In 1965, Mount Sunapee State Park added the Province double chair lift and new slopes for novice skiing. It was affectionately known for more than three decades as the Province Area. In doing so, it drew attention to the historic road that once cut through the park and was traveled by native Americans and early settlers centuries before.
However, after the state leased the ski operations to Okemo in 1998, the Province area lost its historical and cultural identity when the resort operator remapped this area of the park to the “South Bowl Learning Center” and changed the name of the old Province lift to the “Clipper Ship Quad.”
Now many of the old Province slopes sound like south-sea resort names — Flip Flop, Coconut Grove, Calypso, Lemon, and Lime — rather than have names reflecting the area’s unique place in New Hampshire history.
Furthermore, U.S. Geological Survey maps show South Peak located in the White Ledges and Lake Solitude area of the park. The “South Bowl Learning Center,” while it faces south, actually is located in the northern quadrant of the ski area.
FOMS believes that the state should preserve and showcase the park’s unique heritage and use authentic and accurate descriptions for state park features so that people are aware of the historical and cultural importance of the area.
Download an article about the history of the Province Road, published by SooNipi magazine (267 KB)