Mount Katahdin with an elevation of 5,270 feet, is considered to be the highest mountain in Maine.

Mount Katahdin gets its name, which means “The Greatest Mountain,” from the Penobscot Indians. The Native Americans who originally inhabited the Mount Katahdin region believed that the mountain was the home of the storm god Pamola, and therefore avoided the area.

If you can look at the sides of Mount Katahdin, you will notice four glacial cirques that have been carved into the granite by alpine glaciers. Bears, deer, and moose roam the mountain territory, and a variety of songbirds and raptors fly above its peaks. The various floura include pines, spruces, maple, fir, beech, hemlock and aspen.

Did you know? That in 1931, long after Thoreau’s death, his wishes were fulfilled. In 1930, Percival B. Baxter, who was the governor of Maine, purchased 6,000 acres of land which included Mount Katahdin. In 1931, Baxter formally donated the parcel to the State of Maine with one condition: It would be kept forever wild. Throughout the years, the governor purchased additional lands. Gradually, he pieced his park together. His final purchase was made in 1962. Upon his death, left a trust of 7 million dollars to the park, as well as these words:

Man is born to die,
His works are short-lived.
Buildings crumble,
Monuments decay,
Wealth vanishes.
But Katahdin in all its glory,
Forever shall remain
The Mountain
Of
The People of Maine.

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