The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1924-10-09
G. ". H|NCkLEY ON
PLEASANT POND
Again Shows Why One OF the Several
OF Same Name Should Have Dis
tlnquishlng Name

The other day one of the leading
dailies of Maine published half
tone engraving of view on Pleas
ant Pond. am in love with
Pleasant Pond. Pleasant Pond is
from my home. 1t is fed by springs
with no other inlets to mention, and
consequently its waters are very
clear and cold; its shores are steep
and on one side they are mountainous.
The late John Burroughs once spent
several days on the shores of Pleas
ant Pond and mentions the pond in
one of his books. There is monu-
ment of loose stones on the spot
where he camped and all visitors are
requested to add a stone. And, so,
when l saw this picture of Pleasant
Pond, in leading daily which men
toned it as a pleasant place to visit,
| was interested. But | discovered
in a moment that there was someth
ing wrong; the scene in the daily was
not familiar. Then / learned that 1t
was Pleasant Pond in the town of
Island Falls, Maine, that had been
photographed and described.
Now Pleasant Pond in Island
Falls. Maine. differs from Pleasant
Pond, in Carratunk, Maine.
Pleasant Pond in Island Falls, Is
fed by springs with no other inlet
to mention and consequently its
waters are very clear and cold; its
shores are steep and on one side
mountainous.
Do you see the difference. Both
are beautiful The difference is very
marked aud notable. Burroughs
visited one and did not visit the
other; on the shores of the one that
he visited is the loose pile of stone,
contributed by many admirers OF
Burroughs writings, and there is no
such attempt at memorial at the
other. That is one reason why |
have proposed that Pleasant Pond,
Carratunk Me, be changed to Bur
roughs' Lake If that change should
be made there would still he more
than a dozen bodies of water in the
State of Maine bearing the name
pheasant Pond"-in one county
there are two ponds bearing that
name-and the conversion of the
name in Caratunk would be missed.
Whether any good reason could be
found Tor changing the name of any
one of the dozen or fifteen other so
called Pheasant Ponds" | do not
know; but the visit of John Bur
-rougfs and his subsequent remarks
about it gives good and satisfactory
reason for reducing the pleasant
Ponds in Maine by one, and at the
same time adding a new interest to
the one whose name can be consist
emily dealt with; and some confusion
can be avoided.
The other day, about the same
time that | saw the picture of Pleas
ant Pond, and discovered that ii was
not the pleasant Pond" that | had
supposed, I read in another Maine
paper that there was to be a Battle
of Music" whatever that may be, at
Pleasant Pond. This interesterd me
greatly at first, but alas it was not
Pleasant Pond, Caratunk. nor Pleas
ant Pond, Island Falls, but another
one of the dozen or fifteen ponds in
the State which bear that name and
which are coming in to more prom
inence each year.
More and more we are guided in
our travel by bodies of water we go
by the way of Moosehead Lake. Rang
ley Lake, Moose GOllu, oeDdSlltOOh
Lake, Massachusetts. Cobbossecontec
Pleasant Pond-but which one do we
mean; the Pleasant Pond in Somerset
County, or in Aroostook County. or
Kennebec County or one of the two
in Piscataquis County, or in anyone Of
the other counties? To avoid CON
fusion at least one of them can re-
eeiYe IA name that will distinguish it
from the others once and for all
G. W. HINCKLEY