Mt.Katahdin N.P. proposed 1915 Became 1st Maine State geologost u.of llaine professor (189/7-0 Brother of George Pertzins Merrill. 18 Bangor Historical Society Dates: 1857-1935 the present location was the only one available for the pur- pose. The case, of oak and plate glass, with certain fittings, etc., cost us about $150, the balance, $50, being made up by individual subscriptions from our members. Col. Pullen, to whose zeal and practical helpfulness we are all w KTAADN deeply indebted, gave here his last service to the Society. Mr. E. M. Blanding was appointed as his successor, and has P.24 PROFESSOR LUCIUS H. MERRILE been particularly active in securing the necessary subscriptions. Delivered at the Quarterly Meeting, April 6th, 1915 The only part of the cabinet work now behind hand is the labeling of a part of the contents of the new case on the lower floor. As soon as all departments of the work are up to date It may be asserted that every state in the Union possesses the Society should make an annual appropriation for the repair, some natural attraction more or less peculiar to itself. Our own restoration and binding of such of its collections as require State is no exception to this rule. The beauties of our rugged attention. coast bring us thousands of visitors each year, while our The one need of today is the installation of two or three forests, lakes, and streams are never-failing attractions. But electric lights in the ceiling of the new case. Maine possesses another attraction, more distinctive still, Respectfully submitted, well-known, indeed, to the lumberman and hunter of central Maine, but practically unknown to the greater mass of our (1506-1927) CHARLES A. FLAGG. Bangor, Jan. 4, 1916. citizens and therefore scantily appreciated-our one great mountain, Ktaadn. re- Ktaadn's chief claim upon our attention is not its altitude, which is over one thousand feet Tess than that of Mount Wash- 1915-1466 Frank Huenney, the ington. It consists rather in its isolation, its abrupt slopes, the sharpness of its curved crest, its remarkable basins, its slides and the magnificent views to be had from its summit of Hm. import lakes, rivers, and wooded plains to the south, and the rugged hills to the north and west. The mountain IS not, as sometimes pictured, a single peak, intro. bill of n.m. although it may appear as such when viewed from certain congress must Hataldian had standpoints. On the contrary, it consists of a huge mass of granite, some ten miles in length from north to south, and pre- that the development seem Greets 3 senting no less than five named summits and several lesser peaks. The configuration of the mountain is peculiar and difficult to describe without a diagram. The ridge or crest, which may be considered as the backbone of the mountain, is a doubly crescentic, its outline suggesting a written capital E, the two concavities opening to the north and east. These enclosures are known as the North and South Basins, the latter statements coupons, being by far the larger and more impressive. The First and Second North Peaks mark the western boun- Dover. of haway, tree-la 20 Bangor Historical Society dary of the North Basin. They are several hundred feet lower than the more southern summits and require no special mention. The highest point, known as West Peak, lies about midway of the curved crest surrounding the South Basin. The first ascent of the mountain of which we have record was made in 1804, and the elevation of this peak was then estimated at not less than 10,000 feet. In 1820, during the investigations incident to the settlement of the northwestern boundary dispute, Loring and Odell, representing respectively the United States and Great Britain, from a series of barometrical observations calcula- ted the height as 4685 feet above the waters of the West Branch of the Penobscot at the mouth of the Aboljackarmegus, which latter level they estimated at 650 feet. This would give a total elevation of 5335 feet. In 1873 and again in 1874 Dr. M. C. Fernald carried a mercury barometer to the summit and by comparative readings computed the elevation at 5216 feet. Dr. Fernald afterward made two more determinations of the height of the mountain, concerning which he has recently written: "I find two determinations made later with the Repsold vertical circle which I regard as more nearly accurate than those given by the barometrical observations. The first was made in November, 1878, with Orono, Houlton and Katahdin the three points involved in the triangulation, and Orono the station at which the readings of angular altitude were obtained. The second was made in October, 1884, with Lincoln, Orono, and Katahdin the three points in the spherical triangle, and Lincoln the station at which the angular altitude of the summit of the mountain was secured. "The observations of 1878 reduced, gave the height of the mountain at the base of the monument 5248 feet, and the observation of 1884 reduced, gave the altitude 5272 feet. Re- garding the observations as of equal weight and averaging the figures, we have 5260 feet as the result of these two sets of ob- servations. From later determinations made by other parties and by other methods, I am satisfied that this result is very nearly accurate." More recently, a party under the direction of Professor H. S. Boardman, by a triangulation and traverse survey, estimated Ktaadn 21 the height at 5273 feet. It will be seen that Professor Board- man's figures differ from the average of Dr. Fernald's later work by only thirteen feet, a fact that would indicate that the latter's conclusion as to accuracy is amply justified. It is interesting to note that Dr. Fernald's latest figures and those of Professor Boardman differ by a single foot and lack but seven or eight feet of a mile, By mounting one of the three stone heaps or "monuments" which mark the summit, the ambitious visitor can boast that he stands a good mile above sea level and that the whole population of Maine is below him. About one-third of a mile to the east of the highest summit is East Peak, eighteen feet lower than the first. The elevation of these two points is SO nearly the same that the unaided delusion, the point on which the observer stands always is unable to decide which is the higher. By a curious optical eye the lower. Still farther to the east, forming the southeastern seems tremity of the mountain crest, is Pamola. Perhaps the wildest ex- part of the mountain lies between these two latter summits. Geography and Geology of Ktaadn," says that this particular Professor C. E. Hamlin, in his "Observations upon the Physical section presents "a savage and chaotic desolation that is probab- ly without is parallel in Eastern North America." Between East Peak and Pamola occur a number of minor elevations rising abruptly from the crost and termed the Chimneys. The crest floor here is narrow, on one side falling off precipitously to the of the Basin, 2000 feet below. So narrow is the ridge and SO abrupt the descent on either hand that one unaccustomed to climbing might well feel a little timidity in its although under ordinary conditions it could hardly passage, be con- sidered dangerous. From the West Peak the mountain drops off slightly to what is termed the Tableland, a nearly plane surface inclining gently to the northwest and covered with angular fragments of the red granite of which the upper half of the mountain is com- posed. This tableland is estimated to cover five hundred or nearly a square mile. Between the North and South Basins acres, of there is a depression called the Saddle. From the lowest this depression the descent into the South Basin can part be readily accomplished, the trail for much of the distance follow- 22 Bangor Historical Society ing a ravine which at certain seasons is said to be the bed of a torrent. For the latter purpose it may serve very well, but for a highway it is capable of improvement. If one is camping in the Basin, this same ravine furnishes the most con- venient route to the summit. The South Basin is the most striking feature of Ktaadn. In shape it is like a horseshoe, its opening being to the north and east. From its floor, strewn with masses of granite which have been loosened by the frost and have fallen from the cliffs, the mountain rises almost perpendicularly to the main summits, 2300 feet above. Near the center of the Basin is Basin Pond, a shallow body of water, fed during the summer by almost daily contributions of rain or melting snow. Its clear waters are as cold as those of an arctic sea, a fact that may account for the absence of visible life of any kind. In winter the snow is said to accumulate here to a depth of eighteen or twenty feet. Many years ago the Appalachian Club constructed a very comfortable camp in the Basin, but it has long since disappeared, either by fire or the slower process of decay. It is a fascinating spot in which to camp. It is true the darkness comes early, owing to the height of the western barrier, but the dawn is also early, and the crest, when first tinged by the morning sun, is worth going far to see. Good water, so often lacking in camp, is abundant, while blueberries and highbush cranberries are to be had in unfailing quantity. The drawbacks are the frequent showers, the constantly shifting winds, and the cool nights. One of the charms of camp life is cheerful evening fire. Here in the Basin it is impossible to escape the smoke which pursues and finds you out, however caref lly you may select your seat. The chill is due to the altitude and the short daily exposure to sunlight. Frosts are not unusual here in August and even the day temperature may at time suggest to the visitor that he is in a sort of natural refrigerator. The so-called "slides" of Ktaadn mark the paths of avalanches and are visible from the south for many miles. The East Slide starts from the east spur of Pamola and extends half a mile down the slope, with an average inclination of about thirty degrees. It is said to date from 1825. The Southwest Slide was formed in the spring of 1816, the rocky debris that covered Ktaadn 23 the mountain having been loosened by frost and heavy rains. Beginning half a mile below the brow of the Tableland, the avalanche swept down the mountain side, carrying everything before it and cutting a wide swath through the forest below. Its path is nearly four miles in length and in places two hundred feet across. Through this rent in Ktaadn's mantle one can see what lies below: granite, always granite, gray on the lower slopes and red above. Owing to the scantiness of the remaining soil, the vegetation thus removed has been slow in reasserting itself, although it is gradually creeping up from the base. Throughout its length this huge scar is strewn with rock frag- ments of every size, up to that of a fair sized house. While the pavement is irregular and the footing uneven, yet the absence of the dwarfed and almost impenetrable growth that characterizes the upper margin of the timber makes this a con- venient route to the summit for those who approach by way of the West Branch. IIe who goes to Ktaadn should make provision against bad weather, since he is almost sure to encounter it. Nearly every published account of an ascent includes mention of rain, Jack- son, Hitchcock, Thoreau, and Winthrop all sharing in this experience. Some fifteen years ago a party of botanists spent ten days on and about the mountain and they record that it rained on every day but one. If the day seens to have passed without the usual visitation, one may confidently look for at least il shower at night. In fact, Ktaadn manufactures its own weather and in doing SO displays a marked predilection for showers. Twice it has been the writer's good fortune to be on the surimit on a perfect day, without a breath of wind and with no clouds visible except those immediately over the mountain. On these days the cloud factory was found to be in full opera- tion. A thin wisp of vapor could be seen stealing up the side of the mountain, thickening as it rose, and finally adding itself to the overhanging canopy. In the meantime another new- born cloud could be detected creeping stealthily up from Note. In the picture on the opposite page showing the East and West Peaks of Ktaadn, the West Peak, or highest point, is shown upon the right and is marked by stone heaps or monuments. 