Old Man of the Mountain: Difference between revisions
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|[[Image:Old Man of the Mountain overlay 2.jpg|195px|thumb|none|A composite image of the Old Man of the Mountain created from images taken before and after the collapse.]] |
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|[[Image:New Hampshire quarter, reverse side, 2000.jpg|195px|thumb|none|The reverse of the state quarter of New Hampshire features the Old Man of the Mountain, alongside the state motto '[[Live Free or Die]]'.]] |
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|<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:NHemblem.jpg|thumb|The [[Emblem of New Hampshire|State Emblem]] contains the Old Man of the Mountain with the state motto 'Live Free or Die'.]] --> |
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The '''Old Man of the Mountain''', also known as the '''Great Stone Face''' or '''the Profile''',<ref name="EB">{{cite encyclopedia|year=2008|title=Franconia Notch|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.]]|location=[[Chicago, Illinois]]|accessdate=2008-01-31|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9035155}}</ref> was a series of five [[granite]] cliff ledges on [[Cannon Mountain (New Hampshire)|Cannon Mountain]] in the [[White Mountains (New Hampshire)|White Mountains]] of [[New Hampshire]], [[United States|USA]] that, when viewed from the correct angle, appeared to be the jagged profile of a face. The outcrop was {{convert|1200|ft|m}} above [[Profile Lake]], and measured {{convert|40|ft|m}} tall and {{convert|25|ft|m}} wide. |
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The first recorded mention of the Old Man was in 1805, although it was presumably known to locals before that. It collapsed on [[May 3]], [[2003]].<ref name=collapse>[http://nhparks.state.nh.us/state-parks/alphabetical-order/franconia-notch-state-park/old-man-of-the-mountain-historic-site/ Old Man of the Mountain Historic Site: NH State Parks.] Accessed: 15 September 2008.</ref> |
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== History == |
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The formation was carved by [[glacier]]s and was first recorded as being discovered by a surveying team circa 1805. The official state history says several groups of surveyors were working in the [[Franconia Notch]] area at the time and claimed credit for the discovery. |
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Face-like stone formations are common around the world. The Old Man was famous largely because of [[statesman]] [[Daniel Webster]], a [[New Hampshire native]], who once wrote: "Men hang out their signs indicative of their respective trades; shoe makers hang out a gigantic shoe; jewelers a monster watch, and the dentist hangs out a gold tooth; but up in the Mountains of New Hampshire, God Almighty has hung out a sign to show that there He makes men." |
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[[Image:StampOldManMountain.jpg|thumb|left| U. S. stamp issued in 1955.]] |
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The writer [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] used the Old Man as inspiration for his [[short story]] "The Great Stone Face," published in 1850, in which he described the formation as "a work of Nature in her mood of majestic playfulness." |
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The profile has been New Hampshire's [[Emblem of New Hampshire|state emblem]] since 1945. It was put on the state's [[license plate]], state highway-route signs, and the back of New Hampshire's [[State Quarters|Statehood Quarter]], which is popularly promoted as the only US coin with a profile on both sides. Before the collapse, it could be seen from special viewing areas along [[Interstate 93]] in [[Franconia Notch State Park]], approximately {{convert|80|mi|km}} north of the state's capital, [[Concord, New Hampshire|Concord]]. |
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==Collapse== |
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Defying attempts at [[environmental preservation|preservation]], including the use of cables and spikes for most of the 20th century, the formation collapsed to the ground between [[midnight]] and 2 a.m., [[May 3]], [[2003]].<ref name=collapse /> Centuries of wind, snow, and rain, as well as [[freezing]] and [[thawing]] cycles, finally caught up with the profile. Dismay over the collapse was so great that people left flowers at the base of the cliffs in [[tribute]]; some state [[legislator]]s sought to change New Hampshire's [[Flag of New Hampshire|state flag]] to include the profile; and many people suggested replacing the Old Man with a plastic replica — an idea that was quickly rejected by an official task force headed by former Governor [[Steve Merrill]]. On the first anniversary of the collapse, the task force unveiled [[coin-op]]erated [[viewfinder]]s near the base of the cliff. Looking through them shows how the Old Man used to appear.<ref name=collapse/> |
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On [[February 7]], [[2007]], plans were announced at the New Hampshire State Library for an Old Man of the Mountain memorial, to include five huge stones that, viewed from a raised platform, merge into a form that recreates the profile outline. It is being overseen by The Old Man of The Mountain Legacy Fund, a committee that succeeded the Old Man of the Mountain Revitalization Task Force. The Legacy Fund is a private [[501(c)#501(c)(3)|501(c)(3)]] corporation with representatives from various state agencies and several private nonprofits.<ref>http://www.nhstateparks.org/ParksPages/parknews/parknews07/OldManMemorialDesign07.html</ref> |
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==Timeline of the Old Man== |
