Crawford Notch, following the Saco River to Saco Lake just southeast of here, was a main route to Mount Washington and, like much of northern New England, formed part of the homeland of the Abenaki tribe before its first European visitors arrived in 1771. In 1803, the Tenth New Hampshire Turnpike opened through the Notch, connecting with turnpikes running north and west and becoming a vital link between the upper Connecticut River Valley and the seacoast, especially Portland, Maine, carrying goods north and agricultural and forest products south. In 1875, the Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad, blasted through the Notch's sheer stone cliffs, opened in the same corridor and gave visitors direct access to the west side of Mt. Washington. In the 20th century, the Teddy Roosevelt Highway from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon, was routed through the Notch where U.S. Route 302 runs today. The Notch was named for Abel Crawford, whose family were early promoters of the area as innkeepers, guides, turnpike builders, and investors; after arriving in 1792, he built a cabin just north of here, later moved 12 miles south into the Notch, established an inn, and the family went on to build the Notch House and Crawford House, while their first homestead also became an inn and later the site of the Fabyan House and rail station three quarters of a mile north of here. The Notch also became central to White Mountains tourism after the August 1826 Willey tragedy, when innkeepers Samuel and Polly Willey, their children, and two hired hands fled their house to escape a landslide that killed them while leaving the house untouched; their fate inspired poems, books, articles, and paintings, drew writers, artists, and scientists seeking the sublime scenery of the White Mountains, and helped make the area, much of it now within Crawford Notch State Park, a place of enduring fascination.
