Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1900-05-16

Swril- In the north vast katahiiH,
Md, wandering from IL tuarshy feet,
The broad Peuobscot comes to meet
And miugle with it, own green bay.
John tirscntedf Whittier.
II named it Isle des Monts Deserts"
So wrote the great French navigator,
Samuel de Champlain, In the account OF
his voyage to the new world as early as
1901, during which he explored what Is
now the eastern part OF the coast OF Maine,
discovered and sailed up the 1t. Lawrence,
and recorded the first description OF the
now e. nous summer resort, the isle of
Mount Desert, ever given by European.
This VAS included in the account OF his
20 az accompanied with maps, published
il France after his return TO that ountry.
ere Is his cription:
From this island to the mainland on
the north the distance is less than hun
q ed PAGES. II Is very high and notched
J l.ces so there is an appearance to one
= sea OF seven or eight mountains
f#'rding along near each other. The
,f3inmit OF most OF them "a destitute of
tres, as there are only rocks on them.
nc woods consist OF pines. frs, and
tfrche= only"
HISTORY AND ROMANCE.
This describes the Mount Desert OF to-
day, and hriet as 1T is 1t eau only be made
more complete by iiIling in few minor
details which have become necessary by
modern conditions The general outline
has changed little from Champiain's time,
and a. one looks upon the bold noun
tsins and evergreen covered headands OF
the island day IT looks just the same as
il did to Champiain's little band OF ex-
plorers OF the new world nearly 300 years
ago. The coast may have changed
slightly but it is slig htly; the mountain
submits are destitute OF trees now as
then, and the approach to the island from
the sea presents the same outline "of
seven or eight mountains extending along
near each other along the coast, these
mountains being observable from dis
lance OF sixty miles to seward.
The place described as LESS than hun
bred PAGES" to the mainland on the north
must be at Mount Desert narrows, near
Thompson's island, opposite to Trenton
point and where little corner OF the
town OF Trenton to this day runs across
the parrows upon the main island and
should properly belong to the town OF
Eden. 4 bridge nov connects Mount
Desert iuianc with the mainland by
road across Tompson's island where at
mean iow water the distance across may
not be much more than IT Was when seen
by ChampiBin.
Nine years after the discovery OF Mount
Desert by Chsmplain, IA colony OF Jesuits
settled on what il now known as Fernald's
point, at the western entrance to Somes'
sound and there are to be seen there to
this day the triangular shaped wells and
remains OF ancient cellars which unmis-
tRkably tell the story of the early French
occupancy OF that most charming spot
one OF the very few places on the entire
southwestern coast OF the island which
has undergone no Transformation in re-
cent times, the old farm house upon 1t
being at least sixty years old, possibly
much Older. After this French colony
was abandoned 1t was not until 1858 that
the island is noted in historic annals, but
in that year Mount Desert and the ad-
king of the House OF Bour bon to Antonio
Cadillac in reward for services performed
for the king In America.
BEAUTIES or THE ISLAND.
Mount Desert is the largest and GER
tainly the most beautiful island on the
coast of Maine. It has, indeed, but few,
perhaps no rivals on this globe. The
Maine sea coast il one OF urpsssing beauty
and varied picturesqueness from the Isle
Of Shoals to Quoddy Head. with its thou
sands OF indentat ions and its hundreds of
islands-but nature has crowned Mount
Desert, the gem OF the Atlantic coast,
with the rarest combination OF water,
landscape aud mountain scenery known
In this part OF the world.
In their description OF Naine-in the
history OF New England by Coolidge and
Mansfield, the authors say: Mount
Desert Is remar Bile for its size, its singu-
lar topography, It's bold and wild scenery,
and still more for its wilder and stranger
history. Whoever visits 1t, IL he Is
familiar with its earliest records and
legends. Will, as he sits upon some bold
pinnacle OF its mountains and giances
over its Graded islands, its sun
Furnished creeks, its mountain lakes, and
Its Alp-tike ravines, almost expect to see
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