The Austin Sisters

On August 31, 1821, three young ladies from the nearby town of Jefferson, New Hampshire arrived at the Crawfords’ homestead determined to ascend Mt. Washington. In her memoir, The History of the White Mountains, Lucy Crawford noted that Eliza, Harriet, and Abigail Austin “were ambitious and wanted to have the honor of being the first females who placed their feet on this high and now celebrated place.” Although foul weather forced the excursionists to bivouac three nights along the lower slopes of the mountain, the Austin sisters became the first women of European descent to set foot atop Mount Washington. Moreover, this was likely the first mountain of any significance to be climbed by white females in the United States.

Please note: the women in this photo are not the Austin sisters, but are Hazel Peek, [an unidentified woman], and Theodora Beckwith. The photo was likely taken around the turn of the 20th century.



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Virtually no one went hiking before the 19th century. What occurred that inspired ordinary people to take a walk through the woods for pleasure? Ramble On: A History of Hiking explores the rich history of hiking, and how it evolved into one of the most popular pastimes in the world.