Two Great Autumn Drives:
Route 182 & Route 9
By Mary Spence
The first time you travel along Maine State Route 182, you’ll think you’ve stumbled across one of the region’s best-kept secrets. Known locally as the Blackswoods Road, this great Autumn drive connects two historical New England villages and along the way visitors will experience a variety of landscapes from dark forests, ponds, and lakes to rocky hills, blueberry barrens and small farms.
The scenery on this road is spectacular no matter what time of year but in Autumn, the brilliant displays of color are a sight to behold. We'll begin our tour of Route 182 in the town of Hancock just off US Route 1. Don’t let the commercial landscape of this part of the road fool you for once you enter the town of Franklin, the landscapes unfold and every new bend in the road displays vistas to delight those who venture this way.
Remnants of the last ice age have had a profound impact on this area. During the last ice-age the Blackswoods Road region was covered by a sheet of ice as much as two-miles thick. The advance of glaciers scoured and smoothed rough rocky surfaces. As glaciers retreated, they deposited numerous rocky ridges, cobblestone beaches and left a concentration of natural lakes with clear water and stony bottoms. The glacial retreat also left a cluster of mountains known locally as "Little Switzerland".
The name of the road is said to be named after the local historical figure Colonel John Black. Col. Black built a family fortune in this region following the war of 1812. He was one of the first persons to realize the economic potential of Maine’s forests and managed large tracts for wealthy investors. Black’s success is still visible in the popular Ellsworth historical museum known as “Woodlawn” or the “Black House”.
The area’s unique character has contributed to the many stories that have been told about the Blackswoods Road. Our journey starts in Franklin, a small town with a lot of character. Franklin has a long shoreline on Hog Bay, which drains through Taunton Bay to the Gulf of Maine and wide views of these bays can be seen from the road. At low tide you may also see people slogging in the mud with short handled rakes digging for clams and fishing worms.
During the late 1880s, Franklin had many granite quarries and exported cut-stone for urban construction along the Atlantic coast. Also during this time, many were attracted to the area to work in the copper and silver mines along with ship builders and timber mills. Today Franklin is home to blueberry and timber production and as well as cold water aquaculture.
Franklin gives way to Township 9, home to Schoodic Mountain and Donnell Pond. Donnell Pond, measuring about 1,000 acres, is a popular recreation site for local residents. Schoodic Mountain, with an elevation of 1080 feet, has several popular hiking trails and climbers can enjoy a panoramic view of Acadia National Park to the south, the Downeast region to the north and east and a sparsely populated woodland to the north and west.
Township 10 is home to a number of lakes, ponds and mountains much of it in state reserve lands. Fox Pond offers a number of recreational pursuits including swimming and fishing and has a launch area for your canoe, kayak or rowboat.
The road then begins a two mile assent to the top of Catherine’s Mountain, known locally as Catherine’s Hill. Tales of headless ghosts and mysterious visions abound along this portion of the road and are probably derived from the hardy souls who came to this wilderness to work in gold and silver mines that dotted the area. Old mining pits can be discovered along the southern side of the road, making this a popular stop for geologists, mineralogists and rock collectors.
Visitors will also be afforded great views of the surrounding mountains, many of which have trails for the adventurous. Tunk Mountain rises 1140 feet where on a clear day, you can see as far away as Mount Katahdin. Black Mountain, known locally as Bald Mountain, rises 1,094 feet and also offers climbers tremendous views of area lakes and the coastline from Mount Desert Island to Cutler.
A number of lakes and streams grace the region and many can be accessed from the road. Tunk Lake has some of the clearest water of any lake in Maine. From the 1700s to the early 1900s residents cut large blocks of the lake’s clear ice during the winter for storage throughout the summer. Tunk Lake is popular for canoeing, kayaking and is accessible to small motor boats and the clarity of the water makes it ideal for snorkeling.
