Historic Acadia National Park: The Stories Behind One of America's Great Treasures

by Catherine Schmitt

If parks could speak, what would they say? Historic Acadia National Park is a vibrant collection of true stories that share different aspects of Acadia National Park’s history. From its glacial origins, to its rising peaks near the tourist-town Bar Harbor, Acadia has a unique and fascinating history for Down Easters and tourists alike. Many of the tales focus on some of Maine's most famous land formations including Pulpit Rock, Sargent Mountain Pond, Mount Desert Rock, Otter Creek, and even the Trenton Bridge. Learn about the people who first walked these woods and how Acadia National Park evolved into the national treasure it is today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Travel

232 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2016

About the author

Catherine Schmitt is a science writer and author of books, articles, and essays about rivers, oceans, forests, national parks, and the wild in between.

Reviews

[Avree Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Magical Place Where Mountains Meet the Sea

I devoured this just days after returning home from my favorite vacation spot on the planet!

This book has such great information for the new, frequent, and desirous visitor of Acadia National Park.

This passage perfectly sums up my experience:
“One hundred fifty-three steps and counting, the trail ascends a forest of birch and oak, meanders through jumbled boulders, under and around granite slabs, as if passing into another realm. The trail is narrow—two to three feet wide—and the rocks are close. Then, like magic, the trees give way to a sweeping view of a great meadow framed by giant white pines, fog rolling in from the ocean in the distance.
The trail continues.
Through another rock passageway, step number 300 is secured with iron pins. Made of the same stone that lines the trail and forms the mountainside, the steps clearly have been placed, and yet they, too, seem to blend like magic in their surroundings.
The fog, raked by spruces and hemlocks, condenses, drips, from branch tips, and soaks the earth like rain that never fell. Bright Kelly green algae and black lichen splotch the gray granite; ferns sprout from solid stone; the mist carries the scent of pine needles and huckleberries.” (page 122)

While hiking mountain trails in Acadia I was amazed at the ease with which we could access steep portions of the mountain side with seemingly nature provided winding stone staircases and then I came across this in the book:
“While elsewhere such extensive and obvious staircases might seem too “human” for a wilderness hiking trail, at Acadia steps were often designed and meant to be emphasized as an important aesthetic feature of the trail, blurring the perceived divide between what is “human” and what is “natural”. By quarrying native stone from adjacent rocks and moving it painstakingly into place according to site-specific blueprints, path builders revealed the granite foundations of Acadia while enhancing the act of walking and creating erosion-resistant trails. Such highly crafted yet harmonious steps would come to be considered “fundamental” to the experience of hiking at Acadia.” (page 132)

This is a paradise for lovers of walking and hiking like my husband and myself! Each day we walked over 20K and one day even hit 211 flights of stairs according to my FitBit!

This was my (our) 2nd year going to Bar Harbor for 5 days and I’ll tell you this much…10 days is not nearly enough to make a dent in your bucket list of things to see and do in Acadia National Park! I’m already compiling a list of things to do next year and beyond—and this book provided much more history/insight of things already seen and things to see within Mount Desert Island (MDI)—pronounced Dessert—like the sweet.

I especially loved the greater appreciation this book gave me for this largest of beloved Maine islands and all the determination that went into maintaining it as the magically rustic escape that we visitors have grown to know and love! It’s truly unlike anywhere else I’ve ever visited. When you cross that bridge from Trenton onto MDI and take route 3 to Bar Harbor village and you know you’ve arrived—to a vacation escape that gives you the best of both worlds—where mountains meet the sea!

There are 24 mountains (34 peaks) within the 108 square miles that make up MDI and the great thing about that is; as we were climbing Cadillac (1,529’), Sargent(1,373’), Penobscot(1,194’), and Gorham(525’) mountains—this time around; you are rewarded with these peekaboo ocean, lake, and pond views and the distant sounds of buoy bells guiding approaching ships and the crashing of waves meeting rocky coast hundreds of feet below, the intoxicating smell of pine and damp earth, pileated woodpeckers knocking away, white tailed deer grazing along the path. At the summit you’re gifted the panoramic views of surrounding neighboring and distant blue islands, charming lighthouses, and the satisfaction of achieving new heights and applauding yourself for braving new terrain challenges each and every time you embark on one of these mountain hikes/trails. Most mountains have access via many trail options at different difficulty levels so it’s personal preference. I highly recommend the “A Walk in the Park: Acadia’s Hiking Guide” by Tom St. Germain as this made it possible for us to select adventures to meet our moderate-to slight difficulty level we were desiring (we had to steer clear of the more difficult as I had improper footwear in my grip lacking sneakers—so a pair of hiking boots is a must before my next visit.)

My husband and I became quite dependent upon the blue trail markers on rocks and trees and often times resorted to the Bates Cairns that mark trails on most of the exposed granite summits and ridges. This book goes over the history of these hiking life savers and I enjoyed getting a more in-depth lesson on their design and importance. While my husband and I were hiking we were curious about when these came about, how long they’d been there, who placed them and so this book was a great source of information on that.

