Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-12-25

The Wilderness IN Miniature.
A PICTURESQUE SECTION OF oxFoRl
}. COUNTY JUST BEING DISCOVERED.
It is q well-known fact that Main'
''people have lived 80 long among th
J. natural beauties and attractions Of thei
! state that they have failed to appreciate
them. Within the last score Of years VI
!. have learned to call Maine the summer
l. playground of the nation, but how Otter
/. do we fully realize that 1t Is the people
of the nation, and not the people Of
Maine, who discovered the real value o.
|. Maine sea coast, and lake, and forest, fol
;. summer homes and breathing places?
Naturally it was the sea coast and ths
islands of Maine which were first fully
!, appreciated along this line. The fac
I has been impressed upon US in grossly
!. material way by the almost fabulous
:. prices paid in recent years for pieces Of
, rocky shore which were but few years
r since generally regarded as valuable
: only, in homely phrase, ito hold the
!: earth together"
Names inland waters have also at.
tracted attention, and upon the shores
of the largest of the many hundred Of
them have sprung up many big hotels
J and public and private camps, wherein
, for period In the summer men, women
and children live the more or less simple
! life, according to taste and means. The
popular fancy generally requires that
these abiding places shall be in harmony
with the wilderness by being construct
ed of logs from the Maine forests, and
that the rustic idea shall be carried out
in all the appointments of the place so
far as possible. When 1t comes to the
matter of the dinner table, although fish
and game are supposed to be plenty in
their season, yet the city markets must
be relied upon to some extent. Sim
plicity in the life is very we'll, but the
cuisine is generally the last department
of the life which it affects.
I While the shores of the sea and the
inland lakes have had the greatest draw
ing power, we are beginning slowly to
understand that Names list of attrac-
tions does not stop there, but that her
breezy hilltops with their magnificent
views, her pure springs and cold mount
ain brooks tinkling through the sweet
forests, and even those little gems of
lakes which are 80 insignificant in our
eyes that We dub them "ponds," hold
out Invitations to all mankind to come,
in our beautiful New England summer,
and live the life that is worth living,
near to nature.
To spend the summer, or any consider
able portion thereof, in the great Maine
woods, is the sport of the rich. The
average man has not the time or means
to do it. Yet within reach of most OF
us, as we are beginning to comprehend,
are spots where we may get close to
nature, and enjoy what she has for us,
perhaps as we'll as the man whose hun
dred thousand dollar log cabin occupies
the finest site on one of our inland lakes.
IN. B. If you fancy that this is the
advertisement of real estate agency,
you are mistaken. The writer has no
camp lots anywhere to sell. He only
wishes he did have.
Situated near the geographical center
of Oxford County, II such term as geo.
graphical center can be properly used in
connection with the county, is that
group of rugged Oxford hills which fur
nishes the title at the head of this
column.
If you look at the map of the town of
Woodstock, you will see that there is
but one road which extends the entire
width of the town from north to south,
and that is near the western border OF
the town. One could start from a point
on that road, and travel in northeast
erly direction nearly twelve miles in
straight line, until he struck the Worth
ley Pond road in eastern Peru, without
crossing but one highway in his journey,
and that hard and billy road, to which
reference will be made hereafter. The
group of hills over and among which
he would pass in his journey extends
from Perhsm Mountain and Spruce
Mountain in Woodstock on the west to
Black Mountain and Tumbledown Dick
in Peru on the east. Its southern Dor.
der is the ridge known as Molly Ockett
Mountain in southern Woodstock, and
it's northern point is the peak of Mount
Zircon in RumfOrd.
Most of the hills in the group are
wooded, though several of them are 80
high and rocky that only scrub growth
and blueberries flourish at their tops.
Near the middle of the group rises big
cancels OK. shaped ledge, called Speck-
led Mountain, from the summit of which
there is to be had one of the most ex-
tended views to be found in the county.
This mountain rises 10 fairly easy slopes
everywhere except on it's southern face,
which is a steep precipice, impossible in
places, and almost anywhere furnishing
the amateur mountain climber with a
pocket edition Of the real thing.
Deer live in these woods, and num-
Der of them are taken there every year,
and last summer bear was fired at
while swimming in one of the ponds.
The brooks have stood the raid OF
numerous fishermen as we'll as any
brooks 80 near the towns, and still fur
nish good sport. Not far from the mid
die Of the group are five ponds-Concord
and Little Concord, which drain toward
the Androscoggin on the north, Shagg
and Washburn in one Of the southern
valleys, forming the head waters of one
branch of the Nezinscot River, and
Abbott in another, which also joins its
waters with the Nezinscot. OF these
ponds, Washburn is less than ten acres
in area, and is privately owned. The
others, while not large, are of sufficient
size to be 'great ponds" under the laws
of the state, and are public waters.
Their shores are mostly wooded, and In
deed, some of them are deep in the
woods.
Roads run into the valleys among the
hills in several places, but, as stated
above, only one road passes through the
region in north and south direction.
While this is Almost picturesque road,
travellers on it need have little fear of
meeting automobiles, for portion of it
is not the kind of track affected by that
class of vehicles. The southern end of
this road is in Sumner, and it passes up
the valley through the settlement for
merly called Farrar's Mills, but which
is now Redding, and which has post
Office, mills and store. Redding may
be termed the gateway of the hills.
About mile farther on the road passes
near Shagg Pond, in the vicinity OF
which are three farm houses. For the
next three miles its course is over
"Granite LEDGE" through the woods
up one steep slope and down another,
until it reaches Concord Pond. Here
the road forks, one fork going westward