The Dive

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by ApS

The Mt. Washington was a "venue" before most of us got here, in simpler and cleaner times.

The Dive (and Winnie Belle) have "citified" a lake previously renowned for Loon calls. The Winnie Belle plays "Mack the Knife" for us, followed by Wayne Newton singing "Danke Schoen".

(Plus, it needs to fly a Confederate flag to be in full costume).

On a lake known for rapid weather changes, The Dive, when it's not "spuds-down" safely next to your dock, still makes a good lightning rod around rafting boaters.

I think the Mount, like the small mail boats, and trains were not designed to originally be tourist attractions, but had primary uses that had to be adapted.

[Descant]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

I think the Mount, like the small mail boats, and trains were not designed to originally be tourist attractions, but had primary uses that had to be adapted.

The Mount I carried passengers and freight. Mount II was purchased and rebuilt for tourism. She had also done passenger service on Lake Champlain (as the Chateguay). Of course, most 19th century steamboats carried passengers and freight. Many other early steamboats were mostly freight, but when Mount II came to Winnipesaukee, it was for tourists. I'm not sure what a "smaller" mail boat is. The Tonimar was a private yacht converted to mail delivery and tourist rides. The Gray Ghost is basically a runabout that delivers mail and takes a few passengers. The "larger" mail boats, Sophie C and Doris E were built for tourist attractions and added mail service when the Uncle Sam(s) went out of service. The railroads, as one example, gave land at the Weirs to the NH Veterans to build the veteran's vacation homes at the Weirs as a means of building tourist and vacation traffic. In the winter, ski trains or snow trains were established to take skiers (tourists) to places like N. Conway. To me, these were all pretty much specifically aimed at tourist traffic, not adapted from some other use.

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by Descant

The Mount I carried passengers and freight. Mount II was purchased and rebuilt for tourism. She had also done passenger service on Lake Champlain (as the Chateguay). Of course, most 19th century steamboats carried passengers and freight. Many other early steamboats were mostly freight, but when Mount II came to Winnipesaukee, it was for tourists. I'm not sure what a "smaller" mail boat is. The Tonimar was a private yacht converted to mail delivery and tourist rides. The Gray Ghost is basically a runabout that delivers mail and takes a few passengers. The "larger" mail boats, Sophie C and Doris E were built for tourist attractions and added mail service when the Uncle Sam(s) went out of service. The railroads, as one example, gave land at the Weirs to the NH Veterans to build the veteran's vacation homes at the Weirs as a means of building tourist and vacation traffic. In the winter, ski trains or snow trains were established to take skiers (tourists) to places like N. Conway. To me, these were all pretty much specifically aimed at tourist traffic, not adapted from some other use.

Nice t0 learn the history. I know NH has been receiving tourists in earnest for more than a century, but as a child remember that only Wolfeboro and the Laconia (Weirs) seemed to really draw any interest.

I always presumed it was due to the railroad making it easier for urban residents to reach the more rural areas at a speed fast enough to be able to enjoy the cooler mountain air and lack of noise/smell in the city at a time before AC and when horses were dominant.
I figured the Mount - as you stated - was originally moving freight and people to other parts of the lake that rail service did not exist.

Meredith, Center Harbor, and to some degree Alton, seem to have gotten more effect from the highway system. I presumed that after the highway replaced the railroad as the primary conduit, that the rail and ships/boats began to focus more on tourism rather than as the primary means of transport.