For more than 200 years historians believed that Darby Field made the first climb up Mount Washington in 1642. However, in the last several decades, questions have emerged about his use of Native American guides, about the likelihood of prior ascents by Native Americans, about the route Field may have followed on the mountain, and about whether Field actually made the ascent as claimed. Allen Koop examines how historians reconstruct the "truth" when given scant, vague, and even contradictory evidence.  Darby Field and the "First" Ascent of Mount Washington is brought you through a grant from NH Humanities. 

Meet The Presenter

Allen Koop earned a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania. Koop currently teaches European and American history at Dartmouth College and has published books and articles on New Hampshire and American history including Stark Decency: German Prisoners of War in a New England Village.