Corey Ford's "The Road to Tinkhamtown"

[Mills]

That is great to hear. Boy, would it be fun to retrace Corey's footsteps and with an old Parker too

[Tony Ambrose]

If you look at both areas on Google Earth, which uses fairly decent resolution aerial photos, Tinkhamtown Brook is basically all woods in all directions for quite a distance. Tinkham Hill is another area that is pretty much void of the modern house/shopping mall. I haven't lived in NH since 1991, but I'm sure most of the larger unpopulated areas are still that....other than the occasional soul looking for his remote place in the woods. Housing developments will always rear their ugly heads as long as the population keeps expanding.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Tony Ambrose

larger unpopulated areas are still that....other than the occasional soul looking for his remote place in the woods. Housing developments will always rear their ugly heads as long as the population keeps expanding.

This reminds me so much of the Eagles song "Paradise"- probably the saddest and most haunting song an upland hunter could know.

[Gary Laudermilch]

For you historical research guys. You might be surprised to find old aerial photos are still available. I found 1938, 1955, and 1962 aerial photos of the area I hunt. Check with your state geospatial data repository. Most states have one these days to house, catalog, and diseminate GIS data.

On my photos it is amazing the change that took place during and following WWII. I am surmizing that the gas rationing and diminished male workforce led to many, many acres reverting to brushy habitat from mowed fields that existed in 1938.

[Dean Romig]

Originally Posted by Gary Laudermilch

I am surmizing that the gas rationing and diminished male workforce led to many, many acres reverting to brushy habitat from mowed fields that existed in 1938.

Thanks for that lead Gary.

I expect a significant "diminished male workforce" has resulted after each of our wars. Women and children weren't able to keep the farm going for very long after husbands, sons, and 'hired help' were absent from the farm.
It didn't take long after the ol' place was abandoned that buildings collapsed and the fields, meadows, and dooryard grew up in brush and saplings.

[Steve Hodges]

Originally Posted by Gary Laudermilch

For you historical research guys. You might be surprised to find old aerial photos are still available. I found 1938, 1955, and 1962 aerial photos of the area I hunt. Check with your state geospatial data repository. Most states have one these days to house, catalog, and diseminate GIS data.

On my photos it is amazing the change that took place during and following WWII. I am surmizing that the gas rationing and diminished male workforce led to many, many acres reverting to brushy habitat from mowed fields that existed in 1938.

That's a good point, but actually it was the farmers who had gas and rubber tires during the war. My grandfather, a dairy farmer here, never wanted for either during the war as farms were considered vital. And as far as farms being abandoned and reverting back to woods, again here in NH that had more to do with the poor soil and expansion of the textile industry than lack of manpower. Folks moved to the cities here to work in the textile and shoe mills along major waterways which initially provided power to the mills. Except along the Connecticut River, NH grows Granite, not much corn. And its amazing that after the rise of the textile industry here and the abandonment of the farms, the textile plants went the way of the farms in the late 1950's, early 1960's as high energy and labor costs forced them to move to the south. Mills were abandoned all over the state creating eyesores. Today, lots of those old abandoned mills have been rehabbed and are now trendy shopping malls and restaurants. And farming is making somewhat of a comeback on a small scale with farmers markets popping up in most towns in the summer. I guess what goes around comes around.

[Dean Romig]

We shall see...

[Tony Ambrose]

There are some great old topo maps available from UNH for various Northeast states. Many are from 1927 and 1931. You can access and view these maps via: http://docs.unh.edu/nhtopos/nhtopos.htm.


The map for Tinkham Hill is on: http://docs.unh.edu/NH/card27se.jpg

The map for Tinkhamtown Brook is located at the bottom of the map on: http://docs.unh.edu/NH/mtcb31se.jpg

[Brush Buster]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

We shall see...

I hope Steve is right , as we speak ,I am in the process of getting the " Old Allis Chalmers, WD 45 back up in running condition and am hoping come spring to be back up and plowing at least part of the back forty ! Nothing too serious just some decent tasting vegetables and maybe a few head of cattle ! I have owned the land some time but just haven't had time to do anything but mow the edges ! It's good Deer hunting but the birds are long gone ,I am contemplating a couple of 5 to 7 acre clear cuts and maybe get a few Grouse back in here eventually ! As Dean says ,We Shall See !!!!!

[Mills]

My dream is to have some hunting/farm property of my own. Good luck with your project Russ.