Here, seven glacial-created lakes connect in rocky silence, a testimony to events that took place thousands of years ago. Indian relics can be found in and around the water. Others followed, then came loggers, farmers, and with the rise of immigrant civilization, the large fabric mills which use the water power generated by the white-water Kennebec River. Rachel Carson researched her famous books, Belgrade Lakes is centered in the vast logging region which brought forth tales bigger than life, like those about Paul Bunyan. Throughout the area, historic clapboard farmhouses with attached barns are surrounded by the brilliant colors of summer flowers.
Residents visit one another by driving along quiet winding roads through the woods.
Moose, bear, raccoon, beaver, mink and other protected wildlife can be seen if you have the patience to quietly wait. But time passes differently here. It's the pace of nature. And waiting seems only natural to do. In the village, greetings are on a first-name basis, handshakes confirm agreements, and generations of residents know that their children's children will be friends with the children's children of their neighbors.