Moosehead GUIDE TO THE LAKE REGION
Moosehead Lake from the Blair Hill in Greenville.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF BRIAN SWARTZ
T HE HISTORY BEHIND THE UNIQUE NAMES OF A FEW MOOSEHEAD-AREA PLACES
B Y R ICHARD SHAW
DI D PACHYDERMS REALLY LIVE ON ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN? What was carried around Northeast Carry? Did toothy rodents build dams at Beaver Cove? And how miserable was Misery Gore?
These and other burning questions have confounded Moosehead Lake area tourists for generations. But while it is generally accepted that the lake was named because, on a map, it resembles an antlered moose, most flatlanders realize that names aren’t always what they appear to be.
At least on signs, colorful words make good conversation starters. Just ask the residents of tiny Kokadjo, an end-of-the-blacktop settlement 18 miles north of Greenville, on the Lily Bay Road. An iconic moose-shaped welcome sign states its year-round population as “not many” (three, to be exact).
A while ago, locals replaced a blue-and-white sign with a more colorful attraction. What it doesn’t state is what the town’s odd name actually means — a shortened version of the Native American word for Kettle Mountain, which rises to the north.
“The earliest known reference to Kokadjo (also spelled Kokad-jo) … was in 1844, when a Deacon Ford built a
camp at the mouth of the Roach River,” writes Everett L. Parker in his Arcadia Publishing pictorial “The Moosehead Lake Region: 1900-1950.”
Companion books on the region were compiled by Nathan D. Hamilton and Cynthia A. Thayer, and Suzanne M. AuClair. “Glimpses of Greenville” by William R. Sawtell provides yet another look into the area’s past.
Parker also examines the other K-settlement across the lake, Mount Kineo. He writes that the 1,788-foot mountain, whose name is derived from the legendary Wabanaki warrior, Kinneho, “... is an impressive sight with an almost sheer cliff that rises more than 700 feet from Moosehead Lake. … Five hotel buildings have been located [on the Kineo peninsula] ...”
Stopping at the Moosehead Lake Visitor’s Center on Route 6 allows visitors a chance to pick up tourist information and scale a miniature Maine fire tower. The panoramic view may reveal 2,650-foot Elephant Mountain, the scene of a restored fatal 1963 B-52 bomber crash site which is open to the public.
Visitor’s center volunteers can explain how the mountain, and other area landmarks, got their names. Hint: from a distance, it resembles a large, lying elephant — not a common sight in the north woods.
M ore information can be gleaned at the region’s trifecta of historical museums — the Monson Historical Society, Moosehead Marine Museum (with the vintage Steamship Katahdin), and Moosehead Historical Society and Region Museums. Names of people, places, and things are sure to intrigue visitors.
GREENVILLE’S SHAW PUBLIC LIBRARY STAFF MAY HELP FILL IN DETAILS OF SUCH QUESTIONS AS: Q : H OW DID GREENVILLE, INCORPORATED IN 1836, GET ITS NAME?
A : FROM THE SURROUNDING VERDANT WOODLANDS.
Q : W HAT IS THE ORIGIN OF BORESTONE MOUNTAIN IN ELLIOTSVILLE TOWNSHIP?
A : NAMED FOR ITS GEOLOGICAL POSITION IN THE REGION, NOT FOR ANY PARTICULAR RESEMBLANCE.
Q: W HAT INSPIRED THE NAMES OF THE TOWNS MONSON AND SHIRLEY?
A : MONSON AND SHIRLEY, MASS., MAINE LAND GRANT PARTNERS.
Big Moose Mountain from Lily Bay State Park PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN SWARTZ
Q : F OR WHOM WAS GREENVILLE’S PRITHAM AVENUE NAMED?
A : FRED PRITHAM, M.D., THE REGION’S LONGTIME PHYSICIAN AND SUBJECT OF A 1971 BIOGRAPHY BY DOROTHY CLARKE WILSON.
