The Story of Burnham's Marsh

THE STORY OF BURNHAM’S MARSH

Story by Lester Grimpen

This story takes place in Nashua, New Hampshire, 1953 at the lake Pawtuckaway camp grounds. at 

this time, going around america on vacation and sometimes even camping was a big thing at the 

time, people would travel through more than one than state for a vacation. the lake is most known for 

its gold color water, small inlands that could be camped on, long hiking trails, a beach to get some 

sun on with a small store to get ice cream and sodas as well as other items, and there was 

bathrooms near the camp areas. Of all the camp rangers that worked there, Gary Burnham was the 

most remembered ranger at the lake; known for being the best hiker and the most experienced 

tracker that ever worked at the lake as well his trail knowledge of the area was phenomenal, he took 

every precautions to ensure a high adventure for the hiker he would lead out on trails taking them to 

dark bat caves and underground streams. One of his favorite spots to go was the marsh at the west 

end of the lake. It was a wonderful bird sanctuary that he would bring people who like to bird watch. 

He like the marsh because it was host to an enormous three foot long snapping turtle that they called 

“big snap”. In the police report; it all started on a cool foggy Sunday morning in august when ranger 

Burnham met up with his hiking group that day at the start of the trail named “Creepy Trail”, the group 

consisted of a priest (father roy sloan), 2 college students and their pit bull ( David sterling, Rose 

Marie Cain and Abe), and a rather youthful grandma of fifty-five and her twin grandsons ( Candace 

Bowmen, Sam and Walter sterling ). They set off quite enthusiastic about the hike. What transpired 

after they disappeared over the hill is just legend and speculation now. But some said it was the twins 

who had disappeared from the party first, the group had made a left to fellow the marsh and for some 

reason the twins did not fellow. Which had sent ranger Burnham on his own and went looking for 

them right away as soon as it was discovered that they where missing. Ranger Burnham left the party 

at the old north tree and went looking for the missing twins and was never seen again. The priest was 

found disheveled and covered in spider webs, the college couple was also found disheveled and dirty 

and the dog had a toe bitten off by what mite have been the snapper, and the grandma was a bit 

unnerved and jumpy to every sound. Only later after a three-day search was his hat was found 

floating on top of the water in the marsh. The twins were found latter that day all covered with mud 

and marsh algae. Their only statement in the report was “We never saw him, but whatever it was that 

crept up behind us we sank it”. It is said that on a foggy Sunday in august; a hiker claims to see 

someone like a ranger creeping through the woods and disappear into the fog. And if there is a pair of 

twins at the camp, they are sometimes found scared and claim to see a ranger covered in mud, reeds 

and algae crying out to them in anger. Reports of this continues to this day; the marsh was named to 

honor him, and his body was never found. Some camp rangers tell this story around campfires with 

hikers that come to the Pawtuckaway camp grounds.

THE END