24 Bangor Historical Society Ktaadn 25 another direction. And so the process went on, the operation impossible to penetrate it if it were not for an occasional path, being a continuous one. Apparently this is Ktaadn's way of said to be due to the passage of caribou. Whether these animals shielding his royal head from the too ardent rays of the summer actually make these tracks I cannot say, but no other explana- sun. tion of their existence seems to be forthcoming. It is certain This process of cloud making is easily explained. The lower that they make use of them for I have several times picked up slopes, exposed to the bright sun, become heated, and the warmth their discarded horns in these paths. The trees are so unusual is communicated to the air, which expands and rises. At a in appearance and are so well described by Thoreau in his greater altitude the air is cooled and condensation to clouds, "Maine Woods," that a brief quotation requires no apology. and in many cases rain, naturally follows. When one camps in He says, "I scrambled on all fours over the tops of ancient the Basin he encounters all sorts of home-brewed weather, black spruce trees, old as the flood, from two to ten or twelve sometimes half a dozen distinct brands in a single day. fect in height, their tops flat and spreading, and their foliage This little, shut-in part of the earth seems to be complete in blue and nipt with the cold, as if for centuries they had ceased itself, and the meteorological conditions that prevail in the growing upward against the bleaksky, the solid cold. I walked outside world affect it but little. The dampness of the moun- some good rods erect upon the tops of these trees, which were tain has a marked effect upon the vegetation, since flowers overgrown with moss and mountain cranberries. It seemed flourish in the crevices between the rocks in the scantiest of that in the course of time they had filled up the intervals be- soils, where two consecutive days of drought would prove fatal. tween the huge rocks, and the cold winds had uniformly leveled When near the summit of the North Peak with a friend, it all over. Here was the principle of vegetation hard put to it." was once my good fortune to encounter a thunder storm which "Old as the flood" is a slight exaggeration, yet it is true that proved an interesting and almost terrifying experience. Ac- these trees are much older than their size would indicate. On companying each of the flashes-which seemed to come with one occasion one of our party laboriously hewed down a small quite unnecessary frequency-there was a single sharp, ear- tree about six feet in height and four inches in diameter at the splitting crack, the flash and report being simultaneous. For base. A section of the trunk was brought away and later cut some reason there was no roll or reverberation, dead silence and smoothed SO as to bring out more clearly the lines of annual ensuing until the next flash. Probably the danger was no growth. On close examination these lines were found to greater than elsewhere; but it was difficult to rid the mind of crowd each other so closely that an exact count was impossible. the impression that each bolt found its mark and that the rash By the use of a magnifying glass no less than one hundred and intruder into these upper realms was likely to prove the chosen forty-three rings were distinguished, thus proving that the target. tree at the time of cutting was nearly a century and a half old. The flora of Ktaadn is varied and interesting and one need In other words, it was a sturdy, though doubtless lowly not be a botanist to see that it is out of the ordinary. The sapling, when John Hancock affixed his signature to the Declara- lower slopes are densely wooded-or were until man elected tion of Independence. otherwise. Farther up, the trees assume a dwarfed aspect and Many of the plants found on the mountain are peculiar to the climber suddenly emerges into the open where the eye these altitudes or to cold and exposed situations. Here are sweeps over and across the tops of the trees. Here the growth several species of Lycopodium or clubmoss not found elsewhere is largely of black spruce and fir, often so stunted and abnormal in the State. The little mountain sandwort, Arenaria Groen- in aspect that the species is not readily determined. In the landica, is abundant. So, too, is the mountain cranberry, depression known as the Saddle there are dense thickets of this Vaccinium Vitis-Idaea, the berries of which are bitter when description, SO scraggly and unyielding that it would be almost raw, but cook to a most delicious sauce, serving admirably to 26 Bangor Historical Society relieve the monotony of camp fare. A dwarf birch, Betula glandulosa, with round leaves the size of a penny, a vine rather than a tree, runs around among the rocks as though seeking shelter, as indeed it probably does. A species of saxifrage occurs on the mountain that is not found elsewhere in Maine, although found in Labrador and Greenland. The arctic or alpine character extends to the minutest forms of plant life. At the request of a friend interested in diatoms, I once collected from the shallow water of a small lake near the entrance to the South Basin a minute amount of the slimy cover- ing of a submerged boulder, to the untrained eye as devoid of life as the boulder itself. From this small gathering, less than half a thimbleful, my friend separated and identified the siliceous valves of no less than seventy-six species of diatoms, a number of which were distinctly alpine. The basins of Ktaadn naturally suggest volcanic craters, and there are those who seriously entertain the proposition that the mountain is an extinct volcano. Beyond the outward configuration there is nothing to support such a theory, while evidence of a contrary nature is full and conclusive. Nowhere in the vicinity is there anything in the nature of the volcanic ejectamenta of which volcanic cones are built up, neither lava nor eruptive fragmental matters. The mountain consists entirely of granite, a rock formed under conditions that are quite foreign to surface cruptions. If the geologist were asked to indicate that place in Maine where the earth's crust was most likely to yield to the pressure of subterranean forces, he would probably name this locality among the last. Of the geological history of the mountain we know very little. We do not know the source of the enormous force that pushed the semi-fluid mass up through the older rocks, or the conditions under which the pasty magma consolidated. No one has ever seen, no one can ever see, a granite in the process of formation. The stone bears internal evidence that it crystallized under immense pressure and at great depth. The mountain owes its present prominence not to any great upheaval, but to the erosion of the softer overlying and surrounding rocks, and the consequent exposure of the harder and more resistant core. Ktaadn, however, furnishes valuable testimony which bears Ktaadn 27 upon the Glacial Period. Geologists tell us that the whole of New England as well as the country to the north was once covered by an immense ice sheet, thousands of fect in thickness and thousands of square miles in extent. This great mass moved south with irresistible force, eroding, scoring, and polishing the underlying rocks, carrying away the soil and de- tached masses, filling up the old drainage channels and other- wise greatly modifying the topography. The thickness of this ice sheet has long been a disputed point among geologists, but it is believed that the conditions then must have been very similar to those prevailing in Greenland today. In Greenland the ice sheet is not continuous, since the tops of the higher mountains protrude through the ice. Did the summit of Ktaadn escape, or was that also submerged? This question has been ably discussed by Professor Tarr of Cornell. On the surface of our more resistant rocks, and es- pecially where the rocks have been protected by an overload of earth, we often find the unmistakable evidences of glacial action. The upturned edges of the shales, the prevailing rocks of this vicinity, frequently retain these markings, even after long exposure to the weather. But granite, although a harder rock than shale, undergoes a comparatively rapid disintegration, especially when exposed as on the upper half of Ktaadn. It is not surprising, therefore, that this mountain retains no mark- ings of this nature. It does, however, give us other information bearing on this point. In ascending the mountain by the Southwest Slide, one finds in the debris of which the lower portion of the slide is composed a great many fragments of rocks of a nature differing radically from that of the mountain itself. As he goes higher he finds the transported masses becoming less and less frequent and as he approaches the summit it is only by careful scarch that such foreign matter can be detected. Professor Tarr claims that he has found drift boulders upon the very summit, a dis- Note. The map shown on the opposite page is reproduced from a paper by Professor C. E. Hamlin on "The Physical Geography and Geology of Mount Ktaadn." (Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College, Vol. VII, No. V). The area included is about ten miles from north to south and seven miles in width. The points of compass are indicated by the names of the prominent features. 28 Bangor Historical Society Ktaadn 29 covery that in his opinion sufficiently proves that the ice of the only by the phonetic theory. Evidently the Indians laid great Glacial Period passed entirely over the mountain. stress on what we may term the second syllable of the name and There are many routes by which one may reach and ascend very little upon the first and last. The following authorities Ktaadn. I have approached the mountain a number of times may be quoted among those who used this spelling: by way of Sherman Mills and have a lively recollection of the. Henry D. Thorcau in the "Maine Woods;" John Springer roughness of the road and the chill of the Wissataquoik waters. in "Forest Life and Forest Trees;" Professor Ralph S. Tarr of An easier and better route is by the West Branch. Leaving the Cornell, in a "Bulletin of the Geological Society of America;" train at Norcross, the visitor may take the small steamer through Professor C. E. Hamlin of Harvard College, in a paper on the North Twin, Pemadumcook, and Ambejijis Lakes. From the "Geology of Mount Ktaadn;" William Willis and Judge C. head of the latter lake one may proceed by the aid of a guide and Potter, both considered high authorities in the Abnaki dialects: canoe up the West Branch to the mouth of the Aboljackamegus J. Hammond Trumbull of Hartford, who has been termed Stream, from which point a blazed trail leads to the foot of the "the most eminent living authority on Indian dialects;" Dr. Southwest Slide. Each route has its advantages, but the latter T. Jackson, our first State Geologist; Moses Greanleaf, in affords many fine views that one does not get by the eastern his map of Maine, 1829. In his "Survey of the State of Maine," approaches. On the other hand, it requires the services of a Greenleaf adopts the second spelling and seeks to justify the guide to pilot one through the deadwaters and to assist at the change by the statement that while the Indian pronunciation numerous carries. "would probably be better expressed by the letters Ktaadn, The name of the mountain has suffered at the hands of all in one syllable with the sound of a as in father, yet the first writers and map-makers. Ktaadn, Katahdin, Ktardn, and "is next to impossible for organs accustomed only to English." Cathardin, have all been noted by the writer. Only the first The longer spelling has now become SO general that it is to be two are in use today and the second appears to meet with more feared that the Ephraimites will prevail, if for no better reason general favor. Nevertheless, there is SO much to be said in than that they "cannot frame to pronounce it right." favor of the first that it has been used in this paper. The We have in Ktaadn a great natural asset which has never word is from the Abnaki tongue and is said to signify "highest met the appreciation which it deserves. Some years ago the land." As the Indians had no written language, the spelling Hon. Mr. Guernsey introduced a bill into Congress one purpose of their place-names is that of the early explorers, who, it may of which was to include this mountain in a national forest re- be assumed, chose a combination of letters which represented serve. Unhappily this end has not yet been accomplished. as nearly as possible the name as it sounded to them. In other That it will come some day cannot be doubted; but it should words, they spelled phonetically. Undoubtedly much of the come before the axe of the lumberman and the fires which too confusion which we find in the spelling of Indian words is due frequently follow the axe shall have completed their work of to the fact that some of the early explorers were English, some devastation. Maine is called the "Pinc Tree State;" but how French, and some Dutch. In spelling phonetically, we can many of us have ever seen a fully matured white pine, the glory readily understand how an Englishman might adopt a spelling of the forest primeval, the "pumpkin pine" of the lumberman? differing from that used by a Frenchman, since the letters in I have never seen it. 1 do not expect that my children or my their languages often have different values. children's children will ever see it. It docs not take long to In looking up the scanty literature pertaining to the moun- erect memorials in stone and bronze; but to restore a forest is tain, it is noticeable that a large proportion of the earlier writers the work of generations. We can construct half a dozen Panama used the spelling Ktaadn. Now this is an unusual sequence of Canals while a white pine is growing. letters in any of the languages named and we can explain it If Congress cannot be induced to act, why should not our 1 30 Bangor Historical Society Legislature take action and create a state reservation? The proposition has been widely discussed and the women's clubs have done noble work in bringing the subject before the public. But we must not stop here. The matter should never be MOUNT KATAHDIN AS A NATIONAL PARK allowed to rest until it receives the attention which it deserves. Nature has been generous to us; let us show ourselves worthy HON. FRANK E. GUERNSEY, M. C. of this great gift. Delivered at the Quarterly Meeting, April 6th, 1915 When your genial secretary, Mr. Blanding, invited me to attend this meeting of your society and hear Prof. Merrill of the Uni- versity of Maine speak on Mt. Katahdin, I gladly accepted, as I have taken great interest in Maine's greatest mountain and the region thereabout, which I hope and believe will eventually be taken over by the federal government for forest reserve and national park purposes, in accordance with a measure I have before Congress to that end I have been deeply interested in what Prof. Merrill has stated here today about Mt. Katahdin and its surroundings, the wonderful scenery of the region, its forest, innumerable lakes and streams. Owing to Prof. Merrill's many ascents of the mountain and explorations in its vicinity, his statements have added interest and value, and they confirm all I have heard about that section of our state. The professor is performing important work in presenting the information he has gathered to the public, which is already awake to the necessity of govern- ment protection of the remnant of our forest and the opening and preservation of a national breathing place. Combine the forest reserve and national park ideas, and a double purpose will be accomplished. Maine's future depends upon its almost innumerable water powers, which may be converted into electricity to move machinery and do the manufacturing of the nation for all time. The continued value of the water power will depend upon the maintenance of the flow of our streams; preservation of our forests is absolutely necessary to *On the 17th day of April, 1916, Hon. Frank E. Guernsey, Member of Congress from the Fourth District of Maine, reintroduced in the 64th Congress the bill which was in the previous Congress for the establish- ment of a Mount Katahdin National Park. PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE Bangor Historical Society LIBRARIES DEPARTMENT CHEMISTRY 1914-1915 LAMAINE 1865 State of Maine Collection RAYMOND H. FOGLER LIBRARY GIFT OF James Gannett BANGOR, MAINE 1916 Ag 8/1:64-xak A MOUNT MAINE KATAHDIN NATIONAL PARK 1/19/12 5081 FOR THE EAST IN EASTERN FOREST RESERVES WESTERN NATIONAL PARKS SPEECH 02 HON. FRANK E. GUERNSEY 1916 mails OF MAINE July 8 Il Steeir IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Namura APRIL 13, 1916 41115-15015 WASHINGTON 1316 y 169885 SPEECH OF HON. FRANK E. GUERNSEY. The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union had under consideration the bill (H. R. 12717) making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1917. Mr. GUERNSEY. Mr. Chairman, I am interested In the agrl- cultural subjects which are dealt with by this bill, as I repre- sent a very large agricultural district. One county in my dis- trict probably raises more Irish potatoes than any other county in the United States. But this bill deals with other subjects besides agriculture. It deals with forestry subjects; and in that connection I wish to call the attention of the House to some phases of the legislation now pending. 