Q : W HO WAS CHARLES AUGUSTUS DEAN, NAMESAKE OF GREENVILLE’S NORTHERN LIGHT HOSPITAL?
A : A PULP AND PAPER COMPANY PRESIDENT WHO HELPED ESTABLISH THE HOSPITAL IN 1911.
Q : H OW LARGE IS A LEGENDARY STRIP OF LAND NAMED MISERY GORE, LOCATED NEAR ROCKWOOD, IN SOMERSET COUNTY?
A : 17 MILES LONG AND A HALF-MILE WIDE.
(Top) Mount Kineo House, circa a 1920’s postcard.
PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD SHAW
(Middle) Steamer Katahdin on Moosehead Lake featured on a 1920’s postcard.
PHOTO COURTESY OF RICHARD SHAW
(Right) Mount Kineo and village.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIAN SWARTZ
EXPERIENCE SPORTING CAMPS IN RURAL MAINE
B Y ERIN RHODA
IHAD RECENTLY HAD A BABY but couldn’t say no to the chance to stay in a remote cabin an hour north of Greenville. It was September 2021, and my husband and I packed up our van and loaded in our 4-month-old daughter and 3-year-old son. We would join my parents at Spencer Pond Camps, a remote, off-grid grouping of six cabins on Spencer Pond, set below views of Little Spencer Mountain.
When we arrived, we found a piece of Maine as it had largely been for more than a century. The nearest neighbor is 14 miles away. Our furnished cabin had a wood stove, books, gas lamps, and an old propane refrigerator. In addition to no electricity, there was no wifi or cell phone service. The baby didn’t canoe or swim, but others in the family did, and we all spent a day hiking. Mostly we enjoyed being with one another in the beautiful surroundings.
Sporting camps like this one represent an important part of Maine’s heritage, but they have faced a number of challenges since the early 1900s when there were more than 300 across the state. Today, the Maine Sporting Camp Association catalogs 44 sporting camps, though the list is not exhaustive. You can find a handful in the Moosehead region.
They give people today a way to experience the area’s wild places as visitors have done for more than 100 years. As John Rust, president of the Maine Sporting Camp Heritage Foundation, pointed out, staying in a sporting camp is not just good for guests’ wellbeing but supports family-owned businesses that are working hard to keep their doors open.
Some sporting camps have closed because they couldn’t find new owners, or they were purchased and privatized. Some ran into problems related to leasing their land from timber companies. They face high land valuations, taxes, and insurance costs, said Rust, a Maine guide who formed the nonprofit in 2012 to support sporting camps.
When visitors stay at a camp, “they are enjoying the experience there and letting the people operating these continue on and stay open for other people to enjoy,” Rust said. “There are places where you could be sleeping in a 100-year-old log cabin. They are essentially historical properties in that respect.”
Each sporting camp is different, but many cabins were originally built for loggers, Rust said. In the late 1800s, they shifted to accommodate visitors who wanted to hunt and fish, often accompanied by Maine guides. The hunters and fishermen were called “sports,” giving the camps their name. Over time the camps expanded, often drawing people for extended stays who wanted to escape the city. Usually they had a central lodge where guests ate meals together.
Today, sporting camps have adapted. They may no longer cook for guests. Some may have electricity, wifi, hot water, and modern toilets. They may offer fishing equipment, boat rentals, guided hunting, and wildlife tours. But their real value is their history and their prime locations for exploring the wild.
MOOSEHEAD-AREA SPORTING CAMPS
According to Rust, here’s a list of traditional sporting camps in the Moosehead region that offer lodging and provide meals. Visit their websites for more details and prices.