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*[[Upper Paleolithic|17th millennium BC]]–[[6th millennium BC]] — An [[ice sheet]] recedes from [[North America]], substantially creating the mountains, rivers, lakes and ponds found on the continent. |
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*[[8th millennium BC]] — [[New England]] undergoes the [[Wisconsin glaciation]], the most recent [[ice age]]. [[Glacier]]s cover New England and create the Old Man of the Mountain at Franconia Notch. |
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*1604 — A Native American legend states that going north on [[Merrimack River|Great Merrimack River]] leads to a mountain with a stone face. |
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*1805 — [[Francis Whitcomb]] and [[Luke Brooks]], part of a [[Franconia, New Hampshire|Franconia]] [[surveying]] crew, are the first white settlers to record observing the Old Man, according to the official New Hampshire history. |
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*1832 — Author [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] visits the area and later publishes a story called "The Great Stone Face". |
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[[Image:Old Man 4-26-03.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Old Man of the Mountain on 26 April 2003, about six days prior to the collapse. A late spring snow occurred the night before.]] |
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*1869 — [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ulysses S. Grant]] visits the formation. |
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*1906 — The [[Reverend]] Guy Roberts of [[Massachusetts]] is the first to publicize signs of deterioration of the formation. |
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*1916 — [[Governor of New Hampshire|New Hampshire Governor]] [[Rolland H. Spaulding]] begins a concerted state effort to preserve the formation. |
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* 1955 — President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] visits the profile as part of the Old Man's 150th "birthday" celebration. |
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* 1965 — Niels Nielsen, a state highway worker, becomes unofficial guardian of the profile, in an effort to protect the formation from vandalism and the ravages of the weather. |
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* 1986 — [[Vandalism|Vandalizing]] the Old Man is classified as a crime under the state [[criminal mischief]] law. Under the law it is a [[misdemeanor]] for any person to vandalize, [[Defacement (vandalism)|deface]] or destroy any part of the Old Man, with a penalty of a [[Fine (penalty)|fine]] of between $1000 and $3000 and [[restitution]] to the state for any damage caused. |
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* 1987 — Nielsen is named the official [[property caretaker|caretaker]] of the Old Man by the state of New Hampshire. |
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* 1988 — A {{convert|12|mi|km|sing=on}} stretch of [[Interstate 93]] opens below [[Cannon Mountain]]. The $56 million project, which took 30 years to build, was a compromise between the government and environmentalists that sought to protect the surrounding landscape. |
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* 1991 — David Nielsen, son of Niels Nielsen, becomes the official caretaker of the Old Man. |
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* 2000 — The Old Man is featured on the state quarter of New Hampshire. |
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* 2003 — The Old Man collapses.<ref name=collapse/> |
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* 2004 — Coin-operated viewfinders are installed to show how the Old Man looked before its collapse.<ref name=collapse /> |
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* 2007 — Design of an Old Man of the Mountain memorial announced. It will feature large stone sculptures near the current viewfinders. |
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==Notes and references== |
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{{reflist}} |
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==See also== |
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* [[Cydonia Mensae]], a rock formation on [[Mars]] said to look like a human face |
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* [[Badlands Guardian]], a valley in [[Alberta]] that resembles a human profile when viewed from the air |
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==External links== |
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*[http://www.nh.gov/oldman/ Old Man of the Mountain] — Official website |
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*[http://www.oldmanofthemountainlegacyfund.org The Old Man of the Mountain Legacy Fund] |
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*[http://www.nh.gov/visitors/oldman.htm Memorial design] |
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*[http://www.nhstateparks.org/state-parks/alphabetical-order/franconia-notch-state-park/old-man-of-the-mountain-historic-site NH State Parks — Old Man of the Mountain] |
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{{Geolinks-US-streetscale|44.1606203|-71.6834169}} |
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[[Category:Destroyed landmarks]] |
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[[Category:History of New Hampshire]] |
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[[Category:Landmarks in New Hampshire]] |
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[[Category:Rock formations in New Hampshire]] |
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Revision as of 16:24, 23 December 2008
roger once was a young tie die shirt.