1911 In 1911 the Congress of the United States committed the Federal Government to a wise polley-th of establishing na- tional forest reserves in the East. The policy was Inaugurated after years of effort, and was upheld by a powerful public sentiment among the great population of the Eastern States. So important was it that means should be taken to preserve and increase the remnant of the once vast forests of the Atlan- tlc seaboard in order to continue and maintain the flow of the rivers that industry dependent upon them should not cease and public health should not suffer, that It was not belleved that the policy once adopted would ever be abandoned by Congress. Nevertheless, I have examined the provisions of the appropria- tion bill now pending before the House in vain for provisions to continue the acquisition of forest-reserve lands In the Eastern States although the bill provides many millions of dollars for forest reserves and national forests in the West and even in far-away Alaska, far from the great eastern centers of popu- latlon that contribute through taxation toward the millions herein appropriated for western purposes. 41115-15045 3 3 4 5 I do not question the wisdom of a dollar of the large sums In the western part of the State of Maine, on the watershed set inside for these western forest lands. The expenditures, in of the Androscogyin, something over 81,000 acres had been desig- my opinion, are fully justified. This is a great country, with a nated for examination by the National Forest Reservation Com- future that 110 man can foretell, but I do most emphatically mission. question the desertion of eastern forest projects, which by the THREE MILLION UNUSED. report of the National Forest Reservation Commission up to the Failure of Congress to provide money to continue these na- close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1915, represent 1,030,466 tional undertakings In the East can hardly be excused on the acres that had been approved for purchase and surveys com- ground of other pressing national demands, as Congress nt least pleted. Of this amount 770,692 acres had been fully examined should make available by reappropriation the $3,000,000 in the as to title, and title to 348,275 acres had been acquired by Treasury which were set nside for this work, but which has the United States. All lands up to June 30, 1915, that had never been drawn. for this reason: Under the act of Congress been approved for purchase including those that had been ac- of March 1, 1911, $1,000,000 were set aside for enstern forest quired, amounted to 1.317.551 neres reserves for the fiscal year that began June 30, 1910, and Obviously, large sums expended in examination of surveys $2.000,000 for the fiscal year 1911, but those years passed before and title examination will be lost to the Government by the the commission was ready to call upon the Treasury for the abandonment of these projects now. The expenditure of the money, owing to the careful and conservative manner in which Government for surveys, appraisals, and title examinations up the commission was proceeding In acquiring lands. As n result to June 30, 1915, amounted to $743,112.60, or 56 cents per the $3,000,000 reverted to the Trensury. acre In addition to the cost of the preliminary steps, $6.883,- The refusal of Congress to make available this money that 901.30 had been spent in payment of lands. This was at the had been previously appropriated amounts to a repudiation of average cost of $5.22 per acre, governmental obligations that Congress entered Into with the Briefly 1 will call attention to the location of the eastern people in 1911. forest-reserve lands purchased or contemplated for purchase. I want to say here that I have every reason to believe that In the State of Georgia 96,977 acres had been approved for pur- the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, chase up to June 30, 1915, and of 35,174 acres the title had been as well as many of the members of that committee, believe acquired. that Congress is in honor bound to keep those obligations, and In the State of North Carolina 269,883 acres had been ap- are not in any way In sympathy with the discontinuance of proved for purchase and 69,507 acres acquired. Government eastern forestry undertakings. In the State of South Carolina 23,064 acres had been approved EARLIER FOLLY. but none acquired. The people in the Enstern States, which is the older settled In the State of Tennessee 267,843 acres had been approved part of the United States, have been taught by hard experience and 72.930 acres acquired. what the destruction of our forests mean, and to-day they In the State of Virginia 294,540 acres had been approved and look back in amazement and in deep regret upon the short- 46,409 acres acquired. sighted folly of the earller authorities of those States who In the State of West Virginia 1,317,551 acres had been ap- disposed of State holdings in immensely valuable virgin tim- proved and 348,275 acres acquired. berlands to the speculators of the earlier days at prices as low In the State of New Hampshire 256.467 acres had been ap- as a shilling an ncre and, in soine instances, at even a lower proved for purchase and 106,112 acres acquired. 41115-15645 41115-15645 4 6 figure. The authorities in those days seemed to consider it a undertakings of the Government, every dollar invested In east- wise policy to get rid of the "woods" as fast as possible. ern forest lands will increase in value and be returned to the The only justification that I have heard advanced for the Treasury, all in addition to the chief purposes of the under- discontinuance of the eastern forest policy, inaugurated in 1911, taking, and, what is more, the States In which these lands are is that It comes within the administration's order to cut all acquired will not in the end lose through belng deprived of expenditures; but Is this the place In which to make a cut? I taxable property, for the reason that under the Weeks law they believe not. Millions are being appropriated by this House receive 35 per cent of the net income derived from the lands. weekly for objects that begin to disappear from the start. The wisdom of the policy can not be questioned. Forest-reserve purchases begin to increase from the start. EUROPEAN NATIONS. Ten years ago, when the agitation was first started, lands European nations have long protected their forests by regu- could have been acquired at from one-third to one-half what lating the cut and by other methods conserve timber growth they can be purchased for to-day. The lands that have been in the Interest of their people. Not only have they conserved acquired would cost more to-day and still more to-morrow. their forest lands, but they have gone to greut expense in re- Timberland values are increasing in this country constantly, foresting large areas. nnd will continue to increase as the forests are reduced by the Every country and every nation that has failed to care and saw and the ax in responding to the ever-increasing demands maintain its forests has been impoverished through such fall- upon them ure. The millions of Europe, after centuries of experience, The chief justification for the passage of the $40,000,000 recognize the Importance of protecting the forests as a method river and harbor bill by this House within a few days was of regulating stream flow, and on the regulation of stream flow that it took care of projects that are under way. The eastern the value of our water powers is dependent. Each passing forest-reserve lands are projects that are under way. Evi- year will find us more and more dependent upon water power. dences of that fact are found in the report of the National Each year we are reducing our avallable supply of fuel found Forest Reservation Commission, 1915, House Document No. 130, within this old earth. Sixty-fourth Congress, first session. We are encroaching on the stores of coal and exhausting the The commission states in this report that from two to three reservoirs of oll, bringing us nearer to the day when we shull times the amount of forest lands already approved for pur- have to look to water power for heat as well as lighting and chase should be acquired before the undertaking is complete. propelling force. They place the maximum amount to be acquired In the eastern If this Congress passes into history with a record of having forest reserves at a little under 4,000,000 acres, while the abandoned the policy of acquiring national forest reserve lands amount approved for purchase to dute Is a little over 1,300,000 in the East out of the fast-disappearing remnant of such lands, aeres, and their judgment is borne out by hundreds of men with it should and will bring down upon it the everlasting condemna- expert knowledge of the situation backed up by the opinion of tion of the generations yet to come. those Interested in the movement that brought the matter be- I will insert at this point in my remarks an extract from the fore Congress. annual report of the National Forest Reservation Commission RETURN TO THE TREASURY. The creation of eastern forest reserves is not a new matter. for 1915, above referred to, as follows: The demand for them started more than 10 years ago and the The wisdom of the Government's acquiring and administering ex- tensive bodies of forest land at the headwaters of the great navigable movement has been on the increase since. Unilike some other rivers has become entirely clear. Far-reaching good will result in sufe- 41115-15645 41115-15640 5 8 9 sheds guarding the streams from erratic flow and in protecting the from destructive erosion, to which they are subject when water- ber 152 and include vast arens. They are administered in the which cleared. A basis will be afforded for permanent Industries in unwisely ing otherwise are in danger of ceasing to be productive and of regions becom- public interest. The merchantable trees are cut according to a mennce to the navigable rivers and to the communities situated scientific foresters. The smaller trees are conserved and allowed upon them. The and appropriations which were made have been sufficient to start the to grow until of proper size before being cut, and the forests are work make very substantial progress. Through the care thereby perpetuated. in istration making purchases the lands acquired are SO well situated for exercised admin- NATIONAL PARKS. point. good would be accomplished. But the program should not stop at and use that even should appropriations cease considerable In addition to the national forests of the West, the Federal It should go further However, the commission does not this Government has set nside for the preservation of natural scenery, upon the program as requiring expenditures through a long period look of time, but rather through only a limited number of years. as well as conservation, great sections of wild country as national this commission that the work can best be done under of Renewing its recommendation of the last year, it Is the judgment parks. I will mention them in the order of their erection. able covering periods of five years each, the appropriations becoming appropriations In 1832 In Arkansas a national park was established which in- annually and remaining available until expended, as is now avail. the cluded 46 hot springs, covering an area of 1} square miles. this case. Experience has shown that it is Impracticable to attempt to is work under appropriations which expire with the fisent do It In 1872 the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, the through force periods of not less than five years. When the work was also of the utmost importance that appropriations be continued year. greatest of all our national parks, was established, and contains a of timber cruisers title examiners, and surveyors had begun 3,348 square miles, and it is said to contain more geysers than assembled