Chief Asticou

Around the time Champlain arrived on MDI, Chief Asticou was here. He was the chief of 300-400 Wabanaki in Northeast Harbor. They called it Naskeag Point. He was the kind leader who wasn't bossy. He believed that people should work like a family and listen to each other. He helped his people hunt, clam, fish and live off the land. He was probably friendly.

-Simon and Chase and Annine

Samuel de Champlain

He and his father came to MDI. They were some of the first Europeans on Acadia in 1604. He had his own mountain. But he and his father called Acadia L’Acadia over 410 years ago. Still he has his mountain. Then someone came to MDI (George B. Dorr) and made Acadia National Park. We still call it that.

In September 1604 12 sailors and 2 Indian girls and Samuel sailed across the coast of MDI. But when they were at Otter Cliff they got attracted by a giant cloud of smoke. Champlain founded Quebec and MDI. And about 10 years later people were coming to MDI. And George Dorr many, many years later. Since then even though he is not alive, people know about Champlain’s journey.

-Annine

George B. Dorr

In this tale I will be teaching you about George Dorr.

George Bucknam Dorr is the creator of Acadia National Park. Acadia is 47,000 acres and it took 40 years to get all that land. George Dorr built the park so people could enjoy MDI.

George Dorr swam in the ocean everyday, even if he had to break ice. That is how hardworking he was. The funny thing about him is that even though you would think he is very serious he did have a walrus mustache.

Now you know alot about George Bucknam Dorr.

- Cal

George B. Dorr

George B. Dorr loved nature so much he moved to MDI and had a house next to Compass Harbor and almost every day he swam in the ocean even if he had to break ice.

Did you know that George B. Dorr was the first superintendent of Acadia National Park?

Acadia was 47,000 acres wide. George B. Dorr spent 40 years to get all of the land for Acadia National Park!

Fun Facts about George B. Dorr

He had a walrus mustache and a mountain named after him called Dorr Mountain.

-Emma

Old Farm (at Compass Harbor)

George Dorr’s mansion was called Old Farm. His mother and father built Old Farm in 1876. He built a network of paths. He used granite from a nearby aquarium.The upper stories were redwood shingles. Stone granite stairs and a path that led to the water. The house was torn in 1951.

Fun fact: He had a salt water swimming pool!

-Chiara

Charles W. Eliot

Charles Eliot was born in Boston on March 20, 1834 and died on August 22, 1926. He graduated Harvard in 1853. He helped George B. Dorr make Acadia National Park. Charles Eliot had the idea to create an organization that set aside special lands to make Acadia National Park. Charles Eliot was a good person who wanted to protect the land of Mount Desert Island.

John Emery

John Emery was born in 1837. He got married in 1867. He died in 1905. His wife remarried and made a memorial and a memorial behind Sieur de Monts springs in his honor.

John D. Rockefeller

John D. Rockefeller was born in 1874 and died in 1960. His memorial plaque is located on the Ocean Path near Otter Cliffs. He helped created Acadia National Park. He gave Seal Harbor it’s Village Green.

-Anouk

Morris K. Jesup was born in 1830 in Westport, Connecticut. He married Maria Van Antwerp DeWitt in 1854. They build a summer cottage in Bar Harbor in 1885. Maria was born in New York City. Morris died in his New York City home. They enjoyed the beauty and nature of Mount Desert Island. This library is named after them.

Fun Fact: The cottage’s name was Stonecliff.

-Amelia

John Snow

John Snow lived on MDI around the time Acadia became a national park. He is Passamaquoddy and was famous for telling stories about his people and helping others know the history of the island. Because of John Snow we know about the Wabanaki and how they lived. He made nice baskets, too. He lived in Bar Harbor and in Northeast Harbor. He even went to Little Cranberry Island to get materials to make his baskets.

-Annine and Chase

The Great Fire

The fire happened in the garbage dump located on the Crooked Road in Bar Harbor. It happened in 1947. It started on Friday, October 17. But the fire was very, very, very big!

-Chase

Wabanaki Place Names

Did you know the Wabanaki called Bar Harbor Moneskatik? It means the clam digging place because clams would wash up on the shore. They would find them to eat.

Did you know the Wabanaki called Egg Rock Wawanok? The egg gathering place because all the birds would lay their eggs to eat. They might be cooked or not.

-Annine and Emma

Cadillac Mountain

Cadillac Mt. used to be called Wupowoc (wap-o-wooch). It is the tallest mountain in Bar Harbor. It is 1530 feet tall. You can drive up it or climb up Cadillac Mountain. It is the first place to see the sunrise in the United States.

-Chiara

Carriage road bridges

Want to know about the Acadia National Park bridges that are part of MDI? This paragraph will tell you about the beginning of the bridges. John D. Rockefeller had the ideas and the money to build these unique bridges. The bridges were all built between 1917 and 1940.

The roads have special stone called Rockefeller’s teeth. Roads connect 18 bridges. Nine of them...

-Simon

Animals on MDI: then and now

Acadia has lots of animals. There are deer, moon jelly, nothern lobster, ruby-throated hummingbird, hairy woodpecker and the northern sea star. There are a lot more animals!

All these animals live here now.

Back then, Acadia had more animals then now. There were: bats, lynx, caribou, moose, river otter and lots more.

Most animals have moved but a few still stay.

-Raymond

The Auto Wars

When cars were new, on MDI the locals wanted to have cars so they could get to work. But the summer people said, “No, we want it to be calm and quiet without smoke and noise.” So that’s how the auto war began. Finally they made a compromise. They said that we don’t like cars but we will let you have cars if there are car free areas. The locals argued and that was the end of the auto wars.

-Cecelia