NORTHERN PRIDE LODGE | NORTHERNPRIDELODGE.COM
THE BIRCHES RESORT | BIRCHES.COM
WEST BRANCH POND CAMPS | WESTBRANCHPONDCAMPS.COM
These camps in the Moosehead region now offer mainly cabin rentals: GRAY GHOST CAMPS | GRAYGHOSTCAMPS.COM
LAWRENCE’S LAKESIDE CABINS & GUIDE SERVICE | LAWRENCESCABINS.COM
MAYNARD’S IN MAINE | MAYNARDSINMAINE.COM
SPENCER POND CAMPS | SPENCERPOND.COM
TOMHEGAN CAMPS | TOMHEGAN.COM
WILSONS ON MOOSEHEAD LAKE | WILSONSONMOOSEHEADLAKE.COM
WILSON POND CABINS | WILSONPONDCABINS.COM
The author's mother, son, and husband canoe on Spencer Pond with Little Spencer Mountain in the distance.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN RHODA
The Moose Are WHERE THE MOOSE ARE
A ND OTHER TIPS FOR SPOTTING
WILDLIFE IN THE MOOSEHEAD LAKE REGION
B Y CRYSTAL SANDS
WHEN I FIRST MOVED TO MAINE NEARLY 20 YEARS AGO, I was determined to see a moose in the wild. I had read about how dangerous moose can be, but I imagined that moose were most certainly walking down the road somewhere in Maine at any given moment. I just had to find the right road to observe the majestic moose safely from our car.
After following as many tips as I could from locals (I now question whether some of the tips were real or were just “wild moose chases”) and making many trips to the Moosehead Lake region trying to spot my first moose, I never saw one. On the day I gave up my quest to see a moose on my own, I stopped at a gas station in the area for snacks for our family. I saw a woman who worked at the station outside taking a break. I asked her if she had any tips about where the moose are.
In her most Zen voice, she said, “The moose are where the moose are.”
Of course, she was exactly right. The moose are where the moose are, but to find out where the moose are, I contacted an expert. Amber Cole of Moosehead Area Guide Services in Greenville is passionate about nature and education. Moosehead Area Guide Services provides backwoods, moose, and wildlife tours to family-sized private groups.
“We do not provide just any tour,” Cole said. “We give an education about the wildlife. We tell stories. We allow for questions. And we use encounters with wildlife to educate our guests.”
Cole said that one of the biggest misconceptions about where the moose are is that you will find moose in forests. Forests are not great places to find moose because food for moose can’t grow well underneath the canopy of big trees. Instead, moose are more likely to be located where loggers have cut trees, which allows for lower vegetation, which the moose can reach, to flourish.
“A lot of people do not understand that a big cut of trees is not necessarily bad,” Cole said. “A fully matured forest doesn’t provide food for moose.”
Because the moose are more likely to be located in areas that have been cut, the best way for the average person to see moose would be to travel the logging roads. There is always a chance to see a moose from a main road, but the chances are greater from the logging roads because, according to Cole, in the last 15 years, the cuts from the logging industry have been deeper into the forests and not near the main roads. However, the logging roads are not designed for the average vehicle, and flat tires are a risk. Additionally, there is no cell service in many of these areas, meaning the safest, most assured way of seeing a moose is to take advantage of one of the moose tour guide services in the Moosehead Lake region.
Still, if you are looking to see a moose without a guide, schedule your trip for dawn or dusk, and look for shady, wet areas like bogs and marshes. Just keep in mind that moose are dangerous, so a safe distance from your vehicle is best. Binoculars are a must.
Of course, there is more wildlife to see than the majestic moose in the region. Many people are interested in seeing bears, bald eagles, deer, and other Maine wildlife in their native habitats. Black bears in Maine are shy, so the best time to see them is in spring and early summer when they are really on the hunt for food. Driving the back roads at dawn and late afternoon increases your chances of seeing a black bear, and you should be on the lookout for berry patches. Like moose, bears are dangerous, so you want to keep a safe distance and bring binoculars. But if you are quiet, keep your distance, and respect the bear’s space, it is possible to observe a busy bear eating some berries for quite a long time.