and trained, a task which required two years. It would to be all the rest of the world together. Petrified forests, the Graud most In tbe unbusinesslike to have to disband this force on account of be appropriations. If purchases were suspended, It would a gap Canyon of the Yellewstone, lakes and streams, and n vast wilder- require much time and expense to build up a new force and get also way the again the negotiations that would have to be.broken off. under ness, which forms r. retrent for the wild life of the country, cruises and examinations which have been made and which Many had of which swarms with elk, moose, deer, antelopes, and bison, as well resulted touch in purchases would have to be made over again and the intimate not with the land situation which is now enabling purchases to as birds and fowls of the air. In this place of safety for wild forward desirable smoothly would be lost, From every point of view it is highly go life all live together in harmony with nature and with man with- It that appropriations continue without a break. the basis is again of emphasized that the Congress establish this project out fear of being disturbed or injured, demonstrating that wild an appropriation of $11,000,000. One million dollars upon animal life is dangerous only when pursued by man as game or priated for the year 1010 never became available at all. Instead appro- of year 1911, which would have been unbusinesslike and would have hastening into purchases in order to utilize the appropriation for the an enemy. In 1890 the national park of the Yosemite in California came suited tive In loss to the Government, the commission adopted the conserva- re- polley of making purchases only after full information had been into existeuce, and it includes the reniarkable Yosemite Valley, secured By in regard to each tract and reasonable prices had been obtained. which is described us a crack in granite mountains 7 miles long the so doing it established the work upon a sound basis, but nearly all $2,000.00 appropriated for the year 1911 reverted to the Treasury. and less than a mile wide. Some of its snow-topped mountains priated. These appropriations which were not utilized ought to be reappro- rise to a height of 21 miles. In the judgment of the members of the commission, the work should In 1890 the Sequola National Park was erected, and contains be carried forward in a steady, systematic way. Since the existing 237 square miles, and it also contains the greatest trees in the action appropriations reased with the fiscal year 1915, it is recommended that be taken by the Congress during the present session to world, thousands of years old, many of them reaching to n height 1917 the appropriations at th rate if $2,000,000 per year from the fiscal continue of nearly 300 feet. Delations available until expended. to the fiscal year 1921, inclusive, and that it make all the appro- year The same year the General Grant National Park, in the State In the discussion of forest reserves for the East I have made of California, was established. It contains 4 square miles, but, some reference to the national forests of the West. They num- with the park previously mentioned, is said to contain 12,300 41115-15045 monster trees more than 10 feet in diameter. 41115--15645 6 10 11 In 1892 the Casa Grande Ruin of Arizona, containing pre- historic Indian ruins, was set aside as a national park. a national forest reserve in the Mount Katahdin region in the Next there came into existence, In 1899, in the State of Wash- State of Maine, to protect the stream flow of two of Maine's ington, Mount Rainier Park, with an area of 324 square miles. greatest rivers-the Kennebec and Penobscot-and in turn In 1902 Crater Lake National Park, In southwestern Oregon, maintain great water powers, developed and undeveloped, containing 245 square mlles, was set which, If fully harnessed, would turn all the machinery of all In 1903 and aside. parks the New England States; and out of the forest reserve acquired 1904, in South and North Dakota, two were set inside, called Wind Cave and Sullys Hill, respectively. by the Federal Government that there be created a Mount In 1906 Mesa Verde Park, In Colorado, containing 77 square Katahdin national park, as within this region there prises miles, was established by the Federal Government. Maine's greatest and most majestic mountain, standing by itself In 1906, in Southern Oklahoma, the Platt National Park was in a wonderfully wild country, presenting the most striking brought into existence, and In 1910 the great Glacier Park, of scenic features of the East, the great Maine forest stretching Montana. containing 1,534 square miles, with more than 250 away on every side as far as the eye can see, broken only by glacler-fed lakes, was set aside, numberless enchanting lakes which feed swift-moving streams. The latest park to be created in the West was in 1915, when It is in such a region that Mount Katahdin rears its towering the Rocky Mountain Park, in Colorado, containing 358 square peaks more than 5,000 feet. Around Its northerly base flows the miles, was established by Congress. Penobscot River on its way to the sea, and to the southwest of These grent parks and forest reserves, lying west of the Mis- the mountain lies the largest lake In New England, Moosehead, sissippi River, are serving now, as they will continue to serve, the source of the Kennebec. In the region of Mount Katahdin there lies the greatest purposes SO useful that none will question their continuance SO long as this Government stands; but their very number and the natural fish and game preserve in North America east of the importance attached to them by our Government and the people Mississippi. This remarkable region is within easy access to as a whole adds emphasis to conditions that exist in that sec- the people of enstern United States. It naa not contain cura- tion of our country that lies east of the MississippI River and tive hot springs, but It has a life-giving atmosphere that has within the bounds of which live two-thirds of the population of long acted as a magnet to the health and pleasure-seeking the Republic. a condition as to population that will always pre- people of the Nation. It may not equal the Yellowstone in vall. geysers, canyons, and petrified forests, but It has fascinating The Atlantic seaboard will always be the niost populous, as streams, deep gorges, and the fir and the pine. It may not pos- the commerce of the world will continue for all time on the sess the world-famed beauty features of the Yosemite, but there Atlantie are those who contend that It possesses features equally as East of the Mississippi River there Is not a single national attractive. park that the millions in the Eastern States can visit and The importance of Congress taking steps to save the Mount enjoy--a condtion that ought not to be continued. and one that Katuhdin region to the people of the United States can not Congress can remedy. be overstated. Once this forest is removed, an asset of great national value will be gone, probably for all time. THE MOUNT KATAHDIN REGION. A MOUNT KATAIIDIN NATIONAL PARK. In a bill that I presented in the last Congress, and will reintro. duce in this. it is proposed that legislation be enacted to create The Mount Ketahdin region as a national park would pro- 41115-15045 vide a retreat for the wild life of the eastern section of our country, and would insure a place of safety where animal and 41115--15645 12 13 bird life would propagate their species under natural condi- 1912. tions and Insure the perpetuation of such life not only within the park but to the entire eastern country Four persons shot and killed; mistaken for deer. Three persons shot; mistaken for deer not fatal. As a national park It would not only benefit wild life In Thirteen persons accidentally shot and killed. securing to It 11 place of freedom from the hunter's gun but man- Teu persons accidentally shot not fatal. 1018. kind as well Thousands of our eastern citizens would like to go into the Maine woods and enjoy for a season out of door and Five persons shot and killed ; mistaken for deer. One person shot and killed mistaken for a mink. camp life but for the feur of the hunter's gun which seems to Ten persons accidentally shot and killed. point with unerring aim when a human being is mistaken for Fourteen persons accidentally shot not fatal. 1014. game. During the past 10 years 110 persons have been fatally shot Six persons shot and killed; mistaken for deer. One person shot and killed mistaken for a rabbit. in the hunting seuson, and 114 shot but not killed, according to Eight persons accidentally shot and killed. Twenty-three persons accidentally shot not fatal. the official figures of the commissioners of Inland fisheries and 1015. game of Maine, which I will incorporate in detail below: Six persons shot and killed; mistaken for deer. MEMORANDOM OF HUNTING ACCIDENTS FOR THE YEARS 1906 TO 1015, One person,she ; mistaken for deer not fatal. INCLUSIVE Six persons accidentally shot and killed. Eighteen persons accidentally shot; not fatal. 1900. Two persons shot and killed; mistaken for deer. In calling attention to the danger from the hunter's gun as a One person shot and killed mlstaken for Dear. No record of nonfatal accidents this year. reason for setting aside a section of wild country as n national park that would be free from such danger, I am not speaking in 1907, the interest of Maine people alone, but in the interest of the this year. Three persons accidentally shot and killed ; none mistaken for deer people of all' the Eastern States, ns a multitude from these No record of nonfutal accidents this year. States go to Malue annually for recreation and health, which 1908, can only be obtained through the freedom and enjoyment of Two persons shot and killed; mistaken for decr. Ten persons accidentally shot and killed. out-of-door life. No record of nonfatal accidents this year. 1900. f The State of Maine for months in summer and fall, due to its Chronelogy exhilarating climate, inland lakes, forests, and its extended, Four persons shot and killed mistaken for deer. picturesque coast has become the playground- of the Nation. As Two persons shot; mistaken for deer. not fatal. Nine persons accidentally shot and killed. our country develops the demand upon Maine as a place for Sixteen persons accidentally shot ; not fatal, recreation will rapidly increase, and the Nation may well con- 1910. sider that it has certain duties that it ought to fulfill to secure Two persons shot and killed; mistaken for deer. for the peopie the fullest enjoyment and advantages of this Two persons shot mistaken for deer, not fatal. Four persons accidentally shot and killed. American Switzerland. Nino persons accidentally shot; not fatal, A national park in the Mount Katahdin region would be a 1911. long step taken by the Federal Government to secure to the Two persons shot and killed; mistaken for deer. people for all time the advantages I have mentioned, and such Two persons shot mistaken for deer, not fatal. Eleven persons accidentally shot and killed. a park once made accessible through the development of park Fourteen persons accidentally shot not fatal. 41115--15645 41115-15645 14 roads and trails would, In my judgment, be visited and enjoyed annually by thousands of our citizens. The Legislature of Maine has memorialized Congress in the interest of this project. It has the indorsement of a very large number of organizations throughout New England. It has the most hearty support of the New England press, and, In addition, individuals not only in New England but in other Eastern States have expressed their enthusiastic support in favor of a Mount Katandin National Park. 41115-15645 O Frank E. Guernsey - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 1 Frank E. Guernsey From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Frank Edward Guernsey (October 15, 1866 - January 1, 1927) was a U.S. Representative from Maine. Born in Dover, Maine, Guernsey attended the common schools, Foxcroft Academy, Eastern Maine Conference Seminary, Bucksport, Maine, Wesleyan Seminary, Kents Hill, Maine, and Eastman's College, Poughkeepsie, New York. He studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1890 and commenced practice in Dover, Maine. Treasurer of Piscataquis County 1890-1896. He served as member of the State house of representatives 1897-1899. He served in the State senate in 1903. He served as delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1908. Guernsey was elected as a Republican to the Sixtieth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Llewellyn Powers. He was reelected to the Sixty-first and to the three succeeding Congresses and served from November 3, 1908, to March 3. 1917. He did not Frank Edward Guernsey run for reelection but was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for Senator. He served as president of the Piscataquis Savings Bank and trustee of the University of Maine. He also engaged in the practice of law. He died in Boston, Massachusetts, January 1, 1927. He was interred in Dover Cemetery, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. References Frank E. Guernsey (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=G000517)at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress Retrieved from"http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frank_E._Guernsey&oldid=4590953781 Categories: 1866 births 1927 deaths Maine State Senators Members of the Maine House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maine Maine Republicans People from Dover-Foxcroft, Maine Maine politician stubs This page was last modified on 5 November 2011 at 06:02. