Timeline: Maine Event at Acadia National Park
Encompassing more than 37,000 acres, Acadia National Park, the first national park in the eastern United States, celebrates 100 years of conservation this summer. We take a look at the coastal Maine haven’s path to its centennial.
1604
Samuel de Champlain explores the area he renames Isle de Mont Desert, which had been home to the Wabanaki people for thousands of years.
1916
Lobbied by park champion George B. Dorr, President Wilson establishes Acadia’s precursor, Sieur de Monts National Monument.
1929
Renamed Lafayette National Park in 1919, Acadia National Park is awarded its final moniker by Congress.
photo by: Library of Congress/HAER ME-13-25
photo by: Courtesy NPS Photo archive
1947
A massive coastal Maine fire leaves more than 8,000 acres of scorched earth in the park.
1986
Local residents establish conservation nonprofit Friends of Acadia, dedicated to volunteer work and ongoing stewardship.
1995
Rehab of the park’s extensive carriage road system, created by philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. from 1913 to 1940, begins.
2016
Acadia marks its centennial with a year of special events and programs. For a list, visit acadiacentennial2016.org.
