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Acadia National Park
Welcome to the first National Park established east of the Mississippi River, Acadia National Park located on Maine's rocky coast.
Park History: Before the arrival of European Settlers Native Americans roamed the land that is now Acadia National Park over 6,000 years ago. However there are no written records of Native American life until over a century after the arrival of European settlers. The Wabanaki tribe called the place "Pemetic" which means "sloping land." Written acconts indicate that the Wabanaki's spent their summers on the coast and their winters in the forest, however, archeological finds seem to indicate the opposite.
The first known European to have contact with the local tribe was a Frenchman by the name of Samuel Champlain, who named the place Mount Desert due to the rocky and barren landscape. Champlain arrived in 1604, 16 years before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. In 1613, French Jesuits, who were welcomed by the tribe set up America's first French mission near the entrance to Somes Sound on Fernald Point. The French harvested crops and baptized local tribe members until English ship Captain Samuel Argall destroyed the place. The English victory at Fernald Point put the land into a state of limbo dividing the French settlements to the north and the British settlements to the south. The contested land would remained relatively unsettled for over the next century and a half. In 1688, however, a French Immigrant by the name of Antoine Laumet gave himself the title Sieur de la Mothe Cadillac and recieved over 100,000 acres of coastal Maine with hopes of establishing a feudal estate. His dream was short lived however for he and his bride soon moved towards Michigan where he became the founder of Detroit and his name would eventually become a brand of luxury automobiles. In 1759 the British triumphed in Quebec and most of Maine became open for English settlement. Governor of Massachusetts Francis Bernard offered settlers free land in Maine and many went to farm the soil, fish the waters, and log the forests.
By the late 19th century, tourism had become a growing industry in Maine and many flocked to Mount Desert for summer retreats. Some of the more notable families to vacation here were the Rockefellers, the Fords, the Morgans, the Vanderbilts, the Astors, and the Carnegies. In the early 20th century there was a growing concern for protection of Maine's coastal land and a man named George Dorr worked with local citizens to establish the Hancock County Trustees of Public Reservations, an organization that advocated for land preservation. In 1913, the organization acquired over 6,000 acres and offered the land to the U.S. Government. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson established Sieur de Monts National Monument. Dorr and his organization continued to buy land and in 1919, Wilson signed into law the bill establishing the first National Park east of the Mississippi River, Lafayette National Park. A decade later the name was changed to Acadia National Park.
Flora and Fauna: Acadia helps protect the home of numerous plant and animals species. In the late 19th Century many science students from Harvard took summer field trips here to study the land's vegetation. Some of the more than 1,100 plants that grow inside the park boundaries include cinnamon ferns, bluebead lilys, bunchberries, and many others. Some of the wild animals who call this place home include peregrine falcons, bullfrogs, salamanders, and so many more. Please treat their home with respect.
For the lover of the outdoors Acadia National Park boasts over 125 miles of multipurpose trails, many cliffs for climbing, waters stocked with bass, salmon, trout, and so much more. Come on out and explore!
This was RecPlanet place of the day on April 22, 2016.