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_E._Guernsey 1/19/2012 Fogler Library: Finding Guide to the Lucius Merrill Papers Page 1 of 3 1865 THE UNIVERSITY OF Raymond H. Fogler Library MAINE Apply Now Emergency Special Collections: Guide to the Lucius Merrill Papers Summary Information: Collection Title: Lucius Merrill Papers Date of Collection: 1891-1974 Box Numbers: Boxes 2483- - 2484 Quantity: 2 ft. Administrative Information: Provenance: Gift of Merrill Family, 1997. Access Restrictions: No restrictions Preferred Citation: Lucius Merrill Papers, Special Collections, Raymond H. Fogler Library, University of Maine Copyright: Contact department for copyright information For Additional Information: Special Collections Department University of Maine 5729 Fogler Library Orono, Maine 04469-5729 (207) 581 1686 Biographical Information: Dr. Lucius Merrill was born in 1857 in Orono, Maine. He attended the University of Maine and graduated in the class of 1883. From 1885-1887 he worked as Assistant Curator, Department of Lithology and Physical Geography at the U.S. National Museum. He joined the University of Maine Experiment Station in 1887 as an analytical chemist and was associated with the Station throughout his career. In 1888 Lucius Merrill was appointed Instructor of Biological Chemistry and later Agricultural Chemistry. Towards the end of his career he was a professor of Geology and Economic Geology. In 1908, he was awarded a Doctorate of Science from the University of Maine. In 1929, Dr. Merrill was appointed State Geologist. He retired Emeritus from the University of Maine in 1931, and died in 1935. He was brother to George Perkins Merrill. Edward Osgood Merrill was born in 1916 and graduated in 1938 from the University of Maine in Chemistry. He was a professor of Biochemistry at the Agricultural Experiment Station until his retirement in 1979. He died in 1987. Contents: The collection contains both academic and family papers of Lucius H. Merrill and of his son Edward O. Merrill and and Edward's son, Alan Merrill. These include lecture notes, research notes, letters, correspondence, diaries and journals. Arrangement: Arranged by genre, with Edward O. Merrill and Alan Merrill papers at the end. Finding Aid: Box 2483 Box 2483 f1 Diary (Lucius Merrill), 1891-1892. Box 2483 f2 Diary (Lucius Merrill), 1891-1892. http://library.umaine.edu/speccoll/FindingAids/Merrilll.htm 1/19/2012 Fogler Library: Finding Guide to the Lucius Merrill Papers Page 2 of 3 Box 2483 f3 Personal Journal - no date. Box 2483 f4 Personal Journal - no date. Box 2483 f5 Memorandum books (2) - contain some diary entries- 1920's. Box 2483 f6 Correspondence - no date. Box 2483 f7 Correspondence, 1890's - 1909. Box 2483 f8 Correspondence, 1909-1910. Box 2483 f9 Correspondence, 1910-1919. Empty Envelopes Only. Folder 1 of 6. Box 2483 f10 Correspondence, 1910-1919. Empty Envelopes Only. Folder 2 of 6. Box 2483 f11 Correspondence, 1920-1932. Empty Envelopes Only. Folder 3 of 6. Box 2483 f12 Correspondence, 1920-1932. Empty Envelopes Only. Folder 4 of 6. Box 2483 f13 Correspondence, 1920-1932. Empty Envelopes Only. Folder 5 of 6. Box 2483 f14 Correspondence, 1920-1932. Mostly Empty Envelopes. Folder 6 of 6. Box 2483 f15 Marriage Announcement - Lucius H. Merrill & Lydia Buffum - 1893. Box 2483 f16 Teaching - Lecture and Research. 1920's - 1930's. Box 2483 f17 Teaching - Lecture and Research. 1920's - 1930's. Box 2483 f18 Teaching - Lecture and Research. 1920's - 1930's. Box 2483 f19 Teaching - Lecture and Research. 1920's - 1930's. Box 2483 f20 Teaching - Lecture and Research. 1920's - 1930's. Box 2483 f21 Teaching - Lecture and Research. 1920's - 1930's. Box 2483 f22 Teaching - Lecture and Research. 1920's - 1930's. Box 2483 f23 Teaching - Lecture and Research. 1920's - 1930's. Box 2484 Box 2484 f1 Botanical Samples Box 2484 f2 The Hexagon of Alpha Chi Sigma, vol. 22, no. 7, April, 1932. Box 2484 f3 Publication no. 666, 71st Congress - Appropriations to the Department of the Interior - Feb. 14, 1931. Box 2484 f4 New York Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin no. 358 - February 1913. Box 2484 f5 McGraw Hill Books on Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering - circa 1920's. Box 2484 f6 Nuts As Foods in Foreign Countries (France, Italy, Syria and Korea) - 1898. Box 2484 f7 Maine Masque - Treasurer's Notes - 1912. Box 2484 f8 Poetry Box 2484 f9 The Little Lost Princess, A Pantomime in One Act - no date. Box 2484 f10 "List of Books in Our Library" - Merrill Home Library - no date. Box 2484 f11 Bernard Holliday, Bookseller - Old and Rare Books on Science, Natural History Medicine - Advertising Pamphlet - 1932. Box 2484 f12 Jones Cove Shell-Heap - 1929; The Diving Rod - 1917. Box 2484 f13 Maine Agricultural Experiment Station - Official Inspections - 1937, 1940. Box 2484 f14 Farm and Home Week Program - March, 1931. Box 2484 f15 The Nation's Library - circa early 1900's. Box 2484 f16 Are You Driving Down Cadillac Mountain? - no date. Box 2484 f17 Newspaper Clippings. Box 2484 f18 Business Reply Cards. Box 2484 f19 Business Reply Cards. Box 2484 f20 Business Reply Cards. Box 2484 f21 Receipts Box 2484 f22 Receipts Box 2484 f23 Family Memorabilia Box 2484 f24 Covers and Misc. Box 2484 f25 Edward O. Merrill - Grade School Workbooks and School Papers. Box 2484 f26 Edward O. Merrill - Paedagogus of Lambda Chi Alpha, 1934. http://library.umaine.edu/speccoll/FindingAids/Merrilll.htm 1/19/2012 Fogler Library: Finding Guide to the Lucius Merrill Papers Page 3 of 3 Alany MerrillneSereoral betterus 1968 19Calendar Box 2484 f28 Alan Merrill - Personal Letters, 1969-1974. Box 2484 f29 Alan Merrill - Personal Letters, 1969-1974. Box 2484 f30 Alan Merrill - Personal Letters, 1969-1974. Box 2484 f31 Alan Merrill - High School - Newspaper Clippings. Box 2484 f32 Alan Merrill - College Years - The University of Maine. Box 2484 f33 Alan Merrill - College Years - The University of Maine. Box 2484 f34 Alan Merrill - Photos - early 1970's. Box 2484 f35 Alan Merrill - Metal Sculpture - Invoice Sheets. Box 2484 f36 Alan Merrill w Metal Sculpture - Invoice Sheets. Finding Aids for selected manuscript collections in the Special Collections Department at Fogler Library are accessible online in URSUS, in a browsable Guide to Manuscript Collections. Please contact Special Collections at spc@umit.maine.edu or (207) 581- 1686 for further information. Return to top level page Special Collections Staff: spc@umit.maine.edu I Revised: 12/19/2011 Contact Us I Search I Resources I Services I Help Site Map 5729 Fogler Library The University of Maine University of Maine Orono, Maine 04469 Orono, ME 04469-5729 207-581-1110 Phone: 207-581-1661 I Fax: 207-581-1653 A Member of the University of Maine System © Copyright 2000-2012 http://library.umaine.edu/speccoll/FindingAids/Merrilll.htm 1/19/2012 Proceedings of the 30 2/04 Bangor Historical Society (914-1915. Legislature take action and create a state reservation? The proposition has been widely discussed and the women's clubs have done noble work in bringing the subject before the public. But we must not stop here. The matter should never be MOUNT KATAHDIN AS A NATIONAL PARK allowed to rest until it receives the attention which it deserves. Nature has been generous to us; let us show ourselves worthy of this great gift. HON. FRANK E. GUERNSEY, M. C. Delivered at the Quarterly Meeting, April 6th, 1915 When your genial secretary, Mr. Blanding, invited me to attend this meeting of your society and hear Prof. Merrill of the Uni- versity of Maine speak on Mt. Katahdin, I gladly accepted, as I have taken great interest in Maine's greatest mountain and the region thereabout, which I hope and believe will eventually be taken over by the federal government for forest reserve and national park purposes, in accordance with a measure I have before Congress to that end.* I have been deeply interested in what Prof. Merrill has stated here today about Mt. Katahdin and its surroundings, the wonderful scenery of the region, its forest, innumerable lakes and streams. Owing to Prof. Merrill's many ascents of the mountain and explorations in its vicinity, his statements have added interest and value, and they confirm all I have heard about that section of our state. The professor is performing important work in presenting the information he has gathered to the public, which is already awake to the necessity of govern- ment protection of the remnant of our forest and the opening and preservation of a national breathing place. Combine the forest reserve and national park ideas, and a double purpose will be accomplished. Maine's future depends upon its almost innumerable water powers, which may be converted into electricity to move machinery and do the manufacturing of the nation for all time. The continued value of the water power will depend upon the maintenance of the flow of our streams; preservation of our forests is absolutely necessary to On the 17th day of April, 1916, Hon. Frank E. Guernsey, Member of Congress from the Fourth District of Maine, reintroduced in the 64th Congress the bill which was in the previous Congress for the establish- ment of a Mount Katahdin National Park. 32 Bangor Historical Society Mount Katahdin National Park 33 such maintenance. Our great rivers, the Penobscot and Ken- millions of people in eastern United States. In our state nebec, can only be maintained through perpetuation of the is the last remnant of the virgin forest that once swept the whole forests at the head waters of these rivers in the Mt. Katahdin Atlantic coast. Something must, and will, in my opinion, be region. done to preserve it. Let the federal government take over such area for that pur- pose, and a great work will be accomplished. Let the territory so, taken over be converted into a national park and with its scenic points, lakes, streams and forest made accessible to the public through the construction of roads and trails, the benefit therefrom will be of incalculable value for the present generation and the generations yet to come. Such a park would draw to this state thousands of visitors an- nually. It would be a place of recreation for camping and fishing; a place where our people might seek out-of-door life and health, free from the danger of being shot down by the hunter's deadly rifle through being mistaken for a deer or moose; a place where the wild life of our forest could retreat and propagate their specie unharmed and thereby assure a continuance of wild fowl, deer and moose in our state for all time. The federal government has already adopted the policy of establishing forest reserves in the east. It has undertaken it in the White Mountains and in the southern Appalachian range. National parks to the number of fourteen have been erected in fifteen states, all of them west of the Mississippi river, but they are thousands of miles away from the great centers of population in the east. The census of 1910 shows that continental United States contained about 92,000,000 people. It also disclosed that two-thirds of that population was east of the Mississippi river-that is, over 65,000,000, and the greater proportion of that number are located along the Atlantic seaboard, which in all human probabilities will con- tinue to be the most densely settled portion of the United States. Only a limited number of these people have the opportunity to visit the great national parks of the far west. Those visiting these parks are individuals who have time and means to travel long distances. Locate within the state of Maine a national park, and it will be comparatively within easy reach of the Tilbury House, Publishers 132 Water Street Gardiner, ME 04345 Copyright © 1997 by Neil Rolde. All rights reserved. First Edition: October, 1997 Contents Cataloging-in-Publication Data Foreword vii Rolde, Neil, 1931- The Baxters of Maine : downeast visionaries / Neil Rolde. Introduction ix p. cm CHAPTER 1 Legacies 2 Includes bibliograpical references (p. ) and index, ISBN 0- 88448-190-5 (alk. paper), -- ISBN 0-88448-191-3 (pbk. : CHAPTER 2 Family History 14 alk. paper) CHAPTER 3 Public Service 39 1. Baxter, James Phinney, 1831-1921. 2. Baxter, Percival Proctor, 1876-1969. 3. Politicians--Maine--Biography 4. CHAPTER 4 Young Percy 55 Maine--Politics and government--1865-1950. 5. Maine-- CHAPTER 5 A Political Baptism by Fire 77 Politics and government--1951- CHAPTER 6 The Historian 93 I. Title CHAPTER 7 F25.B32R65 1997 Back in Politics 115 97444. 