Among The Clouds

What is the "Presidential Range?"

To the Editor of Among the Clouds.

Ever since my boyhood days, I have heard of the "Presidential Range," having been born about fifty miles east of the White Mountains, with Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, and the whole easterly line of elevations as far as Kearsarge in full view.

On a recent visit to the mountains I made several inquiries as to what really constitutes the famous "Presidential Range," and was told by one that it was composed of the Northern Peaks only, and by another that it included not only the Northern Peaks, but also Washington and the Southern Peaks, Monroe, Franklin, Pleasant, Clinton, Jackson and Webster. I came away quite as much confused as to the real Presidential Range as when I first arrived at the summit of Mount Washington.

Will you please enlighten me on the above points and oblige one who hopes to soon again feast his eyes on the majestic forms of the New Hampshire mountains.

F. X. N.
Boston, August, 1896.

Answer:—Strictly speaking, the Presidential Range is confined to what is sometimes called the northern Peaks, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison, which stand in a row on the northerly side of the Great Gulf. Persons not well informed sometimes speak of Monroe, Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison, as constituting the Presidential Range. A range is a row, and in this classification the row is broken by Mount Clay, which lies between Washington and Jefferson, and besides, the summits named stand in a semi-circle rather than in a row.—Editor of Among the Clouds.

While we can well imagine why New Hampshire's greatest mountain was called Mount Washington, no one knows when it was first known by that name. It was, however, mentioned as such as early as 1784, when Dr. Cutler spoke of it as if the title were well known. There never was any formal christening, as in the case of the Northern Peaks, but the name was probably adopted by general usage and consent at the close of the Revolutionary war.