Corbin Park

Corbin Park (also known as the Blue Mountain Forest and Game Preserve) is a private game preserve in New Hampshire. It contains land in Croydon, Cornish, Plainfield, and Grantham.[1][2] It occupies somewhere between 24,000 and 26,000 acres (97 and 105 km2) of land[3] and was started in 1889 by businessman Austin Corbin.[1] The park is known today for its secrecy.[3]

History

Austin Corbin founded the park in 1889 by buying up a large number of parcels of land in western New Hampshire. The nonprofit Blue Mountain Association was created in 1891 to manage the park.[1] After Corbin died in 1896, his son Austin Jr. took over management of the Association and the park, and held the role until his own death in 1938. In 1944 ownership of the park was transferred to a group of wealthy hunters.[3] In 1949, the New Hampshire legislature passed a law holding the park responsible for escaped pigs. The park has been subject to multiple lawsuits from the 1950s to the 1990s.[1]

In 2020, NH state representative Renny Cushing filed legislation to require a special safari hunting license to take exotic game from the park.[4] It was not passed.

Geography

Croydon Peak, the highest mountain in Sullivan County at 2,760 feet (840 m) of elevation, is located within the park boundary. It is not accessible to hikers.[5]

Flora and fauna

Corbin Park is home to bison, deer, elk, pheasants, and wild hogs.[1][4] Some of these animals have been known to escape on several occasions, such as when the 1938 New England hurricane knocked down much of the park fence, or when the gates were left open in 1953 for firefighting purposes.[1] A wild boar that had escaped from Corbin Park was struck and killed on Interstate 89 in Lebanon in 2017.[6]

Notable hunters

Many famous people have been known to hunt at or otherwise visit the park, including Teddy Roosevelt,[3] Grover Cleveland, Herbert Hoover, Rudyard Kipling, Joe DiMaggio, William Ruger, Sr., and his son, William Junior.[1]

References
  1. Billin, Dan (January 28, 2004). "Private game preserve has storied history". Valley News. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  2. Pendak, Jared (March 7, 2019). "N.H. Fish and Game purchases parcels for hunting in Sullivan County". Valley News. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  3. Evans-Brown, Sam (December 29, 2016). "Episode 27: Millionaires' Hunt Club" (Podcast). NHPR. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  4. Brooks, David (January 13, 2020). "A safari hunting license for N.H.'s huge, mysterious 'game park'". Concord Monitor. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  5. "Croydon Peak, New Hampshire". Peakbagger.com. Peakbagger.com. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  6. Cuddemi, Jordan (June 21, 2017). "Officials: Wild Boar Struck and Killed on Interstate". Valley News. Retrieved July 26, 2022.

43°27′11″N 72°13′24″W

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