Spring River Lake, two miles in length, is a popular lake for fishing, swimming and boating. The Department of Conservation has recently added a parking area on the with a walking trail to a hand-carry boat launch on the east end of the lake. Tunk Stream is a popular spot for people who like to paddle canoes and kayaks where wildlife abounds along its shores.
From here, the road passes the southern flank of Catskin Mountain on to the historic town of Cherryfield, the “Blueberry Capital of the World”. The town has a rich and well preserved history in fishing, lumbering, tourism, and blueberries.
The village has a designated historic district and has more than 40 houses listed on the National Register of historic places. Cherryfield straddles the Narraguagus River that drove hydro-powered saw mills during the timber boom of the 1800s. Ship building was a significant economic activity in the 1800’s and at one time vessels were built on both sides of the Narraguagus.
Well worth the drive anytime of year, Maine State Road 182 will not fail to delight those who venture her way. And don’t forget to bring the camera.
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Route 9By Mary Spence
Route 9, the ninety-mile road from Bangor to Calais, is for many, a shortcut to the eastern reaches of the state. But to look at this road in purely utilitarian terms, you’d miss out on some spectacular scenery and some interesting history as well.
Completed in 1822, this road served cattle drivers and migrants between Maine and New Brunswick and linked Bangor to Calais more directly than the King’s Highway which is the oldest highway in Maine. Today the region is still sparsely populated and retains its pristine beauty.
A stagecoach began using the new route in 1856 and in 1857, the first mail was carried over it. In 1858, the road was rebuilt and became known as the Airline Road, so-called because it crossed higher ground than the King’s Highway which traversed the shoreline. The road for many years offered a route to what was the New Brunswick frontier and was used by many Acadians, British Loyalists and Eastern Algonquins, and later, Maine natives.
In the tiny village of Beddington, home to a population of 29 , an important link was established in making this road a vital throughway. During the late nineteenth century, a stage coach link served as a sort of “Halfway Point” for the Airline Road. The location for this staging post was the Shoppee House.
In 1858, the future President of the Confederate State of America, Jefferson Davis, stayed at the Old Shoppee House while visiting Alexander Bache, who in addition to being a U.S. Senator and was with the U.S. Coast Survey Service running a base line between Deblois and Columbia.
Route 9 passes through a number of small villages and outposts along it’s route and until recently, many of these small hamlets were unknown to many outsiders. The road also traverses a number of large rivers including both the Machias and East Machias Rivers whose headwaters start deep in the woods off the highway.
Many of the roads off of this highway serve a large number of woodsmen and sportsmen who find the unspoiled beauty of the area unsurpassed. A number of sporting camps can be found along these roads many of which have been operating for a very long time.
The village of Wesley stands atop a hillcrest where long reaching vistas can be seen. Once a month this tiny hamlet offers locals with an old time country dance that attracts many from the area and beyond.
Fishing and camping can be had at Seavy Lake and blueberry barrens and farmlands dominate the landscape.
The town of Alexander was named for Alexander Baring (Lord Ashburton) the British envoy who, along with Daniel Webster, settled Maine's northern boundary with the Webster-Ashburton Treaty that ended the Aroostook War. A number of sporting and fishing camps are present in the area which is abundant in wildlife.
The road leads in to the comparably larger town of Baileyville. The town’s village of Woodland has been the site of a paper mill since 1905. The town’s eastern border is the Saint Croix River which serves as the international boundary between the United States and Canada.
Route 9 winds down in the border town of Calais where the first settlers arrived about 1770 and became engaged in farming, hunting, and later shipbuilding. Its name derives from the French port by the same name, in honor of the support given by that nation during the American Revolution.
The outskirts of Calais is home to part of the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge that was established in 1937 as a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and endangered species.
The city of Calais offers many things to the visitor. There are many restaurants and accommodations and the city boasts a visitor center to provide many of the area’s highlights and attractions. A trip along Route 9 offers visitors a glimpse of what is a largely unknown part of the state.
