Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-02-16
Mount katabdln.

Mount Katabdin.
In the great county of Aroostook, in
Maine, a territory of six thousand square
miles, and containing probably more arabic
land than the whole Of Vermont, there lives
man who conjoins in one the character Of
missionary, horticultural, naturalist aud ex-
plorer, and is eminent in all. The graduate
Of Vermont college (and vermonter by
birth, we believe), he has expstriated him
self to the wilds of Maine, and has there de
voted himself to preaching the gospel to the
humbermen and other settlers, for many
years, recreating himself in his moments Of
leisure with the other occupations named.
Th. gentleman, the Rev. Marcus X. Keep,
was the pioneer in the ascent and explora-
ton of Mount katahdin the loftiest summit,
and, indeed, the only very high mountain in
Maine, doubly conspicuous, not only for that
reason, but because it is an almost solitary
peak, rising abruptly from territory where,
for a long distance, there are no other such
elevations. As a reward for his services in
this respect, but, perhaps, mainly for the
value Of his explorations of the wild lands Of
the state, the legislature Of Maine, some
time since, granted Mr.. Keep half town.
ship Of land
We have for number Of years been hon.
ored with the friendship and correspondence
Of this gentleman, aud, at our request, he has
recently prepared for us a sketch Of Mount
Katahdin, as follows. AG'L EDITOR.
This mountain which marks the centre Of
Maine, and from the summit Of which may be
seen just about the whole state with little border
Of New Brunswick and Canada stands more alone
than any mountain OF it, height It has a few
neghborng peaks in the group but l am not
aware Of It's relation TO any extended chain The
summit is nearly mile above the sea level and
nearly that above the whole surrounding region Of
forests and lakes. The lakes Of the Penobscot
Kennebec, and st. Johns rivers that are visible
from the summit Of It would be hard to count
but they are somewhere in number FROM one hun
dred to one thousand Moosehead the largest. be
ing forty miles long and from that down to a
frog pond Of half an acre. This view Of the forest
and lake is tho chief interest to the visitor rather
few are in sight As, unless The air is quite clear
the distant view is hid in the dim haze Of the hori-
lon. Hence the greatest object Of interes, to the
visitor is the structure Of the mountain itself
with the plainest features Of it, primmya form
from the morning Of creation the least changed by
the lapse Of ages Of any summit On this continent
particularly the last five hundred feet Of its alt-
tnde, which We have found 10 be above the ice
drift Scarce a fragment Of rock has moved since
the whole up from the depths Of waters at the
gathering together Of the water called the seas,
and as the upheaying force from below parted the
upper and lower silurian strata the older and still
lower gueous rocks forced their way 20 the top
shattered by meeting water at red heat and
leaving acres VI these scales and chips Of rock
where we now see them; and also the more strik-
ing spectacle Of the cleft slabs Of granite perpen
dcuiar, three 10 five feet above the surface, but
not detached from the main rock below. These
SUBMITS are all OF red granite, then below the
perpendicular walls Of gray granite are piles aud
vast blocks Of the same rock, la wild confusion,
where no drift Office or any force, could have
riod them. And there they lie now, in from ten
~ fifty acre masses, one thousand feet deep. con-
sistng OF uuworn angular blocks Of granite from
the size Of large house downward, where the
whole mass shaken by almighty hand as
man would shake peck basketfu Of potatoes
Only here and there has the erumbling Of the rock
made a little soil, where few mosses and noun
tain cranberry vines can grow. These piles Of
broken fragments are all in the area Of what we
cali the basin-a space Of about a mile by a niile
and a half almost surrounded by the wall Of the
mountain in the form Of a horse shoe This basin
opens u the east towards ratten village, twenty
five miles distant The surrounding wall, two
thousand feet high, is for large portion Of the
way utterly impossible for any human being
There are four or five sharp peaks, on the south
carving wing Of the wall, which is about one-half
or three-fourths of mile long The first, the
chimney, is the most difficult Of ascent, stand
ing about two hundred feet above the rest Of the
wall This curyiDg wall rises westward from the
chimney, and the pass along its edge is SO narrow
in few places as TO allow only single person at
time to pass, where on the right hand man
could drop q cannon ball from his extended
hand, that would 90 TO the bottom, two thousand
feet, before it would stop.
Within the area Of this basin are six little
ponds, from an acre to forty acres in size forming
together, a. Roaring Brook which emptie- out at
the eastern opening Of the basin, and runs down
tAt sue eA tlt NloAAAAtu Inc ulNfiuloeA OF
these ponds Of fye acres Is Immediately under
the chimney. aud there many visitors 90 for a
nights stay
Once over this pond glacier one thousand
feet deep, made OF the accommodating SHOWS Of
ages, flowed eastward to the outlet Of the basin,
one and a half miles, where the terminal moraine
is now 10 be seen. As one passes around ON the
curving wall from peak To the other, the form
Of the basin looks liks a great potash kettle.
Here one can see the first formation Of cloud,
and watch its growth into the widest fury Of a
Storm covering the mountain with dark clouds,
and shaking 1t with tempest and with thunder
We have no wonder at the Indians fear Of thi.
mountain, as the home Of the evil spirit nor the
legend OF his stolen squaw, the iairest Of then
tribe, defending his prize with the monitons Of
thunder from all intrusion to the kitchen Of hi,
domestic affairs; for from all their hunting
grounds they could see the smoke Of his council
fires, when any evil was in contemplation for the
tribe and it is seldom il ever they dare approach
the castle of Pomolak' said the late Johr
Todd, OF his visit there. 81 wanted to be wher'
no one could ask me, what means the tear tina
stands in your eys?' and in all my visits there
for do not know how many, never got through
looking with awe at this work Of the Creator
where God in sunshine and storm still keeps Iii
"sgnal station" toward which the hay-makers
for one hundred miles around, may look TO
probabilities " NJ r. KEEP.
Dalton, Aroostook Co, Maine January I'D, 1916