There are many national parks in the United States; they all attract many people yearly. One of the most popular parks in the U.S. is the Acadia national park. The Acadia National Park has a very unique history including that of a tribe of Indians that shaped the park into what it is today. There are also a lot of people that help boost the park to its full potential. These people are a very important part in the growth of this national park. There are also a lot of great sites that can be seen in this park such as, Sieur de Monts Spring , Cadillac Mountain, and many other amazing places. There are around two million visitors that visit Acadia National Park yearly. And they come from all over just to see this National Park.
The Naming of The Park
The naming of the park took a long process of finding the right name that fit the park well. Acadia National park was first established as Sieur de Monts national Monument on July 8,1916. It was named by the president at that time whose was Woodrow Wilson. It was then changed to Lafayette national park on February 26,1919. That was when it was named the only national park east of the Mississippi. Finally, on February 19,1929 it was officially named Acadia National park. Acadia came from a town in Greece called “Arcadia”. This was because it reminded one of the sailors, Giovanni Verrazzano, of arcadia as he sailed by. Acadia also means that it was previously owned by the french. ( Naming of the Park)
The People of The Island
There are many people that have call Acadia home, and helped the park to become what it is today. The first inhabitants of this island, known as Mount Desert Island, was the Wabanaki people. The Wabanaki people were known as The People of Dawnland. They have inhabited the land we now call maine for over 12,000 years. Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park has been the center of the Wabanaki traditional homelands for thousands of years. The Wabanaki people make and sell baskets out of ash and birch bark to the travelers. They also have elaborate dance performances and perform them for the tourists that come and see the park. The native tribes still have reservations throughout maine. They still have a strong spiritual relationship with the land. ( The Wabanaki)
The island was then thought to be owned by many European sailors but they only stayed short amounts of time and they weren’t a very strong part in the building and creating of the Acadia national park. So the next important person that came along was Waldron Bates. He was the “pathmaker” of Acadia National Park. Waldron Bates did not necessarily create all of the paths by himself (they normally used some local men to make the trails). But, as the Chairman of the Path Committee of Bar Harbor Village Improvement Association he oversaw and established the construction and maintenance standards. He also told them were the workers where the trails would go. While he did this he also made a map that had all of paths and trails that they created. He was also the first person to create the trail handbook for all of the men that were making the trails. In remembrance of him there is pathmaker plague where as you pass you remember and thank the pathmaker Waldron Bates. ( Waldron Bates)
The final person that had a huge impact on the park was George B. Dorr. George B Dorr was known as the Father of Acadia National Park. He was a citizen that saw the beauty in the park and wanted to preserve it. George B. Dorr was raised with a lot of benefits great fortune came from both side of his family and with this his family traveled a lot. When his family went on a trip to Mount Desert Island he knew that was where he was going to live. He made the island his life. He was determined to get the rights to protect that land. So after several trips and two years he was able to get the president to make the island a National Monument. Because waiting for congress to ok it took too long. It was not until 1919 that is came to be a National Park. To honor all of George B. Dorr put into the park one of the later executors of the park renamed a mountain after him and put a monument at the base of the mountain. (George B. Dorr)
Sites in Acadia National Park
Cadillac Mountain
Cadillac Mountain is one of the many popular sites in the Acadia National Park. It’s highest point is 1,530 feet and for half of the year it is the first place on the island that you can see the sunrise. After many glaciers that it has gone through it has gotten a rounded top. It is also composed of pink granite and is covered in many trees. There are also bush’s up there that produce blueberries, and many boulders in a variety of shapes and sizes. One of the most popular things to do is to catch the sunrise and watch the sunrise from the top of Cadillac Mountain. (Cadillac mountain)
Sieur de Monts Springs
Sieur de Monts Springs is one of the most important and meaningful places on the island. This is a monument that is dedicated to George B. Dorr. Sieur de Monts Springs is just one of the many things that George B. Dorr did for this amazing national park. This was put in too honor all of the work that he did to make this park into what it is today. On a nearby rock Dorr wrote “The sweet waters of Acadia”. You can still see this carving in the rock today. He named this spring after a french nobleman Pierre de Gau de Monts. Along this spring you can follow some beautiful trails and enjoy jaw dropping sites. (Sieur de Monts springs)
There are also a lot of other sites that you can see and go to on this island. Such as, Bass Lighthouse, Thunder Hole, and Jordan trail. All of these sites have amazing views and you won’t be disappointed if you go to these. This park has a lot of places that you can go and has many attraction that will entertain people of all ages.
Visitors yearly
Acadia national park is one of the most visited national parks in the country. There are around 2 million people that visit Acadia National Park Yearly. Acadia on my mind stats that some of the busiest months are June, July, and August. In these months there are around 500,000-600,000 and the numbers keep going as the weather gets better and better. Acadia on my mind also says that in 2014 the national park hit a record high of visitors with 2,559,473 people that visited the national park. This is due to the good weather that we had and people were able to access the park for a longer time throughout the year. There are many people that visit this national park every year and they come from all over to look at the scenic views that this park has to offer. (Visitors yearly)
Overall you will not be disappointed if you visit this park. This park came together by some amazing people that made it into what it was today. Such as the Indian tribe that lives on the island. Or even people like George B. Dorr and Waldron Battes. With the help from these people a wonderful park was created. There are also many beautiful sites that the park has such as Cadillac Mountain and Sieur de Monts Spring. The park has many things that you can do and can entertain people of all ages. I personally love to go to the national parks and learn all about them and see al of the beautiful sites that they have to offer. In the end, this park is a must see and has a great history that you can learn from.