The great thing about Acadia is there is so much to see and do that the activity you’re doing is not necessarily one that’s going to be met with crowds—unless you want to park at Jordan Pond House! *eye roll* We discovered the Island Explorer free bus transit this time around because two days in a row we attempted access to the Jordan Pond trails parking lots (3 total) and we drove around 15-20 minutes each time praying for a space to open up…but to no avail. So, the third day we marched ourselves over to the Village Green and awaited bus number 5 to take us to Jordan Pond House where we then hopped on Asticou hiking trail and went on our merry way hiking up Sargent and Penobscot Mountains.

This was our first time utilizing the Island Explorer option and so I appreciated the information on page 85 of this book explaining how and when this mode of transport came to be— “More and more visitors driving on Park Loop Road accelerated deterioration of the roadway and adjacent park areas, which in turn affected the experience of visitors. On a busy August day, more than 5,000 people in 1,500 vehicles—cars, RVs, motor coaches, tour buses—could create traffic jams on the Cadillac Mountain Road. The roads were not designed for the turning radii and space needs of large motor-coach buses. Exhaust combined with worsening regional air quality created hazy conditions on the summit.
Something had to be done to address the traffic and air pollution. In 1999 Friends of Acadia, working with the National Park Service and others, with three million dollars in grants from Maine outdoors outfitter L.L.Bean, launched a fleet of eight propane-fueled buses, the first national park shuttle system outside of Alaska. Hundreds of people seized the chance for a free ride on one of the seven routes around Mount Desert Island, immediately filling the “Island Explorer” buses to capacity.” (page 85)

FYI, it does cost $25 (for a 7 day pass) if you want to access the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park with your own personal vehicle—which is what my husband and I did these last 2 years—but now that we’re aware of the ease of using the “Island Explorer” we may just leave our car parked at the hotel and utilize this free shuttle system.

No joke—nearly everyone you pass is friendly, smiling, and quick to return (or even offer) a greeting. I don’t know if it’s something in that pure nature air but everyone just seems genuinely happy, relaxed, excited! I know for me I feel isolated, in a good way, and become absorbed in this sense of adventure and transformed by a rusticator spirit. I will say that there were times when Eric and I were hiking—say Sargent South Ridge Trail up to Sargent Mt.—that we found ourselves relieved to come across signs of life, as a couple with their lab is coming upon us from the opposite direction, and both parties would chuckle with relief and inform the other that we hadn’t seen people in over an hour and then questions about how much farther to summit or to the bottom it was or how much longer would the steep part last or how much more of the hike was stone steps vs. forest path and then it would progress into where each was hailing from and then well wishes for a safe hike would end the short, but pleasant, interaction.

My husband and I found ourselves wondering where all the people, that are clearly visiting the island, are and yet enjoying the seclusion and lack of crowds. Every day we’d pack a picnic lunch from Downeast Deli and go hike a mountain and find a nice secluded spot to eat lunch and take in the views. My favorite was Gorham Mt. summit sitting directly across from Sandy Beach and Great Head and the distant view of Egg Rock Lighthouse!

Okay, so now for some of my favorite parts from the book and what it had to offer. I’m of course a history buff so naturally I’m eager to learn the history of a place I’ve grown to love so much and this provided that thrill for me! I enjoyed learning about the historic names of places and attractions and which ones have remained and which ones have changed. I also appreciate it informing me of things that I’d like to see for sure in a future visit—that I either hadn’t ever heard of, was unsure of worth my time, or hadn’t gotten to yet. For example, I’m very much anticipating a visit to Somes Sound, Thuya Gardens, The Bowl, and various other peaks (just to name a few) during my next visit, hopefully.

Now for some passages I’d like to share:

“The approach to Mount Desert by sea is magnificent. The island is a mass of mountains crowded together, and seemingly rising from the water. As you draw near, they resolve themselves into thirteen distinct peaks the highest of which is about two thousand feet above the neighboring ocean. It is difficult to conceive of any finer combination of land and water than this view. –Robert Carter, A Summer Cruise On The Coast of New England” (pg 71)

I loved learning that the granite stones lining the roadsides and carriage trails are known as “Rockefeller’s teeth” on page 83: “Large blocks of granite coping stones (“Rockefeller’s teeth”) served as rustic guardrails. Not too curvy, not too straight, the road brought the island’s diverse features in sight.” I think it’s neat how Rockefeller didn’t want to disrupt the rustic beauty of the place and so rather than the park installing rusty guardrails it instead utilized surrounding elements to blend in.

