundland. I am working on this now and welcome all residents to apply at [email protected]
much love, Cousin
When those of us refer to the highway as “The Kanc”, it’s not that we do not know its proper pronunciation… and in no way is it meant as an insult to Kancamagus himself or his family. We feel it is as if we have become great friends with the road due to our many, many trips up to the area, and because of that we have given the road a knick-name. Everyone in our group has one so we thought the road should too. If you are still bothered… just get over it, and enjoy the drive and the views! That’s what we do.
As a young lawyer I represented the bonding Company that had the obligation to seeing that the work necessary to complete the paving of the top portion of the road was completed. I was there on the day the paving was finished and drove the upper section for the first time with the NH Highway engineer in charge of the project. Working with him to see to the works completion was my introduction to how good the NH Highway Department was and is to this day.
RIP Judge Stahl. 🙁
YOU STATED YOU ARE A LAWYER. WOULD YOU ASSIST IN REPRESENTING OUR NATION . YESTERDAY WE WERE USED BY A LAWYER TO BE WITNESSES ON HIS CLIENTS FALSE CHARGES AND OUR FIRST NATION ASSISTED HIS CLIENTS ON THEIR REQUEST.AT THE SAME TIME WE NEED ASSISTANCE DUE TO EXTREME SYSTEMIC RACIST HATE CRIMES, INTERNATIONAL, CONTINENTAL VIOLATIONS AND THEFT AND HAVE THREATS .
WE WANT COMPENSATORY PAYMENT FOR THE DAMAGES. WE HAVE THE EVIDENCE. THE CURRENT LAWYER FOR THOSE CLIENTS HAS EMAILED ME AND SAID OUR EVIDENCE AND INDENTITY AS INDIGENOUS SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENT BEOTHUK FIRST NATION IS INDISPUTABLE . ON YEAR 2016 A DEMOCRAT SECRETARY OF STATE MARSHALL APPROVED US WITH HER SEAL .
PLEASE CONTACT ME BY EMAIL AND ALSO GIVE REFERRALS. CURRENTLY WE ARE BEING ROBBED OF REMAINS ARTIFACTS AND SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES .
THANKS
ALWAYS
SOVEREIGN GOVERNMENT BEOTHUK FIRST NATION
Unfortunately, Judge Stahl passed away before you wrote your message.
I’ve been camping at the Covered Bridge Campground since the 70’s. I’ve always wondered about the grave sized piles of rocks in the woods between the river and the campground. I also wondered if Chief Passaconaway had lived on the Kancamagus. Still camping!
Why is there no mention of the Works Progress Administration for the work done in the 1930s?
Hi, We just didn’t know enough about it to write anything about it, didn’t want to do a dis-service for the efforts. If you would like to write something I would be more than happy to add it. 😉