[garysanfran]

I have lived across from the Thomas P. Rice house on Stonedam Island since 1960. I met him and his wife a few times, and as a 9yr. old boy would marvel at the old Laker that would knife it's way into the cove. The arrival of the seaplane made any day special.

In the 80's the family donated most of the island to the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. If I remember correctly, the value was $600,000. They kept the south part of the island, from the cove south, for their own private use.

Most of the island is accessible and hikeable, but the Rice family would like (would HAVE liked) those visitors to stay off the private portion. The intrusion into their privacy, from hikers, and large power boaters docking off their dock (I know boaters rights so keep comments about boaters rights to yourself...Different thread, but this point is pertinant to this post and some of these boaters were hostile to the Rices).

At one point, before the donation, they hired a private armed guard to try to discourage intruders. He stopped me and a friend at gun-point when we landed a row boat on a northeastern beach. I explained that the Rice family has always allowed me to hike on their island and he let me pass. I was 16 yrs. old.

Today the private portion is for sale. $2.75 mm with severe development restrictions. Seems the Rice family no longer wants to deal with the "progression" of Lake Winnepesaukee. I believe they have another property, on the lake also for sale.

My understanding is that there was a bridge across Sally's Gut that connected the mainland with the island and the island was used for heavy logging. There is (or was) the remains of an old road from the bridge location (north-west) to the southern point. (Not all of it hikeable, without trespassing, today.

The photo on this thread (forgot who took it) was taken from "look-out" rock at the to of the island. Last time I checked it is on their private property.