From surreys and sleighs to sedans and school buses

The Saco River posed an impediment to travel for nearly a century after the first British subjects settled in Conway. Rickety bridges crossed the river at narrow spots, but spring freshets would take them out eventually, and sometimes right away. It must have been frustrating for the demanding citizens of North Conway to find themselves blocked from reaching the town meeting in Center Conway, but that may help explain why taxes remained so low for so long.

Judge Joel Eastman, who lived just west of Center Conway on the road to Conway Village, enjoyed a ford on his section of the river. It was named after his father-in-law, Richard Odell, and it afforded a shortcut to North Conway, cutting nearly half the distance off the roundabout route through Conway. The judge may not have had much reason to go to North Conway, but “Uncle Johnny” Smith did.