104'092'2--dc2 CHAPTER 8 Prelude to Power 141 [B] 97-29670 CHAPTER 9 Governor Percy 157 CIP CHAPTER 10 Alone, and then "Regoolarly" Elected 181 Design: Edith Allard, Crummett Mountain Design, Somerville, CHAPTER 11 En Route to a Magnificent Obsession 201 Maine CHAPTER 12 Katahdin, and Conservation Jacket Photos: "Katahdin Reflected" by Scott Perry; Baxter photos Consciousness 223 courtesy of the Baxter Collection, Maine State Library CHAPTER 13 Creating a Park Editing and Production: Jennifer Elliott, Rebecca Schundler, 243 CHAPTER 14 Travels Barbara Diamond 260 Layout: Nina Medina, Basil Hill Graphics, Somerville, Maine CHAPTER 15 The Later Years 283 Scans and Film: Integrated Composition Systems, Spokane, CHAPTER 16 Managing the Heritage 311 Washington Jacket/Cover Printing: The John P. Pow Company, South Boston An Author's Note and Afterword 331 Book Printing and Binding: Maple-Vail, Binghampton, New York Index 336 Kataham, and Conservation Consciousness ference on Conservation, "the first of its kind not only in Eliot and his friends were transplanting to Maine a America but in the world may well be regarded by future his- mechanism already in place in Massachusetts, where the torians as a turning point in human history."1 Trustees of Public Reservations formed one of the earliest Teddy Roosevelt's influence on Baxter came in different land trusts in the U.S. Dorr's ties to the formative conserva- guises. The national monuments, which predated the idea of tion movement were through his cousin Charles Sprague national parks, had helped establish the principle of donating Sargent, who ran Harvard's Arnold Arboretum and collabo- privately bought lands to a governmental entity for public rated with John Muir and Gifford Pinchot. preservation. Baxter's idea of buying Katahdin and its sur- Out of the gathering in the Music Room in Seal Harbor roundings with his own money and donating it for a public eventually came Acadia National Park. Dorr, like Baxter, was purpose was hardly original. a lifelong bachelor and devoted his entire life to the creation The first celebrated instance of private land being given of a magnificent public park. Like Baxter, he spent his own to the government to preserve it occurred in California in money to acquire land, but unlike Baxter, he had help along 1908. William Kent, a native of Marin County (just north of the way. The first gift of property came from Mrs. Charles D. San Francisco), made his mark in Chicago as a businessman Homans of Boston, and critical support was offered by Dorr's and political reformer. Returning home, he learned that some friend, multimillionaire John S. Kennedy, on whose yacht he beautifully forested land he owned was about to be seized by had sailed aboard to the momentous meeting in Seal Harbor. a water company through eminent domain, primarily for its A verbal bequest from Kennedy on his deathbed was honored timber value. Instead, Kent gave it to the government for a by his reluctant executors after pressure from Dorr, who was national monument, 47 acres of gorgeous giant redwoods, as tireless as Baxter in his efforts. which he named Muir Woods (today expanded to 485 acres). That Acadia became a national park rather than a state An obviously delighted John Muir responded with dry entity was due to the action of the Maine Legislature. In the Scot's humor, saying, no doubt with the most exaggerated of 1913 session (Baxter was not a member of it), local realtors highland burrs: "That SO fine divine a thing should-a come and other opponents of any park in their area had a bill intro- out o' money-mad Chicago! Wha wad a 'thocht it."12 duced to annul the charter of the Maine Trustees of Public Another well-known example which had to be familiar Reservations, a group set up through Dorr's influence. Enlist- to Baxter, occurred in Maine. George Bucknam Dorr was a ing the help of the speaker of the house, John Peters of wealthy Boston Brahmin who summered in Bar Harbor, and Ellsworth, Dorr defeated the attempt. But he then decided he on an August day in 1901, he received an invitation from needed federal protection. Three years of lobbying in Wash- Charles W. Eliot, a fellow summer resident and the president ington, D.C., finally brought him to the first stage of his of Harvard, to attend a meeting in Seal Harbor. The purpose goal-national monument status-and it took another year of was to explore the idea of establishing in and around Mount lobbying to eke out an appropriation, and finally a bill sub- Desert "reservations" of land for perpetual public use. mitted by Maine's Senator Frederick Hale obtained the COV- 236 237 consciousness age eted title of national park. Called Lafayette National Park at only of degree. While governor, he even publicly expressed the outset, it became Acadia ten years later with a donation of his support for Lafayette National Park, despite his dislike of nearly the entire Schoodic Peninsula from a lady married to federal programs in Maine. an English lord who objected to the name of a Frenchman The tie-in between conservation of waterpower who had aided American revolutionaries. She would give her resources and conservation of scenic areas was brought vividly land if Dorr changed the name. Acadia, the ancient French to the fore during Percy's freshman term in the Maine name for the region, seemed an ideal compromise. Legislature by an issue that erupted in California but attracted Therefore, models were not lacking as Baxter developed national attention. Teddy Roosevelt was president when the his own feelings about conservation. oddly named Hetch Hetchy controversy hit the headlines-a Were there even ethnic and class undertones to what was furor ignited by John Muir when a part of Yosemite, the happening? Stephen Fox, in John Muir and His Legacy, dis- magnificent Hetch Hetchy Valley, was threatened with flood- cusses George Bucknam Dorr's magnificent obsession as very ing by a reservoir dam built to provide water to the growing nearly the swan song of a dominant social group whose power city of San Francisco. This battle did not end until the admin- was slipping away. Referring to Dorr, Fox writes: istration of Woodrow Wilson, almost a decade later, and Muir In particular, this witness of the decline of his family, lost. The integrity of Yosemite was violated, and Percy class, and region liked nature for inspiring his historical learned that a governmental designation of a piece of land as imagination, implying an unbroken tradition that held a "reserve" or "monument" or "park" did not guarantee its him to a fading, chimerical past.13 preservation-a valuable lesson to keep in mind when he was creating his own park. But a quote of Dorr's put his motivation more in the con- The issue of conservation remained hot in presidential text of an American version of Old World institutions, where politics throughout Percy's formative years in politics. The aristocrats in a country in which aristocrats could not legally split between Roosevelt and Taft that helped lead to Percy's exist, had to tailor their notions of "noblesse oblige." Said defeat in 1910 concerned acreage that Roosevelt and Gifford Dorr: Pinchot wanted to conserve-primarily waterpower sites- and that Taft's interior secretary, Richard Ballinger, wanted Our national parks alone can supply the imaginative appeal that is made in older lands by ancient works of art, not only to develop but to give away. When Taft fired Pinchot by ruins, and old historic associations. 14 as head of the Forest Service, the clash burst into the open, helped lead to a three-way race for president in 1912 and Baxter, in a sense, was cut from the same cloth as people Democrat Woodrow Wilson's election. like Dorr and Charles W. Eliot-Anglo-Saxon, rich, well- The reaction of both Baxters to the conservation history educated, Harvard Law School, and Yankee. Being from of this era was not totally consistent. James Phinney greatly Maine instead of Boston made a difference, to be sure, but admired Teddy Roosevelt, but not necessarily for his conser- 238 239 vation ethic. In a tribute that he penned to the former Rough was Percy's opening shot to seek the nomination, himself. Yet, Rider, he was more concerned with Roosevelt's efforts to curb perhaps in a subtler fashion, its very outrageousness was a "the rapidly increasing horde of monopolists who were mode for burning all bridges. absorbing the wealth of the nation." His fears were that dis- In any event, 1928 was also a year that saw the way clear- plays of extravagance by the idle rich and by the managers of ing for Percy to harbor realistic hopes of initiating his great industries, if left unchecked, would lead to the "increas- Katahdin dream. Death again was a catalyst. Garrett Schenck, ing unrest of the proletariat stirred to envy... " Percy's own the CEO of the Great Northern Paper Company, passed progressive actions followed from his father's line of self- away, removing a principal obstacle to possible negotiations. interested logic, which both of them suspended in 1912 when they supported the Republican Party's candidate Taft instead of Bull Mooser Roosevelt. And although Percy's goal of quit- ting politics and of buying Katahdin had been formulated by 1 How Glooskap Outwits The Ice Giants, And Other Tales of the Maritime 1926, his public behavior certainly gave the media cause to Indians retold by Howard Norman, Little, Brown and Company, think otherwise-that, indeed, his ambitions were still politi- Boston, 1989; page 53. 2 Chimney Pond Tales. Yarns told by Leroy Dudley. Assembled by cal. Possibly the most notable occurrence of this sort was in Clayton Hall and Jane Thomas with Elizabeth Harmon, The Pamola 1928. Loyal Republican Percy was in Kansas City in June of Press, Cumberland, Maine, 1991; page xvi. that year as vice-chairman of the Maine delegation to the 3 Ibid; page 9. G.O.P. National Convention. For reasons best known to him- 4 The Maine Woods by Henry David Thoreau, Bramhall House, New self, he used the occasion to issue a blockbuster of a declara- York, 1950; pages 271-72. 5 tion that drew eight-column headlines back in Maine. Ibid.; pages 277-78. 6 Greatest Mountain by Connie Baxter, Scrimshaw Press. It was nothing less than a brutal frontal attack on Gover- 7 Ibid.; page 321. nor Owen Brewster. Percy called his successor a Klansman 8 Breaking New Ground by Gifford Pinchot, Harcourt Brace and and a traitor to the Republican Party. This sensational revela- Company, New York, 1947; page 101. tion was buttressed by his claim that Brewster had come to 9 Ibid. him in January 1928 and proposed a diabolical bargain by 10 Quoted in Man's Dominion, The Story of Conservation In America by which he, Baxter, was to run for governor and Brewster for Frank Graham, Jr. M. Evans and Company Inc., New York, 1971. U.S. senator. In return, Brewster, who allegedly joined the 11 Breaking New Ground; page 352. 12 John Muir And His Legacy, The American Conservation Movement by Klan in Washington, D.C., would guarantee Percy 20,000 Stephen Fox, Little, Brown and Company, 1981; pages 135-36. KKK votes and also get rid of any potential Klan candidates. 13 Ibid.; pages 137-38. Concluding, Percy declared that "His (Brewster's) nomination to the U.S. Senate, in my opinion, would be a calamity." Conventional wisdom would deem that such an outburst 1 240 241 LAND, TREES, AND WATER, 1890-1915 / 137 fine divine a thing should have come out of money-mad Chicago! Wha a New York industrialist acquired eighty-five acres on top of Cadillac wad'a' thocht it!" Mountain, and followed it in 1909 with a large chunk of his family's land. With these additions the initiative passed from Eliot to Dorr. For the rest Down the coast of Maine, just beyond Penobscot Bay, the island of of his life Dorr made the preservation of Mount Desert his special mission. Mount Desert offered some of the most striking topographical features in "George Dorr is an impulsive, enthusiastic, eager person," noted Eliot, the eastern United States. Scattered through its thirty thousand acres were "who works at a high tension, neglects his meals, sits up too late at night, springs, rapid little streams, rugged granite outcroppings, thick coniferous and rushes about from one pressing thing to another; but he is diligent, as forests on the landward side of hills and in the deeper valleys, and still well as highly inventive and suggestive." A cousin of Charles Sprague Sar- lakes, clear and cold. Surmounting the lower granite peaks, Cadillac gent, he came from the same background of secure privilege. Born near Mountain, the highest of them, rose quickly from sea level to fifteen hun- Jamaica Pond, brought up in one of the first homes built on the filled land dred feet. It loomed over the fishing village of Bar Harbor, solitary and in- of the Back Bay, inevitably educated at Harvard, as the last of his family congruous. line he symbolized the Indian summer of Brahmin Boston. His father, a During the years after the Civil War this bracing mixture of ocean and banker, served in both houses of the legislature; his maternal grandfather, mountain, unique on the East Coast, drew an annual colony of artists, a Salem sea captain, later made a fortune in business and served as trea- writers, and rich people to summer homes on the island. The family of surer of Harvard and the Boston Athenaeum. The Dorr home was adorned George B. Dorr of Boston built one of the first patrician houses in Bar with oriental ceramics and furniture from the family's years in the China Harbor. Among their seasonal neighbors and social peers the Dorrs trade. As a boy George knew grace, beauty, and stability: the qualities he counted President Charles W. Eliot of Harvard, a Dana, a Schieffelin, and later tried to protect on Mount Desert. "My earliest recollections," he said, various Vanderbilts and Rockefellers. For the embattled gentry at the turn "are concerned with gardens, our own and my grandmother's before we of the century, Mount Desert offered a literal island of tranquillity, an an- ever came to Mount Desert." Isolated by a severe stuttering problem, he nual refuge from an urban society cracking open in alarming ways. "The spent his summers largely by himself, exploring the island, taking special set at Bar Harbor is exceedingly exclusive," an observer remarked; "it is delight in uncovering underground springs. Further distanced from his inside of the Four Hundred and is made up of the One Hundred tip- parents by the Victorian convention of decorously concealed feelings, the toppers." three found common ground in their love for the island. "We all three had In the fall of 1901 Eliot called a meeting of a dozen of the island's well- great reserves, even from each other," he recalled, "and lived our own lives born landowners. Progress - in the form of numerous middle-class out, not readily opening ourselves out to others." He never married; once, owners, who were buying smaller parcels of land and developing them - when his mother brought home a likely prospect for him, he climbed a tree was threatening the pristine beauties of Mount Desert. The group Source until it was safe to come down. After his parents died he lived alone in the launched a nonprofit landholding trust, the Hancock County Trustees of house at Bar Harbor, keeping a watchful eye on island affairs, depleting his Public Reservations, patterned on a Massachusetts group founded earlier fortune by adding new parcels of land to the trust. by Eliot's son, a landscape architect. "The time fitted well," George Dorr Around 1909, real estate developers and small landowners started build- recalled, "for it lay between two periods, of the private owner grown sud- ing