Have you ever heard of the Old Man on the Mountain? The Old Man is a series of five granite cliff ledges on the side of Cannon Mountain located in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When the cliffs are looked at from the North the ledges create a profile of a man’s face. The Man was about 40 ft tall, 25 ft wide and sat about 1,200 ft above profile lake.

There is a legend that derived from Mohawk Indians regarding the purpose of the man. The legend describes the hardships that a couple faced after the wife’s father fell ill. Once the maiden left to care for her beloved father her husband was chief of the village and was needed during winter so could not go with her. However Minerwa, the wife was never to be seen or heard from again. When her husband passed of old again he request to be buried in the direction that she left so her could see her when she returned. The Chiefs face was then immortalized into the cliff waiting for Minerwa to come back to the village.

              Unfortunately on May 3rd, 2003 the man crumbled down from the side of the mountain. It was estimated to have lived to be 198 years old and fell due to water damage after the ice from the winter melted as well as overall corrosion of the granite. New Hampshire mourned the loss of their beloved symbol and even considered trying to rebuild it. However in place of rebuild the iconic symbol a memorial monument was built along the edge of profile lake. The most popular part of the memorial is the steel poles that have jagged pieces of metal at the end so when you close an eye you can see the old man.

     I believe that New Hampshire made the correct decision in not rebuilding the monument because it would ruin the landscape of the mountains. This iconic spot is right in the middle of Franconia Notch which is just a breathtaking area and with having a man made recreation of a landform just doesn’t fit the part. Even before it was finished having all of the construction taking place would take away from the natural earthy joy that the White Mountains bring. However the man was memorialized the right way because with the poles and a little imagination the man is still alive. For more information please visit http://www.oldmanofthemountainlegacyfund.org/.

~Nicolina