1883 Hubbard Map of Moosehead Lake, Mt. Katahdin and Environs, Maine

A fascinating map of the region around Moosehead Lake in northern Maine, prepared in 1883 by Lucius Hubbard and lithographed by Augustus Meisel as an addendum to the first edition of Hubbard's Woods and Lakes of Maine. It reflects early efforts to improve access to the lake, marking the beginning of the tourism boom in this region.

A Closer Look

Covering much of north-central Maine, this map takes in Moosehead Lake, Mount Katahdin (here as 'Mt. Ktaadn'), and environs. Survey lines, which generally double as the borders of towns and land grants, are traced throughout. Moosehead Lake, Chesuncook Lake, Chamberlain Lake, and dozens of smaller lakes and ponds are labeled, as are mountains, streams, rivers, and other topographic features, often with approximations of their Native American names along with an English name. Roads (including 'winter roads'), 'carries' (footpaths along a river, generally originally used by Native Americans), railroads, farms, taverns, and villages are noted, as are multiple land grants which were dedicated to various purposes.

Maine's College Land Grants

The map records a range of land grants, including the Bowdoin College Grant (towards right, east of Greenville), the Hopkins Academy Grant (at right), the Sandwich Academy Grant (at left), the Indian Purchase at right, the Revolutionary Soldiers grant at left, and the Middlesex Canal Grant on Moosehead Lake, among others. The names of the grants often indicated the intended beneficiaries of money gained from any land sold therein, though in the case of revolutionary soldiers and Indians was intended to provide homesteads rather than an investment. Most, if not all, of these land grants had been established in the early 19th century by the Massachusetts State Legislature before Maine's statehood in 1820, and most helped finance the institution in question (other institutions had similar land grants in northern New England, such as Dartmouth College).

Bowdoin's land grant (established in 1812) was actually two; an eastern and western grant. The college maintained these for many years, but in recent decades has sold off a portion of the land, with much of the eastern grant going to the Appalachian Mountain Club (part of the Appalachian Mountain Club 100 Mile Wilderness Conservation Area). The Appalachian Trail traverses a central portion of this map, passing through peaks to the east of Moosehead Lake and culminating at Mt. Katahdin.

Katahdin Iron Works

The Katahdin Iron Works, towards lower-right, was an iron mining and smelting operation located near Brownville. Established in the 1840s, it was a significant site for iron production in the region, utilizing local resources (ore, wood for charcoal, water sources) to produce pig iron for tools, machinery, and other iron goods. The railway seen here (Bangor and Katahdin Iron Works Railway) was opened in 1881 and eventually linked up with the extensive Bangor and Aroostook Railroad network.

The Iron Works was the center of a company town that grew up around it and marks a notable example of industrial activity in Maine's wilderness. However, due to the challenges of remote location, limited transportation options, and changes in the iron industry, the iron works eventually declined and closed by the end of the 19th century. Today, the site is part of a state historic park where remnants of the iron works, including some of the original structures and a restored blast furnace, are preserved.

'Sportsman's Paradise'

In the late 19th century, this region, and especially Moosehead Lake, became a popular destination for tourism as a result of its natural beauty, rugged wilderness, and increased accessibility. The lake, one of the largest in New England, attracted outdoor enthusiasts ('rusticators') interested in fishing, hunting, and scenic excursions, marking the beginning of recreational tourism in the area. The year after this map's publication, the Bangor and Piscataquis Railroad reached Greenville on the lake's southern shore, which was a major boon to tourism, as summertime travelers from Boston, New York, and other coastal cities could reach the lake directly via the rails. Lodges, resorts, and other services catering to this generally elite clientele, including hunting and fishing tours led by locals (woodsmen and Penobscot Indians), soon sprang up, creating the image of northern Maine as a 'sportsman's paradise' that endures to the present day.

Publication History and Census

This map appeared in multiple editions, often corresponding to the editions of Hubbard's Guide to Moosehead Lake and Northern Maine, with the first edition of the map appearing in Hubbard's Summer Vacations at Moosehead Lake and Vicinity, published in 1879 by A. Williams of Boston (in essence the first edition of the later Hubbard's Guides). This 'revised edition' (the second edition of the map) was included as a back pocket supplement with the first edition of Hubbard's Woods and Lakes of Maine. A trip from Moosehead Lake to New Brunswick in a Birch-Bark Canoe, published in 1883 by J.R. Osgood and Co. in Boston (Osgood appears to have published a second edition in 1884 containing the same map; later editions of Woods and Lakes of Maine were put out by different publishers with later editions of the map). Any edition of the map or of Hubbard's guides are quite rare now, but this edition of the map appears to be especially scarce. We are only able to verify this edition of the map being independently cataloged among the holdings of the University of Southern Maine's Osher Map Library, though three other institutions (the University of Maine at Orono, Dartmouth College, and the Maine State Library) also catalog the map with a date of 1883. Due to inconsistent cataloging and the intermingling of digital, microfiche, and physical examples, a census for the first edition(s) of Woods and Lakes of Maine published by Osgood is similarly difficult to establish, but physical examples look to be held by Harvard University, the University of British Columbia, and the British Library.