cottages on Eagle Lake above Bar Harbor, thus endangering the village denly to wealth and that of the multitude set into movement by the new water supply. Since both Dorr and the local water company wanted to mechanical age." Mediating between the two, the Hancock County Trust- keep Eagle Lake inviolate, the situation threw them together in a peculiar ees were chartered by the state legislature to accept private gifts of land alliance. The company condemned the lake properties and then financed and hold them, tax-free but for public recreational use, in perpetuity. The their acquisition by Dorr's group. "I could do what others could not," Dorr land was thus both protected and available to the multitude. After two noted, "without being open to the charge of acting for some special interest small initial gifts, nothing further happened until 1907, when Mrs. Charles in seeking further lands for the protection of the Bar Harbor Water Homans of Boston donated a substantial tract, with a small lake, on New- Company." Thus provoked, the local real estate interests in 1913 intro- port Mountain. Inspired by this addition, Dorr with financial help from duced a bill in the state legislature to annul the charter of the Hancock 2 138 / THE AMERICAN CONSERVATION MOVEMENT, 1890-1975 LAND, TREES, AND WATER, 1890-1915 / 139 County Trustees. Dorr hurried to the capital, talked to the Speaker of the a final showdown over Yosemite. Like these lesser episodes, the last House (a friend from Bar Harbor), and after ten days of lobbying managed Yosemite struggle derived from a water problem, produced unlikely alli- to quash the bill. ances, and defied analysts who favored symmetrical political explanations. The narrow escape led Dorr to seek permanent federal protection. Using the precedent of Muir Woods, an earlier gift of privately held land, he )call A tangled snarl of interests, with each side claiming to represent the public against private monopolies, the issue four times seemed dead, only to flare offered the tract on Mount Desert to the federal government as a national relate up again. For Muir, past seventy during the heaviest fighting, it made an monument. He and Eliot exploited all their social and political connections ironic denouement to his lifework. "Ever since the Yosemite National Park in Washington. (Opposition arose from David Houston of Agriculture; but was established in 1890 my own real work has been sadly interrupted in he had taught under Eliot at Harvard, and a letter from his old president trying to assist in its preservation," he noted in 1907. "While a single peak converted him.) Through a Boston friend Dorr obtained an interview with or dome, tree or cascade is left, the poor stub of a park will still call for Mrs. Woodrow Wilson. In 1916 the President accepted the land as a mon- protection." His career as a pioneer conservationist ended where it started, ument. Two years later it was promoted to park status, and eventually was in a canyon of the High Sierra. given the permanent name of Acadia National Park. IV Dorr stayed on as self-appointed guardian, living to the age of ninety- one in his echoing old house, ever on the lookout for new donations of land In the northwestern corner of the park the Tuolumne River tumbled to his park. "Our national parks alone," he said in old age, "can supply the down into a long, narrow gorge. It traversed the three and a half miles of imaginative appeal that is made in older lands by ancient works of art, by the valley floor and passed through the southern end, resuming its course ruins and old historic associations." He liked wild nature for the usual rea- down the mountain range. The valley, called Hetch Hetchy by the Indians sons of biology, esthetics, and personal freedom. In particular, this witness in reference to its grassy meadows, first drew Muir's attention in the early of the decline of his family, class, and region liked nature for inspiring his 1870s. He described its close resemblance to the more celebrated Yosemite historical imagination, implying an unbroken tradition that held him to a Valley: "formed by the same forces, lying at the same height above sea- fading, chimerical past. American society kept reinventing itself. Nature level, occupying the same relative position on the flank of the range," and offered stability. with similar plants and waterfalls. At his urging Hetch Hetchy was in- cluded in the national park act of 1890. In varying degrees, efforts to preserve Niagara Falls, Muir Woods, and Within a few years the city of San Francisco made its first proposal to Acadia were all provoked by water resource problems. Yet the contending turn Hetch Hetchy into a water reservoir by plugging the southern end of parties fell into no pattern. In two cases the preservationist fought against the valley with a dam. Rebuffed when Muir and the Sierra Club raised a the utility company; in the third, with it. Kent and Dorr were old-money protest, the city tried again in 1901 during the reform administration of Ivy Leaguers, while McFarland left school at twelve to work in a print- Mayor James D. Phelan. For years the privately owned Spring Valley shop. Kent alone defined himself as a socialist; yet McFarland, the most Water Company had been treating the city to high rates and poor service. conservative of the three, found himself inveighing against a capitalist mo- Phelan, an advocate of municipally run utilities, revived the Hetch Hetchy nopoly and citing Elihu Root as an argument for the popular election of plan to rescue his city from Spring Valley's acknowledged failings. At his senators. McFarland was conservative except regarding conservation; Kent behest a right-of-way bill, allowing water conduits through national parks was progressive except on the question of progress itself. Dorr claimed the "for domestic, public, or other beneficial uses," passed Congress in Febru- glossiest lineage, yet he wound up admiring Franklin D. Roosevelt, the ary 1901, zipping through with little discussion. The Sierra Club only noted traitor to his class. Dorr and Kent delighted to lose themselves in a learned of it after passage. Under its provisions the city applied to the Inte- real wilderness, while McFarland felt adequately wild at his summer home rior Department for the rights to Hetch Hetchy. But Ethan Hitchcock re- in the Poconos. The three shared only their concern for nonmaterial con- jected the plan in January 1903 and again in February 1905 because of his servation and their amateur status in the movement. general policy of keeping utilitarian projects out of the national parks. Niagara, Muir Woods, and Acadia were all eclipsed at the time by After the second ruling, Gifford Pinchot, Hitchcock's persistent adver- 140 / THE AMERICAN CONSERVATION MOVEMENT, 1890-1975 LAND, TREES, AND WATER, 1890-1915 / 141 3 sary in government conservation circles, took up the scheme. A champion the influential Outlook on November 2. Ascribing the plot to "mischief- of both public utilities and the tapping of park resources, Pinchot declared makers and robbers of every degree from Satan to Senators trying to that Hetch Hetchy might be dammed with no esthetic loss. ("Just the make everything dollarable," he defended the valley's scenic value, de- same," Muir wrote Johnson, "as saying that flooding Yosemite would do it plored the absence of public discussion, and pointed out alternate sources no harm.") In November 1906, with his friend James Garfield soon to re- outside the park that would cost more economically but less esthetically. place Hitchcock, Pinchot suggested to Marsden Manson, the city engineer The dam advocates, pricked to respond, attacked Muir in kind. "John of San Francisco, that the application for Hetch Hetchy might fruitfully be Muir loves the Sierras and roams at large, and is hypersensitive on the renewed. The following summer, with the Sierra Club away on its outing subject of the invasion of his territory," Phelan wrote Garfield. "The in Yosemite, Secretary Garfield quietly held a hearing in San Francisco. 400,000 people of San Francisco are suffering from bad water and ask Mr. Lawyers and engineers for the city presented their case for the dam. No Muir to cease his aesthetic quibbling." dam opponents appeared at the hearing. The Sierra Club returned from its Behind the rhetorical sallies, all but obscured by the smoking verbiage, outing to find the long process already under way. the fight involved more than bad water. To conservationists in the Pinchot At once Muir and Johnson sent protests to their friend the President. camp the concept of "multiple use" implied the highest, most efficient ap- Not previously involved in the matter, Roosevelt asked Garfield to investi- proach to resources. A dam should ideally provide drinking water, regulate gate alternate water sources. A month later, in early September 1907, Muir floods and erosion, irrigate crops, and - especially - generate electricity. recounted for TR the long history of Hetch Hetchy dam promotions. Hydroelectric power could eventually pay the costs of construction; in pub- "They all show forth the proud sort of confidence," said Muir, "that comes lic hands it also might remove a key utility from monopolistic abuses. Pin- of a good sound irrefragable ignorance." This latest effort, he added, could chot often warned of "the water-power trust" with its platoons of lawyers only succeed by deceptions and keeping the facts from the public. "As soon and lobbyists. "Whoever dominates power," said Pinchot, "dominates all as light is cast upon it, nine tenths or more of even the citizens of San Fran- industry." For their part, the defenders of Hetch Hetchy regarded hydro- cisco would be opposed to it. And what the public opinion of the world electric power as the Trojan horse of the whole fight. Other sites might would be may be guessed by the case of the Niagara Falls." Roosevelt sent provide water alone. Hetch Hetchy, as a natural reservoir at a high eleva- Muir's letters along to Pinchot and Garfield but remained noncommittal. tion, was especially suited for both water and power. The dam advocates, Abstractly he would like to protect Yosemite, he told Muir, but would have though speaking only of San Francisco's need for water, seemed curiously to yield to public opinion: "So far everyone that has appeared has been for resistant to the consideration of other sites. The preservationists also knew it and I have been in the disagreeable position of seeming to interfere with that a generating plant and transmission lines would further disrupt the the development of the State for the sake of keeping a valley, which ap- Yosemite landscape. As the ranks formed overtly over water, the power parently hardly anyone wanted to have kept, under national control." issue hovered in the background, a source of unspoken mutual suspicion. (P.S.: "How I do wish I were again with you camping out under those great In the spring of 1908, as Garfield was deciding whether to grant a permit sequoias or in the snow under the silver firs!") under the right-of-way law, Muir offered a compromise: take Lake Thus challenged by the President, Muir set about rousing public opin- Eleanor, a few miles north of Hetch Hetchy and within the park, in order ion. "This Yosemite fight promises to be the worst ever," he confided to to save the valley. Using the lake as a reservoir would cause less damage Johnson. With the help of William Colby he put the Sierra Club on record than inundating the valley. "I am trying to see if we can not leave the in opposition. They sent recruiting letters to women's clubs and other things on the line that you indicate," TR wrote Muir, that is, damming mountaineering groups. Colby and Johnson talked with private water Lake Eleanor and letting San Francisco depend for a generation or so companies, who for their own purposes provided information against the upon that and the Tuolumne tributaries." Roosevelt passed the idea along dam. (As in George Dorr's efforts for Acadia, the preservationists lined up to Garfield - but only as a suggestion, without his usual snap, leaving the with a private utility.) Reaching back to earlier Yosemite battles, Muir got final decision to his cabinet officer. In May, Garfield granted San Fran- in touch with former Secretary of the Interior John Noble and William cisco a permit, subject to congressional approval, to dam Hetch Hetchy. "I Herrin of the Southern Pacific. His first published broadside appeared in think you must feel, as I do, that a child of ours has been mutilated," 400 / NOTES FOR PAGES 128-135 NOTES FOR PAGES 135-143 / 401 4 Page Page 128 "Many thanks": JM to W. F. Herrin, Feb. 26, 1905, MP. 135 The water company's condemnation: Jonathan E. Webb in California Out- 128 Harriman and Cannon: E. H. Harriman to JM, Apr. 16, 1906, Alex Miller of-Doors, Oct. 1919, copy in box 112, William Kent Papers. to JM, May 10, 1906, MP. 135 "1 know": William Kent to JM, Jan. 17, 1908, MP. 128 "either from indifference": Letters of TR, ed. E. E. Morison, 5:293-294. 135-136 "Compared with Sequoia": JM to W. Kent, Feb. 6, 1908, Kent Papers. 128 "The fight you planned": JM to R. U. Johnson, July 16, 1906, JPB. 136 "The set at Bar Harbor": William E. Dutcher to T. G. Pearson, July 9, 1907, 129 "the lumber syndicates": Letters of TR, ed. E. E. Morison, 5:604. AuP. 129 "I have one": McGeary, Pinchot, 55. 136 "The time fitted": MS fragment, n.d., Dorr Papers. 129 Pinchot and wider use of reserves: Hays, Conservation, 39-40; Steen, Forest 137 "George Dorr": C. W. Eliot to Ellen Bullard, Sept. 1, 1915, Dorr Papers. Service, 74. 137 "My earliest": MS fragment, Jan. 26, 1940, Dorr Papers. 129 "He was" and "He had": Pinchot, Breaking, 154-155. 137 "We all three": MS fragment, Dec. 22, 1938, Dorr Papers. 130 Use Book: Steen, Forest Service, 79-80. 137 Cottage building: Bar Harbor Times, Oct. 31, 1963. 130 "The conservation movement": G. Pinchot, The Fight for Conservation 137 "I could do": MS fragment, Oct. 15, 1941, Dorr Papers. (1910), 44. 