“That same day we passed near an island about four or five leagues in length…It is very high and cleft in places, giving it the appearance from the sea of seven or eight mountains one alongside the other. The tops of most of them are bare of trees, because there is nothing there but rocks. The woods consist only of pines, firs, and birches. I named it l’isle des Monts-déserts.” (Samuel de Champlain 1604) –pg 88

“Those who only visited the island in summer wanted Acadia to remain exactly as it was every summer, preserved in time as it was in their memories, a place away from their workaday lives. Ignorant of the hardships of winter in such a remote and rugged landscape, unfamiliar with the sometimes desperate employment situations of an economically depressed state like Maine, the summer people and the park that served them seemed to think their attachement to Acadia, their sense of place, superseded any connections year-round residents may have had to the landscape.” (page 190)

Now, I don’t know if this was more of a sell on the book or for visiting Acadia for yourselves but I suppose I hope to inspire you to do both!

[Edie S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently visited Acadia National Park and read this book in preparation for the trip. I am so glad I did. It was wonderful to have the historical perspective of the geology, early settlement and development of the area into a National Park. It helped me appreciate the landscape and beauty even more.

[Lois · Rating 3 out of 5]

A how to on land conservation for billionaires. Interesting history of Acadia. The last chapter on Acadia birding and the paragraph about Barbara Patterson (a citizen-scientist who recorded bird migratory patterns for 23 years while meticulously collecting data) was my favorite in the book.

[C.K. Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll start out with this: this book is fantastic. That is definitely in part owing to my own bias toward Acadia. I visit there every summer, and so I am intimately familiar with large swathes of what is being talked about in Schmitt's writing. The book is not lengthy, but it is dense, full of information in such a way that there were entire pages that I highlighted in order to keep track of useful information. For those who want a complete understanding of Acadia from its geology, to its conservation, to its science, to the groups and people who contributed to it (upon which you will learn all the people the places are named after), this is the book to read.

Schmitt's writing is eminently readable, yet packed full of information. She never once lingers too long on a topic, covering it in a way that feels brisk yet full. She takes the process of teaching the history in a topical manner. Instead of working through everything in one go chronologically, she covers each section in its entirety from start to finish, 1604 to present-day, before returning back to the beginning to cover another topic. This means that the topics don't feel overwhelming. Schmitt doesn't communicate Maine's geology, people's recognition of its uniqueness, and how the park got started in one go, rather, each of those topics are elucidated separately. This is a great teaching tool because it limits the scope of content to something more digestible while also giving the reader spaced repetition so as to best learn the content for the long haul.

The structure is only helpful if the content is good. It, of course, is. She begins by writing about Maine's geology, moving onto the flora and fauna. She talks about the native American people's who lived on the island. She spends time talking about how Acadia became a national park, the people who helped make it famous and the heroics of people like George Dorr. She talked about the trails and the various societies that maintained and built them. She talked about the universities that helped contribute to the park and the work of college students that would make Acadia the first national park with an explicit focus on the science of ecology. She makes known people, places, and events that comprise the Acadia we now know. She communicates the work of Rockefeller, the explorer Champlain who first discovered the island, Abbe who took care to document the native American peoples of the island, the paintings of Frederic Edwin Church who captured the beauty of Maine, the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in building and maintaining the trail system which is so dearly loved, the diary of Charles Tracy which records his 1855 visit, and the work of George M. Wright in launching the nation's first wildlife research program. This list barely covers a portion of all that Schmitt writes about in an odd 233-pages.

The following are things which are not quite as well covered: Bar Harbor is not well covered, nor are the plant and animal life. She spends some time talking about avians, but that is about it. Some supplementary material for these areas would be of benefit. Otherwise, from a historical perspective, this book covers it all.

In summary, this is an absolute must read for those who are going to spend more time than a week in Acadia, as the context provided by Schmitt will offer the park visitor a special look into the places which they will be visiting. As a yearly visitor, this is potentially my book-of-the-year.

[Scrabbler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I visited Maine, Mount Desert Island, and Acadia National Park for the first time two weeks ago. As a kayaker, hiker, and mountain biker I was eager to explore this park. I was smitten immediately and searched a bookstore in Bar Harbor for a book that provided a history of MDI and ANP. This is that book. Chapters focus on geology, early settlers and explorers, nature, and the many steps involved in the creation of this magnificent park. After six days of adventures and becoming familiar with the geography, this book helped me to understand this enchanting area. I will return to MDI and ANP and appreciate the geology and history even more.

@CoastCompanion

[Ariel Kalati · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, filled with information, and intriguing enough to keep my attention while learning about the history and geology and debates around this park.

[Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly interesting! The sections on geology were a bit difficult to get through, but much of the book focuses on the origins of conservation efforts, including information on local Native peoples, the foundation of a Trustees organization, and the efforts to have the collected land officially become a national park. Most surprising fact: John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and his family had a significant role in Acadia! I never would have guessed.

I've loved Acadia since I was young and would go there on vacations with my parents. I found this book even more rewarding because I'm familiar with the location, but I would recommend it to anyone interested in the history of National Parks or the National Park Service.