Mt. Jackson

[TEO]

Upon returning from hikes, I often enjoying going back to Forest and Crag to reread the history about what I've just hiked. This usually leads to me discovering some intriguing gem in the area that adds to the list of future hikes. Often, too, I'll be reminded of something.

I've been aware that the Presidential's Mt. Jackson is named not after President Andrew Jackson, though I forget that at times. When combing through Forest and Crag last night for the story of Katahdin and Baxter State Park, I was reminded that Mt. Jackson is named for Charles Thomas Jackson, an extraordinary scientific mind of the mid-nineteenth century, who had been always poised on the verge of greatness, yet never quite made it. Jackson conducted significant geological surveys in both Maine and New Hampshire.

It's probably been said many times before, but every time I peruse Forest and Crag, I feel blessed that Laura and Guy Waterman gave us such a brilliant historical work.

On a side note, I would encourage everyone to read or reread the Waterman's Wilderness Ethics and to be mindful of their discussions when you congregate and hike in the woods and mountains.

 

[Chip]

Good post. I've had at least one conversation with someone while on Pierce (Clinton) that thought it had been named after Bill Clinton and had been changed to Pierce because someone in authority there didn't like Bill.

I'm guilty of not knowing much of the local history there and it would make the trails and peaks more interesting if I did.

 

[elvios lincoln]

Ethinic Cleansing

In that Andrew Jackson arguably practiced ethnic cleansing, and defied a supreme court ruling to stop, it is good that the mountain is named for the scientist.