Re-designating Acadia National Park
Today’s post was written by Matthew DiBiase, Archives Technician at the National Archives at Philadelphia.
Today, February 26, 2016, marks the 97th anniversary of re-designation of what formerly had been Sieur de Monts National Monument into Lafayette National Park (later to be called Acadia National Park in 1929).
The upgrading of Acadia’s status from National Monument to a National Park is significant in terms of the protections bestowed upon the park by the Federal Government. A national park is a site that contains a variety of resources and encompasses large land or water areas to help provide adequate protection of those resources where as a National Monument is intended to preserve only one national significant resource and is usually smaller than a national park and lacks the diversity of attractions. By upgrading Acadia to National Park status meant that Acadia was granted the highest and strictest levels of management and protection by the National Park Service; that activities like mining, hunting, and grazing were prohibited at Acadia unless specifically authorized by Congress.
Acadia National Park is renowned because it became the first national park to be established east of the Mississippi River. Acadia National Park is located in the state of Maine and occupies most of Mount Deseret Island along with other adjacent smaller islands.
In ancient times it had been occupied by the Wabanaki Indians and had been discovered by French explorer Samuel de Champlain who gave Mount Deseret Island its name. When European settlers inhabited the area Mount Deseret Island became a summer refuge for wealthy New Englanders however by the start of the 20th century there were concerns that further settlement of the Island might result in the loss or destruction of much of its natural beauty.
Charles W. Eliot (President of Harvard University) and George Dorr joined forces to convince other land owners on the Island (most notably John D. Rockefeller, Junior) to donate land and work with State and Federal authorities to obtain protection of the natural beauty of the Island. Rockefeller, for decades, supported the designing of carriage trails, lodges, and bridges which aided visitors of the National Park. When a massive fire devastated the park in 1947, Rockefeller aided efforts in restoring the vegetation and tree population of the Park.
Acadia National Park features mountains, forests, rock and sand beaches, lakes, and woodlands. The park also supports a wide variety of wildlife. Bears, white-tailed deer, beavers, seals, and other mammals inhabit the area. Acadia is a protected nesting place for the endangered peregrine falcon. The park also offer programs where adults and youngsters are taught conservation and are encouraged to become future stewards of America’s natural treasures.
The document featured here is page three of a Memorandum dated December 5, 1950 from G.B. Thompson, a Highway Engineer from Bar Harbor, Maine to Mr. Zimmer, Assistant Regional Director of the Northeast Regional office of the National Park Service discussing how repair work was stopped on the bridges in Acadia National Park due to unfavorable weather conditions. The page features a black and white photo #50-208 taken in November 1950 showing a view of Sand Beach after the storm of November 25-26, 1950 which shows further wreckage of the schooner Tay that was revealed by the beach erosion caused by the storm.
Item Citation: “View of Sand Beach After Storm and Schooner Wreck as Above,” from Memorandum dated December 5, 1950 from G.B. Thompson, a Highway Engineer from Bar Harbor, Maine to Mr. Zimmer, Assistant Regional Director of the Northeast Regional office of the National Park Service; 79-7-7 Acadia NP Roads Trails; Correspondence Related to National Parks; RG 79: Records of the National Park Service, National Archives at Philadelphia (HMS Record Entry ID: PH-3508) (NAID: 25341373).
