This famous family had close ties with Maine from “Teddy” to “FDR.” Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, Jr. As early as 1878, Teddy Roosevelt began his long relationship with Maine and his personal guide, William Wingate “Bill” Sewall of Island Falls in Aroostook County. They spent a substantial amount of time exploring what is now Katahdin Woods…
William Wingate Sewall (1845-1930), a Maine guide and log driver, was the first white child born in Island Falls, April 13, 1845. His parents had come from southern Maine: father Levi Sewall from Phippsburg, born in 1800 and Mother Rebecca Alexander from Harpswell, born in 1810. Each are 211 miles from Island Falls by Interstate …
![Upper Gordon Falls on the Mattawamkeag River (2016) [See video]](https://maineanencyclopedia.com/wp-content/uploads/160425-RW014-Copy.jpg)
The Mattawamkeag River, on which the town is located, is the largest eastern tributary of the Penobscot. See photos. The junction of the two rivers is marked by a gravel bar at the entrance to the Mattawamkeag. Thoreau, on his way to climbing Mount Katahdin, visited the area in 1847. Today, a 1,000 acre Wilderness Park is situated between the two rivers with campsites, fishing, swimming and hiking available.
William Sewall became a wildlife guide and companion to Theodore Roosevelt in the 1870′s. The town has frontage on almost half of Pleasant Lake. See photos. The nearby Walker Settlement hosts a golf course and residential development near the lake. Several large homes recall the heady days when potato was king in the County. One of those was that of Governor Carl E. Milliken. Island Falls has had industry in the form of lumber mills, grist mills and a starch factory.
Mount Battie and the picturesque stone mountain tower, located in Camden, are rich in legend and history. In 1897, Columbus Bushwell, a Camden resident, built a carriage road to the top of the mountain. Today this old carriage road is part of the 25-mile hiking trail system in Camden Hills State Park. In 1898, Mr.…
September 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1846 Henry David Thoreau first climbs Mount Katahdin, then climbs again the next day reaching the summit. 1853 First publication of the newspaper the…
August 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1817 Birth date of Ephraim W. Farley, member of the Maine House of Representatives, and elected as a Whig to the U.S. Congress.…
August 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1809 Birth date of Hannibal Hamlin, the only Maine person to be Vice-President of the U.S., was Congressman, Governor and U.S. Senator (1857-1861;1869-1881)…