Bent
Family Tow
Etna, NH
Late 1940's-1960's
Many thanks to Ben Steele who found and researched this area on Hanover Center Road between Etna and Hanover Center! I'll let him describe it to you:
| Exploring around my house in Etna, NH (near Hanover), I found the remains of a rope tow: the top truck with pulleys and other pulleys going down the hill. I called the landowner and found out some details. Her family built it in the late 40's and they and their neighbors skied in this former pasture before there were real resorts. It has been abandoned for about 40 years, but there may be skiers from the area who skied there. |
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The
"Archeologists" shows Myself, my son Lincoln, and Emmett who
was used for olfactory clues. This
picture shows the engine that ran the tow. Underneath
the gas tank, there is a crossbar with two wheels that direct the rope
to the top of the wheel on the right and the bottom of the wheel on the
left. Notice the metal slats welded onto the wheels to provide more
traction on the rope. It is
a four cylinder engine and the entire machine was anchored to trees with
two cables.
The
vehicle used for the tow was obtained by Elaine's husband's cousin
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| This picture shows one of four pulleys we found. Several of these still turned. The metal loop was used to attach the wheel to a tree. |  |
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This picture shows another
wheel still attached to a Pine that had been cut down quite a few years
ago. The number of branches on this trunk indicates that this tree grew
in an open pasture, without the shade on other trees.
Here are the GPS coordinates of this ski area: Bottom:
43 degrees 42.505' north, 72 degrees 12.203' West Top:
43 degrees 42.470' north, 72 degrees 12.085' West
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Does anybody else remember this ski area?
