Maine Coon
The first mention of Maine Coon cats in a literary work was in 1861, in Frances Simpson's "The Book of the Cat" (1903). F.R. Pierce, who owned several Maine Coons, wrote a chapter about the breed. During the late 1860s, farmers located in Maine told stories about their cats and held the "Maine State Champion Coon Cat" contest at the local Skowhegan Fair.