Maine

Okay Post your Maine Stuff

The Pemaquid Point Lighthouse has kept watch over a picturesque stretch of Maine coast since 1835. It was the first Maine lighthouse to become fully automated—the last keeper left in 1934. The lighthouse receives more than 100,000 visitors a year, especially because of the beautiful granite ground that reaches out to the sea. -Victoria Levy

Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse: This lighthouse sits on a cape in southern Maine. The cape was named by Captain John Smith after Queen Elizabeth, thus became Cape Elizabeth. This was also the earliest European Settlement in that area in 1628. When the city also took the name of Cape Elizabeth they became involved with the Portland Harbor. This increased the boats visiting their shores as well as shipwrecks. In 1828 the town funded a lighthouse station that ran two towers(one rotating light and one fixed) to keep it from being confused with another nearby lighthouse on Wood Island. Eventually they tore down one of the lighthouses down but the other still stands today. The lighthouse was also inspiration to many painters such as Edward Hopper, who titled his painting, //The Lighthouse at Two Lights.// I thought that this was a beautiful picture and to me, it is what I imagine the east coast to be. It is also great to see such and old building with so much history being preserved and enjoyed today. -Amber Taylor

Maine has the second largest moose population in the United States! (Second to Alaska, naturally). Moose watching is a tourist favorite in the state of Maine, especially through mid-May to July which is a moose's breeding season. Although a moose siting is more common in early summer, it is in the Fall that their antlers become majestic sights, with an average span of five feet wide! Maine is also home to delicious, sweet Lobster. One of my favorite things to do when I travel is taste the area's native foods. There is nothing better than having fresh pasta in Italy, spicy curry in Thailand, and fresh fish next to the sea. One of Maine's most popular, beloved recipes is baked stuffed lobster. This is truly an American creation, for several recipes I found called for Ritz crackers. Drowned in butter, crab, Monterrey Jack cheese and other succulent toppings I can only imagine eating this tasty meal on the Maine coast, wine in one hand, fork in the other, mouth watering with the tantalizing scents of cold, fresh air, salt, and lobster. -Noëlle

I looked at a bunch of pictures from Maine, then found myself looking up a bunch of facts about it. So I'm just going to post a few that I found. Capital: Augusta Flower: White Pine cone and Tassel Bird: Chickadee Fish: Landlocked Salmon Song: State of Maine Song Animal: Moose Cat: Maine Coon Cat Insect: Honeybee Nick name: Pine Tree State Land Area: 30,862 sq mi.

Leanne

Maine is home to Acadia National Forest, the first national park east of the Mississippi. Originally named Lafayette National Forest in 1919, the name was changed to Acadia in 1929. President Woodrow Wilson was initially responsible for the creation of the park, and wealthy philanthropist, John D. Rockefeller Jr. was responsible for the addition of carriage trails and other similar projects throughout the park. In 1947, fire devastated 10,000 acres of the beautiful national forest and among those who were responsible in its rebuilding was once again John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his family. In fact, it is believed that the fire was responsible for bringing out the forest's true beauty by adding a more diverse tree population and even more depth to its scenery.

-Amanda Ising

According to Maine's state website, the state is a product of the Ice Age. The last glacier was responsible for forming the 2,000 islands that can now be found off the coast of Maine. The earliest inhabitants of this cold state were the "Red Paint people", who were named that because of the red clay that they lined the graves of the dead with. While there were dozens of Indian populations who lived in Maine throughout the years, only two tribes remain prevalent there today: the Passamaquoddies and the Penobscots. This picture was taken at one of the Penobscots reservations in the state:

-Meagan





What I learned about Maine during my brief google-adventure was that it is remote, beautiful, and now on my list of places to travel to by motorcycle. The landscape of this place is very different from most other places in this country. I find it curious that Maine seems so distanced from the rest of the country, yet its only just over 300mi from NYC to Portland, Maine (about half the distance from Chico to San Diego). I have a feeling that the landscape is going to play a significant role in the novel we are about to read.

