Miller State Park

For other uses, see Miller Park (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 42°51′17″N 71°53′05″W / 42.85472°N 71.88472°W / 42.85472; -71.88472 Miller State Park is the oldest state-run park in New Hampshire, a state in the New England region of the United States. The park is mainly located in Peterborough.

The park is centered on Pack Monadnock, the 2,290-foot (700 m) mountain. Pack comes from an Indian word meaning "little" and is used in comparison to nearby Mount Monadnock. Unusual for mountains in this region, Pack Monadnock has a paved auto road to the top.

The mountain is the former site of two hotels. It also has a recently renovated and rebuilt (previously unused for several years) fire tower at the summit which is staffed seasonally.

The 533-acre (216 ha) park was established in 1891 when 3 acres (1.2 ha) atop Pack Monadnock were donated to New Hampshire. It has expanded over the years with land donations and purchases. Until 1901, cattle were driven by foot from Massachusetts farms for summer grazing on open pasture extending nearly to the summit. Virtually all the pastures are now overgrown with forest, as little farming is done in the region.

The park is named for James Miller, a Peterborough native who was a brigadier general in the United States Army during the War of 1812 and became the first Governor of Arkansas Territory.[1]

The park is popular with hikers. The Wapack Trail runs through it, crossing Pack Monadnock.

In 2007, the state bought an adjacent 325 acres (1.32 km2) around the closed Temple Mountain Ski Area, across NH Route 101 from the Miller State Park entrance.

References

  1. "James Miller (1776–1851)". The Central Arkansas Library System. Retrieved August 9, 2012.

External links


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