Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A more detailed description of North Maine Woods activities and respon-
sibilities is included in the Far North section, pages 452-454.
435-6213.
Baxter State Park
Geographically and spiritually Baxter State Park is the center
of the Maine outdoors, which is why we are covering it first, in a
special section.
History
This 205,000-acre preserve is testament to the drive and vision of one
man, Gov. Percival Baxter. After efforts to get the state to purchase land
in the area failed, he came up with the money and over several decades
purchased it privately. He then gave it to the people of the state to be kept
forever wild.
In Memory of Gov. Percival Baxter
Gov. Baxter's words are immortalized on a bronze plaque affixed
to a boulder near the base of Katahdin, the highest mountain in
Maine and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail.
Man is born to Die,
His Works are Short-lived
Buildings Crumble, Monuments Decay, Wealth Vanishes
But Katahdin, in All Its Glory, Forever Shall Remain the
Mountain of the People of Maine
.
Gov. Baxter's first land purchase was in 1930, when he bought about 10
square miles, including barren and windswept Katahdin. His last pur-
chase was made in 1962. The Baxter Park Commission, which oversees
operation, has added several thousand acres since, most recently nearly
2,000 acres in the southern corner of the preserve along the West Branch
of the Penobscot River.
Baxter Not A True State Park
While it is called a state park, Baxter is not controlled by political
forces in Augusta. Feisty and controversial long-time superin-
tendent Irvin “Buzz” Caverly, Jr. answers to a triad authority,
which includes the state's attorney general, the director of the
Forest Service and the commissioner of the Maine Department of
Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. A volunteer commission advises
the authority.
