Saving Forest Lake
In
1935 New Hampshire created Forest Lake State Park. One of the original 10 state
parks. On land donated by the Newell family, New Hampshire created a
"little slice of heaven" for working families from the area. In the ensuing years, it would become a refuge
for working-class families in the North Country. 396 acres of woods and trails
and a beautiful North Country lake where - on hot summer days - the families of
working folks could escape from the heat of a hot summer day. Many of them
would pack a lunch or a picnic and rest, swim and play until mom or dad could
join them after a hard day's work in one of the local mills. It was - and still
is- a gem in the crown of New Hampshire’s state park system.
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| Jon Swan |
Six
months ago a Vermont company announced plans to create a landfill in the Forest
Lake area and a firestorm of opposition was ignited. The people of Dalton,
Whitefield, Bethlehem and nearby Littleton, led by a reluctant warrior named
Jon Swan. Jon had come to the North Country from Texas by way of Iraq - where
he was stationed after signing up at 38 following the 9-11 attacks. After two
years in Iraq, Jon returned to upstate New York and finally settled with his
wife in Dalton, NH where he believed he had found his "spot on the
porch" to quote Carlos Castaneda.
When
I heard about this David and Goliath fight to protect one of the gems of the
North Country I made arrangements to visit Jon at Forest Lake State Park. Now
we'll get back to Jon and the fight for Forest Lake in a few moments but I want
to provide just a little background.
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| Boof surveys Mt Lafayette and Mt. Garfield |
As
I stood on the shores of Forest Lake recently and looked south to Mt Lafayette
and Garfield and the Twins thinking about guiding trips on those very peaks in
my own younger days, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of nostalgia and
remembered that my friend Gary Ghioto, whom I had met back in the days when he
was a journalist for the Boston Globe, had grown up in this area as well. I
recalled his stories about working at the park as a young man and during
summers while he was in college. Today he is a professor of Journalism at the
University of Northern Texas' Frank and Susan Mayborn School of
Journalism. So I called him up for a
little background-color
Forest Lake State Park is a 397-acre (161 ha) state park in Dalton, New
Hampshire. The park is free to use, open
year-round, and offers a 200-foot sandy beach on the shore of Forest Lake.[1]
Activities in the park include swimming, picnicking, mountain biking, fishing,
and boating.[2][3] (Wikipedia)
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Forest Lake Petition
Forest Lake State Park, one of the ten original state parks, was created in
1935. The park spans 397 acres and its 200-foot sandy beach lies on the shore
of ...
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Forest Lake State Park (10 miles) 397 forest Lake Road, Dalton, NH 03598
603-837-9150. Pets: NOT permitted. Recreation: Swimming, fishing,
kayaking, ...
Photo courtesy of Ellen Edersheim Forest Lake State Park, one of the ten original state parks, was created in
1935. The park spans 397 acres and its 200-foot ...
Forest Lake State Park is a 397-acre (161 ha) state park in Dalton, New
Hampshire. The park is free to use, open year-round, and offers a 200-foot
sandy beach ...
Forest Lake State Park, one of the ten original state parks, was created in
1935. The park spans 397 acres and its 200-foot sandy beach lies on...
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