-Ryan

After viewing many websites, I found information about Maine’s eight tourist regions, which contain 6,000 lakes, 32,000 miles of rivers, 5,000 miles of coast and 17 million acres of forestland. Because of these various regions, many people come and visit Maine to swim, surf, sail, kayak, hike, bike, golf, and bird watch. I also found a picture of Sarah Orne Jewett’s (1849-1909) historic home in South Berwick, Maine, on the Piscataqua River. Four generations of the Jewett family lived in this Georgian home built in 1774. Many readers of her work come and visit her home and experience the place that inspired her writing.

~gina

Stephen King, the prominent horror author, was born in Portland, Maine and raised in Durham, Maine. Many of his novels take place on the east coast, specifically Maine and the New England Territories. -Joshua I looked at the history of Maine in the 19th century and found that even at that time it was considered by some as old and decaying. Maine’s economy had little signs of growth and had numerous problems that limited its potential. Much of the work at the time was seasonal because the weather limited when work could be done. In 1876, a former governor implored Maine to move away from selling away its natural resources, which was the primary export, and begin to produce their own goods and preserve what resources remained. But many of the people who lived in Maine felt tied to their way of life, and so change was slow. -Mark



The most popular place in Maine is the city of Portland. It's population is 66,194 and represents part of the metro population with just over 500,000. It was originally named Portland Machigonne by Native Americans. The city survived multiple times of destruction including attacks from the Wampanoag during King Philips war. Portland was also burned down during the American Revolution by the Royal Navy. Portland also was the location for the Battle of Portland Harbor during the Civil war. The city now is a tourist location because of its close proximity to the water and long history. --Evan

While researching Maine, my favorite part was about the abundant wildlife that can be found there. Tourism places offer tours, but there are also self guides with tips and the best places to go, depending on what type of animals you want to see. Of course, there's plenty of moose to look at. You can also see lynx, bears, beavers, porcupines and puffins. There's also a lot of deer, seals, many bird species and whales. With the beautiful landscape, Maine sounds like a wonderful place to go wildlife watching. -Sara

While researching things to do in Maine, I discovered that they actually have dog sled races, something I always associated with Canada and Alaska. The event is called the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races, and takes place in Fort Kent, Maine. They have a 30 mile race, a 60 mile race, and a 250 mile race, which is a qualifier for the more well known Iditarod and Yukon Quest races. Only 30 participants are allowed each year, apparently to "preserve the high quality of the racing experience"...sounds like fun to watch the end of the races anyway! -Alyssa M

Here is a cool site I found with fun facts about Maine! http://www.50states.com/facts/maine.htm I went on a lot of different tourist pages and every one talks about all the fun things to do outdoors. There are hikes and fishing and National Parks to visit. Every state has fun things to do like this, but it's interesting that of the popular things are all about getting outside and seeing the world. I think we should definitely take a class trip to Maine. It is beautiful and there's a lot of history there. -Jessica Dodson



In researching Maine I was delighted to find that with 25% of all blueberries in North America, Maine is the largest blueberry producer in the world. Consequently, it is also the home of the Maine Blueberry Festival which looks like a smashing good time. Here on the left we have some bounty from the fair, and to the right is a blueberry "farm" in Kingsbury Maine. Can i just say - mm mm mmmm, bueberries.

-Liz Curtis

The state tree is the Eastern White Pine. During the age of sail, tall white pines with high quality wood were known as //mast pines//. That is to say that they were used for one of the most important structures in shipbuilding. So it is more than likely that the "Pointed Firs" in the title of Jewetts' book is also a seafaring reference among other things. Fletcher S.

Maine. It has such a hearty name and creates an aura of dignity and importance. I know this one guy who was a Maine state trooper and does he have some stories to tell about the problems of wooded areas, kinda like here. But when we come back to the beauty and naturalness that is Maine, we realize that it is really up into Canada and mostly wants to be left alone. I can imagine Dunnet looking like this painting by Kent Rockwell. The small town, rocky coast with the trees behind and the constant threat of a storm on the horizon. You'd be hard pressed to find a town like this anymore without a Walmart and Burger King sign looming and disturbing the scenery. The regionalism is one of the most important aspects of "The Country of the Pointed Firs" and this portrait shows how small and beautiful every place had in those days. -Richard S.