Wayside_Wisdom Heard Along the Way
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The Flume Gorge |
 "And just what is a Flume?" we can hear you asking. The term is derived from the Latin word "fluere, to flow" and the Medieval French word "flumen, a stream or river." A flume is a narrow riverbed gorge. We were in Franconia Notch State Park in central New Hampshire when we learned this tidbit of knowledge. The tourist information went on to say: "The early white settlers of North America built wooden chutes, or troughs, for carrying water to power the gristmills and to transport logs down steep mountainsides. They called these artificial channels FLUMES. It is no wonder, then, that the pioneer settlers of this region called this great natural wonder nearby THE FLUME." Now we were curious! |