Moose Brook State Park
Encyclopedia
Moose Brook State Park is a New Hampshire state park in Coos County
, New Hampshire
in the United States. The park occupies 774 acres (313.2 ha) and sits at an elevation of 1070 feet (326.1 m). The park, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
during the Great Depression
, was opened to the public in 1936.
(CCC) was a work relief program for young men from unemployed families, established in 1933. As part of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
's New Deal
legislation, it was designed to combat unemployment during the Great Depression
. The CCC operated in every U.S. state
. Young men from all over the country were assigned to the many CCC camps that were constructed in rural areas throughout the United States.
Moose Brook State Park is considered to be an excellent example of CCC design. The corps built park facilities and trails using the natural resources that were at hand. Cabins and other facilities were built with rocks and logs that were taken from the land surrounding their construction sites. The original park offices, built by the CCC, are still in use today. Other park facilities that were built by the CCC and are still in use include the bathhouse
, campground and swimming area.
. The White Mountains are part of the larger Appalachian Mountains
. The magma
intrusion
s forming the White Mountains today were created 124 to 100 million years ago as the North American Plate
moved westward over the New England hotspot
.
The park is named for Moose Brook. The brook is a tributary of the Androscoggin River
, which flows south and east into Maine
, joining the Kennebec River
near the Atlantic Ocean
. Moose Brook rises in the town of Randolph, New Hampshire
, in Ice Gulch, a notch in the Crescent Mountain Range
north of the White Mountains. Moose Brook exits the gulch by dropping over Peboamauk Fall, then continues east through the park to reach the Androscoggin River in the town of Gorham
.
, picnic
king, mountain biking
, swimming, hiking
and fishing
. There are 59 campsites at the park in a variety of areas. Some are wooded and shaded and others are in open, sunny areas. The campground opens on Memorial Day
weekend and closes Columbus Day
weekend. Moose Brook State Park is used as a base for visitors to the White Mountains
and the Presidential Range
.
Coos County, New Hampshire
-National protected areas:*Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge *Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge *White Mountain National Forest -Demographics:...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
in the United States. The park occupies 774 acres (313.2 ha) and sits at an elevation of 1070 feet (326.1 m). The park, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, was opened to the public in 1936.
History
Moose Brook State Park was constructed during the Great Depression by a workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps. The Civilian Conservation CorpsCivilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
(CCC) was a work relief program for young men from unemployed families, established in 1933. As part of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
legislation, it was designed to combat unemployment during the Great Depression
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...
. The CCC operated in every U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
. Young men from all over the country were assigned to the many CCC camps that were constructed in rural areas throughout the United States.
Moose Brook State Park is considered to be an excellent example of CCC design. The corps built park facilities and trails using the natural resources that were at hand. Cabins and other facilities were built with rocks and logs that were taken from the land surrounding their construction sites. The original park offices, built by the CCC, are still in use today. Other park facilities that were built by the CCC and are still in use include the bathhouse
Bathhouse
Bathhouse may refer to* Public bathing, historical public baths* Gay bathhouse, a place where males, typically homosexuals, go to have sex with other customers...
, campground and swimming area.
Geology
Moose Brook State Park is within the White MountainsWhite Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
. The White Mountains are part of the larger Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
. The magma
Magma
Magma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
intrusion
Intrusion
An intrusion is liquid rock that forms under Earth's surface. Magma from under the surface is slowly pushed up from deep within the earth into any cracks or spaces it can find, sometimes pushing existing country rock out of the way, a process that can take millions of years. As the rock slowly...
s forming the White Mountains today were created 124 to 100 million years ago as the North American Plate
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, Bahamas, and parts of Siberia, Japan and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust...
moved westward over the New England hotspot
New England hotspot
The New England hotspot, also referred to as the Great Meteor hotspot, is a long-lived volcanic hotspot in the Atlantic Ocean. The hotspot's most recent eruptive center is the Great Meteor Seamount, and it probably created a short line of mid to late-Tertiary age seamounts on the African Plate but...
.
The park is named for Moose Brook. The brook is a tributary of the Androscoggin River
Androscoggin River
The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is in area...
, which flows south and east into Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, joining the Kennebec River
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River is a river that is entirely within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river then flows southward...
near the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Moose Brook rises in the town of Randolph, New Hampshire
Randolph, New Hampshire
Randolph is a heavily forested town in Coos County, New Hampshire, U.S., extending from the northern slopes of the White Mountains of the Presidential Range to Berlin , with U.S. Route 2 cutting through the middle...
, in Ice Gulch, a notch in the Crescent Mountain Range
Mount Crescent
Mount Crescent is a mountain located in the Crescent Range of the White Mountains in Randolph, New Hampshire. It is 3,251 ft high, and its summit is the second highest mountain summit in Randolph, after Black Crescent Mountain . Both mountains are in Randolph's Ice Gulch Town Forest...
north of the White Mountains. Moose Brook exits the gulch by dropping over Peboamauk Fall, then continues east through the park to reach the Androscoggin River in the town of Gorham
Gorham, New Hampshire
Gorham is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,848 at the 2010 census. Gorham is located in the White Mountains, and parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the south and northwest. Moose Brook State Park is in the west. The town is crossed by the...
.
Recreation
Moose Brook State Park is open May through October. Recreation activities include campingCamping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
king, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
, swimming, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
. There are 59 campsites at the park in a variety of areas. Some are wooded and shaded and others are in open, sunny areas. The campground opens on Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend and closes Columbus Day
Columbus Day
Many countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492, as an official holiday...
weekend. Moose Brook State Park is used as a base for visitors to the White Mountains
White Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
and the Presidential Range
Presidential Range
The Presidential Range is a mountain range located in the White Mountains of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Containing the highest peaks of the Whites, its most notable summits are named for American Presidents, followed by prominent public figures of the 18th and 19th centuries.Mt...
.