The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-07-19
THE SEBAGO WATERS.
Portland's Forest and Stream At
fractions for Summer Outing.


head and the Rangely-A Portlander May
See it on a Summers Afternoon, or He
May Spend Weeks Exploring 1t
Correspondence OF the Press.l
4, Portland harbor and the other por-
tious Of Casco Bay are such an unrival-
led resort for the pleasure-seeker, yachts
man, hunter and tourist, as to lead to
rather too much neglect of the beautiful
and extensive lake region Of this county.
If the harbor islands with the steamers
and smaller boats are the boosted at
traction at Portland's front door, she
has at her back door a lake system
almost as readily accessible, and capable
of furnishing quite as much pleasure.
Indeed to one who lives the greater por-
ton of the year by the salt water, the
change to lakes and rivers swept by the
softer, lighter air of the hills and noun
tains, is both welcome and beneficial.
1t is only a little easier to reach the
harbor boats than the lake boat. Thirty
or forty minutes ride by train will land
one at Sebago Lake station, whence
there is a picturesque and uninterrupted
waterway to fishing, hunting, pleasure
and vacation grounds in dozen or
more of the fairest towns of Maine.
One or two Portlanders who appreciate
this excursion ground have private
steam launches for navigation on the
lake and its many connections. But
most who go this way use the steamer
which plies daily up the lake, the Songo
and other Lakes as far as Harrison, the
northernmost town of the county.
summers afternoon and a very mod
crate cost Gas the time tables and adver-
tisement OF steamer Hawthorne show
daily in the PRESS will take one with
great comfort and pleasure through
large portion of this lake system and
return HIM tc Portland by dark. But
such an excursion, pleasant as it is,
gives one but hint Of the pleasant and
picturesque places accessible by this
waterway Sebago Lake receives the
waters OF twenty six other lakes and
ponds; and with canoe and launch one
might explore for weeks and months,
finding always new and interesting
places. Before the days OF the railroad
this water system was the
highway for traffic between Port
land and the northern por-
ton of the county, the old canal making
the fifteen miles or more of connection
between salt water and the Lake. This
canal is now ruin, grown over to the
alders and frogs, both OF which flourish
excessively in the pools of stagnant wat
er. Not SO the remaining portions of
this highway. The Songo is still navi-
gable; and the old lock near Naples is
still useful as we'll as picturesque
Portland people do not visit. this re-
gion SO much as they might if they real
lied more fully its beauties Boston
people are much more appreciative, con-
sidering the greater trouble they must
take to reach here.
To him who does not care to explore on
his own account, the route of the steam
er will display the leading attractions and
features of this lake system. The steam
err passes by Frye s4Istand and Raymond
Cape, places Welt known for stirring In
dian legends and for association with the
name of Nathaniel Hawthorne. threads
the winding Songo, well-worthy of all
that Longfellow has said of it, passes
upper lakes which lead to Naples, Bridg-
ton and Harrison. These upper lakes,
one called ambitiously the Bay of Naples
and the other appropriately named Long
Lake are not so large as Sebago, but
are as beautiful Around them as
around Sebago, forests are most conspic-
uous, with occasional farms and ham
let's appearing.
The beauties of water and shore are
in clear weather by views
of many mountains, near and far, with
the White Mountains plainly visible in
the background.
The country about Long Lake is par
ticularly fine Bridgton lies upon one
side and Harrison upon the other. The
former is the larger, and its attractions
have been made more widely known. It's
Highland Lake, beautiful sheet of
W alter set between high ridges, is good
example of the smaller members of the
lake system, which lie around it,
connected by steamers of varying sizes.
A comparison is hardly in order be-
tween the Sebago system and these of
Moosehead and the Rangeleys. The
Moosehead system is more extensive, and
the woods around IL possess the charm or