Video Exploration of the Alger #1 Mine

 

Glacial Potholes on Plummer's Ledge

There is a locality in town down the Buffalo Road less than half a mile from the Rumney line where the action of running water on solid rock can be studied to good advantage. Curiously enough, these potholes and caverns are on the top and sides of a high ledge with no water in sight.

- History of the Town of Wentworth, New Hampshire, George F. Plummer, 1930

In the clash between rock and running water, rock is going to win the short-term battle nearly every time. I suppose the only exception to this would be if the water was moving at an extremely fast rate, but throw an ice-age and some longevity into the mix and you just might end up with a geological wonder such as those found in the hills of Wentworth, New Hampshire. These are the glacial potholes of Plummer's Ledge, and they were formed by the churning of water and other debris during the melting of our most recent ice age.

This 3.5 acres of land was deeded to the state of New Hampshire in 1938 by George F. Plummer, the same man who wrote History of the Town of Wentworth, as quoted above. With Plummer's generous gift a state park was created where a half-dozen of these holes - and possible more that are buried and hidden - can be found along the ledge. Unfortunately - and head-scratchingly - the area has fallen into neglect and is no longer being maintained by the state, but it is still public land and therefore open to visitors.

We located the original trailhead on Buffalo Road, and parking is wherever you feel like your car will be out of the way enough to not get clipped by traffic.

Almost immediately the trail became blocked by downed trees and brush, forcing us onto makeshift trail nearby. But being that this is such a small patch of land it was not even enough to be considered a detour, and in just a matter of minutes we had found the first of the holes. No signs or markers exist to tell you what you're looking at, but you'll know them when you see them. The first was this double pothole on top of the ledge, smack in the middle of the trail.

But it's down around to the base of the ledge where you'll find the largest of the holes. In Geology of NH it is said that the deepest of them go to an enclosed depth of 20 feet, but all the big ones were filled with dirt or water and we weren't able to judge this for ourselves. What does show is the unenclosed portion in the side of the ledge, smooth and curved walls that are reminiscent of one of our more famous landmarks in New Hampshire, The Basin. 

All told we were back in our cars just half an hour after we arrived, making this the perfect side trip to an otherwise full day's adventure we had already carried out in the area. And that is our recommendation for anyone passing through or visiting Wentworth  - factor an extra hour into your day and visit the potholes of Plummer's Ledge. Maybe with enough interest this area could even return to being an actively maintained state park, once again.