Although the best time to see bald eagles is in the winter months when the eagles are flying over any unfrozen water looking for food, it is also possible to see them
during the summer months. Bald eagles are common in the Moosehead Lake region, and some hikes in the area will have viewing platforms. Again, bring the binoculars because bald eagles are protected by law, and it is important to give them their space.
Maine has a wealth of wildlife, and with so much to appreciate, it’s easy to see why people come from all over the world to experience seeing a moose or bear or other wildlife in their natural habitats. It’s important to remember, however, that wildlife can be dangerous for people and that people can be dangerous for wildlife. With proper respect, preparation, and perhaps taking advantage of an experienced guide service, the experience can be life changing.
If you want to find out where the moose (or other wildlife) are in the Moosehead Lake region, there are many excellent guide service companies in the area. Moosehead Area Guide Services specializes in private tours, but a quick search of wildlife guide services in the Moosehead Lake region will produce many results.
Visit GREENVILLE MAINE
B Y KATIE SMITH
IF YOU’VE EVER BEEN TO GREENVILLE — a hidden gem tucked away in the heart of the Moosehead Lake region, about an hour and a half north of Bangor — you know how much it has to offer. Greenville has it all — not only is it one of the best places in the state to spot a moose, it has deep forests, mountain views, and the largest lake in the state. There are fantastic restaurants, plenty of adventure, and it’s the perfect place to unplug and soak in nature. Whether you’re up at sunrise looking for wildlife, hiking Mount Kineo, paddling through glassy waters, or enjoying a sunset cruise on a vintage steamboat, Greenville offers peace, adventure, and smalltown charm all in one. If you’re looking for a true Maine summer escape — wild, beautiful, and unforgettable — you won’t be disappointed.
HERE’S A LIST OF THINGS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS:
MOOSEHEAD LAKE Moosehead Lake is the largest lake in Maine and the perfect way to enjoy a day on the water. Whether you enjoy boating, kayaking, fishing, or just want to dip your toes in the cool water, there’s something for everyone.
MOUNT KINEO Mount Kineo offers stunning views and cliffs, so if you are a hiker, you must check it out. Mount Kineo is reachable by boat shuttle from Rockwood, which is about 20 minutes from Greenville and worth the trip.
LILY BAY STATE PARK Lily Bay State Park includes 925 acres, and is the perfect spot to take the entire family for a picnic or an entire weekend of camping in a tent or RV. You can enjoy hikes, fishing, canoeing, swimming, a playground, and slips for all sizes of watercraft.
STEAMBOAT KATAHDIN The Steamboat Katahdin — aka “The Kate” — is a great way to see the lake. What better way to cruise along the water than on a 100-year-old steamboat? Narrated cruises and special event cruises are available.
AREA RESTAURANTS If you’re a foodie you won’t be disappointed. Greenville may be a small town, but it offers a wide variety of local flavor. The Dockside Inn & Tavern offers lakefront views and classic Maine food like lobster rolls and clam chowder. It has casual indoor/outdoor seating right on Moosehead.
• THE STRESS FREE MOOSE PUB is another favorite for its live music and upbeat atmosphere. Known for their burgers, steaks, and subs, it’s a great place to get cozy with family and friends.
• AUNTIE M’S is known as the best breakfast spot in town. They are famous for their blueberry pancakes, homemade goodies, and omelets.
WHERE TO STAY If camping isn’t your thing and you prefer to stay in a hotel, the Lodge at Moosehead Lake is an upscale, romantic place with cozy rooms and lake views. It offers private balconies, fireplaces, and mountain views. Perfect for couples needing some quality time together.
• KINEO VIEW LODGE I s a great place for families and is pet friendly. It’s peaceful, quiet, and a great muse for photographers.
• THE CHALET MOOSEHEAD LAKEFRONT MOTEL is right on the lake and offers a boat dock. You can rent canoes and kayaks and enjoy a lakefront picnic area.
• LEISURE LIFE RESORT is perfect if you’re looking for a rustic vibe. There are cabin rentals, lodge rooms, and a restaurant and pub on site.
