Uncanoonuc - an Indian name that means "woman's breast"

Latitude: 42-59-26
Longitude: 71-36-01

Located entirely within the town of Goffstown, with an elevation of 1321 feet. The range consist of two mountains north and south. The mountains have seen many uses over the years including hiking, skiing, fire lookout, summer resort.

Incline Railway:

Of the two, south mountain has been used heavily for recreation. On the 25th of March, 1903, certain citizens of Manchester and towns of New Hampshire led by J Brodie Smith were incorporated under the name of the Uncanoonuc Incline Railway and Development Company, and were given power under their charter to construct, maintain and operate an electric railway from some point near Shirley Station to the  summit of the Uncanoonuc Mountains, and also to construct suitable buildings upon the summit for the convenience of the traveling public, all of which must be constructed within two years. The cable car line up Uncanoonuc also served to promote the building of summer homes on the mountain, one of which was owned by J Brodie Smith a pioneer in the electrical industry in New Hampshire.

In February, 1905, the time was extended until March 25, 1907, for the building of the road, and the legislature also granted them the right to make physical connection with the Manchester Street Railway. The electric cars of each corporation could be run over the lines of the other as per agreement of parties.

The first part of the line was built as a two and a half mile conventional streetcar line. The line branched off the Manchester Street Railway at Shirley Junction and went to the base of the south mountain. A streetcar ride from Shirley Junction to the base station took 15 minutes, but since the conventional streetcar line was on a 4.5 percent incline, it took only 6 minutes to return to Shirley Junction. At the base was a transfer point between the conventional line to the incline. It wasn't until June 8, 1907 when the railway opened. The ruling grade of the incline was a grand 35% and the running time was five minutes. Equipment on the incline was two open cars that were connected by a steel cable and were operated like counterbalances. Each incline car was equipped with two 40-horsepower motors and carried a motorman and conductor.

The operation of the incline did not cease at the end of summer. Winter season brought skiers to the mountain with the incline providing transportation to the summit.

The conventional trolley line to Uncanoonuc remained in service until January 8,1938 when the line was abandoned. On January 9, 1938 bus service replace the trolley line to Goffstown. The incline continued to operate until the 1940s. In 1941 a forest fire destroyed approximately 500 feet of track and steel cable. Even though the incline was still being used to shuttle skiers there was no effort to rebuild after the fire. Shortly after the fire the remaining track was torn up and the cars junked.

Today at Uncanoonuc one can find traces of the railway with remnants of hardware scattered along the incline. Perhaps one of the more interesting monuments besides that of the various foundations left behind, are the bodies of four Manchester "Rapids" at the base of the mountain. When the Manchester Street Railway ceased using the interurban cars, five of them were left at Uncanoonuc, four at the base and one on the summit. The car on the summit was stripped by members of the Seashore Trolley Museum for restoration of Manchester & Nashua St. Ry. #4. The other four cars at the base are there today, serving at residences.

Resort:

In the early years the biggest users of electricity were trolley cars which were used heavily during the work week. In an effort to encourage weekend rider ship many electrical suppliers such as Manchester Traction Light & Power Company who owned and operated the trolleys, developed properties on the outskirts of towns providing entertainment for riders and new income opportunities. In the Manchester area the list includes Massabesic Lake, Pine Island Park 1902 -1963, Uncanoonuc Mountain 1907 - 1938 and Canobie Lake Park (1902) which is still in operation today.

Uncanoonuc Hotel
Built 1907
5 1/2 stories
60' x 100'
37 - 38 guest rooms
Dining room seating capacity 120
Burned February 16, 1923

The Pavilion
Built summer 1923
3 stories
Burned March 6, 1930

The Kenlaw
Built 1948

Fire Lookout:

1911-1982, razed 1983

Listed as a temporary station in 1911, the lookout appears to have been on the roof of the summit hotel built in 1907. This hotel replaced what seems to have been a 40' observation tower built about 1877. The summit had been used as a survey station by Professor Hitchcock in 1860. The mountain hotel burned in 1923, and in 1926 a new 80' steel tower was put in place. The station remained in service until 1981 and was removed soon afterward.

For more history on fire towers we recommend Forest Fire Lookout Association

23 acres

Uncanoonuc is now home to numerous communications towers, including WZID, WMUR