Goose Eye No. 3 (2023)
Editorial
Inspired by the ever-changing natural landscape which surrounds us, “Recreation and Re-creation” are the dual themes which run through the third issue of Goose Eye.
Amy Wight Chapman opens with a personal reflection on hiking in Oxford County, Maine, and discovering that the “middle of nowhere was once somewhere.” She then describes some of her favorite local hiking spots and details some of their history.
Continuing in this vein, I contribute a lengthy exploration of the history of Grafton, Maine, from the rough settlement established by the first Euro-American arrivals in the 1830s to what is today largely a state park and ecological reserve land, featuring one of the most interesting and challenging sections of the Appalachian Trail.
William B. Krohn writes of Samuel Farmer, an entrepreneurial Phillips, Maine, guide and hotel owner, who sought to expand the opportunities for tourism in the Rangeley Lakes Region during the mid to late nineteenth century. Farmer later moved out West and sought to remake himself.
Farmer’s writings mainly appeared in the Maine Woods, a newspaper whose editor, J. W. Brackett, re-envisioned its mission on several occasions, transforming it from a small town paper to a regional sporting sheet. In a brief companion piece to Krohn’s feature on Farmer, I attempt to untangle the newspaper’s complex history.
In our “From the Archives” feature we publish—for the first time—an account written by John Mead Gould of an 1875 trip up Goose Eye and Sunday River Whitecap mountains.
The stunning painting by Erik Koeppel which is featured on this issue’s cover and in our “Collections Spotlight” feature unites the dual themes of the issue. Koeppel’s painting, a re-creation of a now-lost landscape by White Mountain master Thomas Cole, depicts the aftermath of an event which helped launch tourism to the White Mountain region. My thanks to Randall H. Bennett, who worked with Koeppel on the project of recreating the painting, for his assistance with the feature. Randy has also generously donated the painting to the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society, where we intend to feature it in a new permanent exhibit on the history of Bethel and the region.
Finally, Bennett also contributes to this issue a review of Peter Dow Bachelder’s recent book on the history of the Maine tourism industry.
Goose Eye No. 3 is offered in the spirit of exploration. We hope that it not only makes a valuable contribution to scholarship on recreation in the region, but will also inspire many readers to get outside and embark on some of their own adventures.
As always, we thank you for your continued support of the Museums of the Bethel Historical Society. If you enjoy this issue, please help spread the word about Goose Eye and the Museums!
William F. Chapman
March 2023