138 Muir Woods precedent: G. B. Dorr, Acadia National Park (1942), 28. 130 Hitchcock as Secretary of the Interior: Hays, Conservation, 72-73. 138 "Our national parks": "What Do National Parks Stand For?", MS in Dorr 130 Omission of JM: G. Pinchot to R. U. Johnson, Apr. 13, 1908, Johnson Papers; and on this historical/cultural rationale for national parks, see A. Papers. Runte in Journal of Forest History, Apr. 1977. 130 "The moral": SCB, June 1908. 138 Dorr and FDR: G. B. Dorr to FDR, June 25, 1940, PPF, FDR Library. 130 "P. is ambitious": JM to R. U. Johnson, June 2, 1908, American Academy 139 "Ever since": JM to J. R. Garfield, Sept. 6, 1907, "WS." Papers. 139 "formed by": JM in San Francisco Bulletin, Aug. 13, 1875. 131 Olmsted-Norton campaign: A. Runte in New-York Historical Society 139 "for domestic": Jones, JM and the Sierra Club, 90. Quarterly, Jan. 1973. 140 "Just the same": JM to R. U. Johnson, Mar. 23, 1905, MP. 131 "Niagara's claim": H. G. Wells in Harper's Weekly, July 21, 1906. 140 Pinchot's suggestion: G. Pinchot to Marsden Manson, Nov. 15, 1906, in 131 "We are permitting": J. H. McFarland in Ladies' Home Journal, Sept. Transactions of the Commonwealth Club of California, June 1907. 1905. 140 "They all show": JM to TR, Sept. 9, 1907, "WS." 132 "badly infected": J. H. McFarland to Stephen Mather, Dec. 6, 1912, McFP. 140 "So far everyone": TR to JM, Sept. 16, 1907, MP. 132 "Nothing else matters": J. H. McFarland to R. B. Watrous, Dec. 14, 1912, 140 "This Yosemite fight": JM to R. U. Johnson, Sept. 2, 1907, JPB. McFP. 141 "mischief-makers": JM in Outlook, Nov. 2, 1907. 132 "Pinchot does not": J. H. McFarland to C. R. Woodruff, Apr. 13, 1908, 141 "John Muir loves": James Phelan to J. R. Garfield, Nov. 21, 1907, "WS." McFP. 141 "the water-power trust": Pinchot, Fight, 27-28. 132 "I trust you": J. H. McFarland to JM, Jan. 10, 1914, McFP. 141 JM's compromise: JM to TR, Apr. 21, 1908, in folder 65.31, MP. 132 "a rampacious": J. H. McFarland to E. Mills, Apr. 20, 1912, McFP. 141 "I am trying": TR to JM, Apr. 27, 1908, Roosevelt Papers. 132 "If the country": J. H. McFarland to R. U. Johnson, Feb. 4, 1909, JPB. 141 TR's action: TR to J. R. Garfield, Apr. 27, 1908, "WS." 133 "Boast we well": McFarland in Ladies' Home Journal, Sept. 1905. 141 "I think you must": R. U. Johnson to JM, May 23, 1908, MP. 133 "Turn on Niagara!": J. H. McFarland to Ernest McFarland, Apr. 9, 1943, 142 "It was just": TR to R. U. Johnson, Dec. 17, 1908, JPB. McFP. 142 TR's request to Garfield: William Loeb, Jr., to J. R. Garfield, Dec. 17, 1908, 133 "You can little": T. E. Burton to J. H. McFarland, Apr. 10, 1906, McFP. "WS." 133 Response to McFarland's articles: Edward Bok to J. H. McFarland, Apr. 142 "monopolizing San Francisco": JM in SCB, Jan. 1908. 19, 1906, McFP. 142 Colby's supposition: W. E. Colby to R. U. Johnson, Nov. 19, 1908, 133 "There has been": J. H. McFarland to JM, June 19, 1911, McFP. McFP. 133 The 6,550 letters: Chautauquan, Aug. 1907. 142 "We do not": JM et al., "To All Lovers of Nature and Scenery," Dec. 21, 134 "Mr. Root now": TR to J. H. McFarland, Oct. 24, 1908, McFP. 1908, in box 7, PP. 134 "I have a dozen": J. H. McFarland to Burton, May 1, 1912, McFP. 142 "I am sure": Wolfe, 316. 134 "a surrender": J. H. McFarland to T. E. Burton, Jan. 27, 1914, McFP. 142 Taft and Johnson's argument: R. U. Johnson to JM, Sept. 7, 1909, MP. 134 "I am a mighty": J. H. McFarland to S. Pray, Mar. 4, 1914, McFP. 143 "He refused": Bookman, Feb. 1915. 134 "I would gladly": JM to Mrs. Howard, Sept. 1900, MP. 143 "he never": Frank Swett memoir, p. 13, in "Recollections of John Muir" 135 "My life": Roderick Nash, Wilderness and the American Mind (rev. ed., (1965), Bancroft Library. 1973), 172. 143 "All seems coming": JM to W. E. Colby, Oct. 21, 1909, MPB; and see R. A. 135 "you are a barbarian": Ibid., 153. Ballinger to JM, Dec. 27, 1909, MP. Frank Steeper. 2002. BAXTER STATE PARK AND THE ALLAGASH RIVER B axter State Park and the Allagash River covers two spectacular areas in the northern Maine woods. Baxter State Park, with more than 200,000 acres, is the largest park in the country purchased by one individual, former governor Percival P. Baxter. The park includes Mount Katahdin, the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail and the highest peak in Maine. Breathtaking photographs portray the scenic Allagash River, which was designated a wilderness waterway in 1966 by the Maine legislature. It was the first state-managed river area in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in 1970. Included in this volume are stereoscopic photographs of Mount Katahdin from the early 1870s. This mountain, sacred to the Native Americans, has an atmosphere that is masterfully conveyed in the extraordinary photographs used in this history. The Allagash River is portrayed as it was before the wilderness waterway was created. Baxter State Park and the Allagash River chronicles the progression of the river and park from lumbering, hunting, and fishing to its eventual preservation and tourism. Frank H. Sleeper has authored numerous titles in Arcadia's Images of America series. In this history, he has captured the picturesque beauty of two of Maine's most visited sites. For more than thirty-seven years, Sleeper was a reporter and columnist for Portland newspapers. He has also served as a correspondent for Time Incorporated magazines. A Maine historian and preservationist, he is proud to present this photographic history of two of Maine's most distinctive treasures. PUBLISHED BY ARCADIA AN IMPRINT OF TEMPUS PUBLISHING, INC. $19.99 ISBN 0-7385-3993-0 51999 780738"509938 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS One way or another, this project has been ongoing for 14 years. At that time, Buzz Caverly 1 the author the pictures that make up the Kidney Pond camps chapter of this book. Stan , Jackie Greaves of Presque Isle gave the leads that brought many of the pictures in the chap focusing on the people of the Allagash. Once again, Earle Shettleworth, executive director of the Maine Historic Preservat Commission, came up with a crucial set of photographs, possibly the oldest ever taken of Mo Katahdin. Vital photographs were also supplied by Marcia Pond-Anderson, curator of Lumbermen's Museum in Patten. The author was led to her by Ed Rogers, a grandson of founder of the Lumbermen's Museum. Lore Rogers, and Elliott Hersey, who appeared as a in the author's history of Winchester, Massachusetts, which was published by Arcadia. Robert and Richard Putnam (now both of Ohio) have lent photographs for 14 years; tl images of the Allagash appear in this volume. Craig and Terry Hill of Shin Pond Village I many of the shots that make up the fourth chapter. Bill Greaves, district forest ranger out of Island Falls district, led the author to the Hills and kept him from putting a photograph in book that did not belong there. David Putnam, lecturer in science at the University of Ma at Presque Isle, was very helpful. So was Dean Bennett, author of The Wilderness f Chamberlain Farm. In conclusion, thanks go to the author's son, F. Bruce Sleeper, an attorney in Portland, for last-minute efforts on this book. It should also be made clear that Buzz Caverly and Bob and D Putnam will have their photographs by now, photographs that the author held for 14 years. Dedicated to former Gov. Percival P. Baxter, who fought the good fight and won, and to Irvin C. "Buzz" Caverly Jr., the Cornville diplomat who has flourished as park director. Bowdom College Interlibrary Loan MENTS INTRODUCTION At that time, Buzz Caverly lent More than 100,000 people visit Baxter State Park and the Allagash Wilderness Waterway chapter of this book. Stan and annually. Two thirds of them go to the park; the rest canoe the Allagash. They line up in / of the pictures in the chapter Millinocket on the first of January to try and get the best locations at the best times in the park. It is hard to judge what former Gov. Percival P. Baxter would have thought about this. He Maine Historic Preservation certainly would have felt he did the right thing by creating a park that would remain forever the oldest ever taken of Mount wild. That rightness has also raised cries from people in the area who hate to see camps razed ond-Anderson, curator of the or access cut down or made more difficult. if Ed Rogers, a grandson of the Here is where Buzz Caverly Jr., the present park director, comes in. All diplomats do not Hersey, who appeared as a tot come from Cornville, but this one did. Diplomacy did not solve all problems, however, and Buzz S published by Arcadia. has had to take his share of slurs, slams, and just plain nasty words over the years. As a result, photographs for 14 years; their he has acquired a thick skin. You could not find a better fellow for the job. Hill of Shin Pond Village lent Why, after all these favorable words, are there no photographs of either Governor Baxter or district forest ranger out of the Buzz Caverly in this volume? In the case of the governor, many photographs of him have been om putting a photograph in the used in other publications. The author hoped to discover the photographs of Arthur Rogers, nce at the University of Maine who probably took more shots of the governor, especially in the Mount Katahdin area, than uthor of The Wilderness from anyone. However, the reports indicated that time had taken its toll on nearly all of the photographs. I feel the governor would look with approval at this effort to preserve pictures of an attorney in Portland, for his the area he loved. Buzz Caverly and Bob and Dick And what about Buzz Caverly? In 1960, Caverly was already climbing the ladder to become he author held for 14 years. park director, but he was not yet in that post. The author had word that others were working on books about him, which is why there are no photographs included. Let us now turn to what is explored in this history. There are two trips, one of which is up Mount Katahdin with photographer A.L. Hinds of Benton. Remember that Henry David Thoreau climbed the mountain late in the summer of 1846. Hinds's photographs were taken a ter, who fought little over 25 years later. They are certainly some of the first photographs ever taken of the uzz" Caverly Jr., mountain. The collection is located in the Augusta headquarters of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. Do not look for any great differences from the way the mountain as park director. looks now. As Governor Baxter pointed out, Mount Katahdin is changeless, which is a reason why he thought the wilderness around it should be preserved. The second trip is through the Allagash area in the summer of 1946 by Ervin E. "Mike" Putnam and his son, Robert. Some of the area the two covered was within the present Allagash Wilderness Waterway. Some of it is outside the waterway but is certainly part of what was then known as the Allagash in those days. Over the past 56 years, there have been great changes in the Allagash, many of them involving logging roads and access to both the region and, unfortunately, the waterway. While Buzz Caverly is cutting down on access to Baxter State Park and eliminating camps that have either passed their use or have become somewhat dangerous, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway has not been able to preserve its complete sense of wilderness. Unfortunately, You cannot see the changes in the 1946 photographs. cut you can look at those photographs and then make an Allagash trip yourself. Just compare what you see in the 92-mile-long waterway with the photographs presented here. Also seen is the Mount Katahdin region more recently. Some images, for example, show loggers at work in what is now the park area. Some of the cutting practices in those days were pretty horrible. Governor Baxter had a series of what can only be called fights with pulp and paper companies in the area as he moved to acquire land for the park, a good part of which was on land owned by those companies and by logging firms. The saga of Kidney Pond Camps in the park unfolds. Started in 1902 by the Hunt brothers, it was officially taken over by the Baxter State Park Authority at the end of 1987. Many of the facilities, including flush toilets, were removed at that time. There is no electricity or running water in the cabins now. It was a turn toward the wilderness experience that Governor Baxter wanted, but it caused considerable controversy at the time. This is another time when Buzz Caverly's diplomacy, combined with his thick skin. worked things out. There is no controversy about Kidney Pond Camps now. Around the edges of Baxter State Park are places with names like Ripogenus, Chesuncook, and Shin Pond. Chesuncook used to be the starting point for many visitors who traveled around the Allagash River. It was a time of canoe carries to reach the river from the lake. Also view the park area from Shin Pond, which lies to the east. Moving to the Allagash River, we find ourselves looking at a few of the region's more noted people. They include Al and Patty Nugent of Nugent's Camps; Fred King, who was a guide in the area and had a campsite named after him; Wilfred "Sleepy" Atkins, Allagash guide, game warden, and sporting camp owner; Percy Jackson. who became a river guide at the age of 12; and Ira McNally, a guide for many years in the area. In the final chapter, we take another look at the Allagash. Many of the photographs in this last chapter were taken in the first 20 years of the 1900s. This is not an all-inclusive history of Baxter State Park and the Allagash River. It is, however, a more thorough pictorial history of the areas than has ever been completed. Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series helps popularize history by bringing it to a community or area level. It serves to make public photographs that have never before been published. This book, it is hoped, does just that.