Hilton’s Gorge
Hilton’s Gorge is a natural ravine that extends for over 800 feet along the lower course of the Winniconic River at the base of Garrison Hill in Strafford County, New Hampshire. Its near-vertical granite walls rise as high as 170 feet above the riverbed and stand between 15 and 20 feet apart.
A prominent feature of the gorge is the spectacular cascade known as Silver Falls. Located where the Winniconic River plummets over Wretched Ledge into the deep chasm below, Silver Falls is a multi-tiered 176-foot horsetail waterfall that marks the northern entrance to the deep chasm.
Occasionally, especially during storms at sea, great gusts of wind rush up the narrow defile from the ocean. The fierce surges, compressed within the high narrow walls of the ravine, produce loud wailing howls that some local residents say resemble the sound of a woman crying in distress. When they occur, the shrieks of the winds can be heard throughout the area, as far away as downtown Dover.
Erosion later wore away the overlying rock, exposing the soft, fine-grained basalt dikes, and relieving pressure on the bedrock below, causing horizontal cracks which allowed water to seep in. The seeping water, through the process of freezing and thawing, carved away the basalt dikes and created the Winniconic River, which over time cut the deepening channel that would eventually become the gorge we see today.
The glaciers of the ice age had much less of an impact upon the surface of the gorge than on the surrounding areas. The receding ice sheet deposited glacial debris into the ravine, as well as removing soil and weathered rock from the area, allowing the Winniconic River to flow through the gorge once again.
Although it was known to the local native inhabitants, the gorge was first seen by Europeans in 1623. It is named for William Hilton, who discovered it while exploring the area shortly after he and his brother Edward, along with Thomas Roberts, established their first settlement on Dover Neck. The first person known to enter the gorge was John Tuttle, an early pioneer who arrived at Dover Neck in 1624, and described his journey up the gorge from the south in a lengthy journal entry dated May 7, 1625.
A prominent feature of the gorge is the spectacular cascade known as Silver Falls. Located where the Winniconic River plummets over Wretched Ledge into the deep chasm below, Silver Falls is a multi-tiered 176-foot horsetail waterfall that marks the northern entrance to the deep chasm.
Occasionally, especially during storms at sea, great gusts of wind rush up the narrow defile from the ocean. The fierce surges, compressed within the high narrow walls of the ravine, produce loud wailing howls that some local residents say resemble the sound of a woman crying in distress. When they occur, the shrieks of the winds can be heard throughout the area, as far away as downtown Dover.
History
The gorge was formed nearly 200 million years ago in the Jurassic Period, when the deeply buried molten rock that would become its walls was fractured vertically during a long cooling process. Afterwards, dikes of molten basalt were forced up through the fractures, crystalizing quickly as they encountered the relatively cold granite.Erosion later wore away the overlying rock, exposing the soft, fine-grained basalt dikes, and relieving pressure on the bedrock below, causing horizontal cracks which allowed water to seep in. The seeping water, through the process of freezing and thawing, carved away the basalt dikes and created the Winniconic River, which over time cut the deepening channel that would eventually become the gorge we see today.
The glaciers of the ice age had much less of an impact upon the surface of the gorge than on the surrounding areas. The receding ice sheet deposited glacial debris into the ravine, as well as removing soil and weathered rock from the area, allowing the Winniconic River to flow through the gorge once again.
Although it was known to the local native inhabitants, the gorge was first seen by Europeans in 1623. It is named for William Hilton, who discovered it while exploring the area shortly after he and his brother Edward, along with Thomas Roberts, established their first settlement on Dover Neck. The first person known to enter the gorge was John Tuttle, an early pioneer who arrived at Dover Neck in 1624, and described his journey up the gorge from the south in a lengthy journal entry dated May 7, 1625.
Sentinel Spruce
The Sentinel Spruce was a massive old blue spruce tree that once towered prominently on the high cliff at the eastern edge of the Coffinhurst Estate, overlooking Hilton’s Gorge. Standing over 160 feet tall, with a circumference of over 15 feet, it was said to watch over the gorge like a sentinel, giving rise to its name. The tree fell during the Great New England Hurricane of September 21, 1938, and was taken to the Coffin Lumber Mill for salvage, where it was determined to be over 500 years old. After processing, the mighty tree produced 8,157 board feet of lumber, which was used in the construction of Cliffside Cabin, built nearby on the Coffinhurst property in 1940.Hilton's Gorge
RIVER GORGE
Hilton's Gorge
View Looking North
View Looking North
Comments