Gunstock, or the Belknap Mountain Recreation Area, as it was originally known, was a product of the Great Depression. With the rampant unemployment of the 1930's the Works Progress Administration was conceived by President Franklin Roosevelt to provide a source of employment for worthwhile state and local projects ranging from flood control with dams, to road construction.

With great foresight the Belknap County Legislative Delegation sought and received support from its representatives in Congress and the Senate for an ambitious recreation project in the Belknap Mountain range that would initially include a chair-lift, four rope tows, ski trails, cross-country trails, camping facilities, hiking trails, an impressive main lodge and several smaller buildings.

Local support for the project was almost unanimous. for every dollar put up by the county, six federal dollars were poured into this project. Belknap County's share of the development, which took three years to complete, was a mere $70, 000. The Belknap Mountain project was designed and erected making the best uses of terrain and natural resources. A system of roadways unobtrusively opened several hundred acres of campsites and a modern comfort station. The single chair-lift and rope tows serviced about 4 miles of skiable terrain groomed and maintained to prevent erosion and to blend with the surrounding flora and fauna. The large main lodge and other buildingsin the area were built with lumber cut and milled in the area and with granite quarried from Cobble Mountain, also a part of the Belknap complex. Architect Mitchell Dirsa designed the main lodge to reflect the spirit of the mountain with its rugged and traditional character. The structure today retains the enduring characteristics of a classic design. "Belknap" was the focal point for skiing in New England during its early years and was the center for many exciting competitive events on the alpine slopes, the touring trails and ski jumps. Such legendary names in the world of skiing as Torger Tokle, Dick Durrance, Mezzy Barber, Art Devlin, Rolf Monsen and many others participated in national and international events here. As the popularity of skiing and camping grew in the 1940's and early 1950's, the county complex needed a full-time management team to operate the facility.

The Delegation then passed a legislative enabling act setting up a Gunstock Commission appointed by the Delegation to hire a staff and set policy at the growing recreation complex. During the late 1950's and early 60's, an ambitious expansion program began that saw development of Gunstock Mountain with a summit chair-lift, three t-bars and an entirely new trail complex. It was, however, obvious by the early 1960's that still more expansion was needed to provide the services demanded by the skiing public, so another summit chair-lift was added in 1964. In 1970, the Commission again went to the drafting board and came up with many major projects including the creation of the Pistol Area complex with a new chair lift and four trails, the installation of a modern 75 acre snowmaking system and the erection of a base lodge, now known as the Stockade Lodge.

In 1986, Gunstock launched a 10 million-dollar expansion program that has totally revitalized its skiing operations. Included in the three phase project was the replacement of four lifts, a high tech/high capacity snowmaking system, an expanded base complex and major renovations to the trail system. Since that time, Gunstock has made consistent progress keeping up with services and amenities that have kept it in the forefront of New England skiing. Summer activities have enjoyed a steady growth at Gunstock as well. The Cobble Mountain Stables at Gunstock offers horseback riding on the area's trails, and the newly constructed Mountain Sports Park offers recreational opportunities for skateboarders, in-line skaters, mountain boarders, and bikers. www.gunstock.com

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