Cornelia "Fly Rod" Crosby

The Strong Historical Society, the Strong Public Library, the High Peaks Alliance, and the Strong School have partnered to begin a local history project. The team has been awarded a grant from the Maine Memory Network. The participating organizations will be creating local history exhibits and cataloging many of the primary sources and artifacts that are housed at the Strong Historical Society. This project will help to preserve and celebrate local history.

The Fly Rod Crosby Trail in Strong will utilize many of these resources in its interpretive program along the Sandy River. It is our hope that hikers and trail users will be able to hear some of the unique stories that make up this area’s history. One of the exhibits on Maine memory Network will be about Cornelia “Fly Rod” Crosby and her impact on this area (1854 – 1946).

Another aspect of the project will be focused on learning more about Strong and Freeman during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Printed below is a list of some of the Strong and the Freeman residents who enlisted in the Civil War. The team members and the Strong School Middle students are interested in learning more about these soldiers and what Strong and Freeman were like during the War and during Reconstruction. The team is hoping to add family stories that have been passed down since the War to our research and to our exhibits.

If you would like to share any stories or artifacts related to the time periods or to Strong or Freeman residents who served in the Civil War, please contact team member, Crystal Polk at cpolk@msad58.org or 779-7089. Thank you very much.

Strong Enlistments:

John Bangs, Roscoe Bangs, Edward Bates, William Billington, Hiram Brooks, Moses Brown, Thatcher Burbank, Charles Buzzell, Otis Buzzell, Levi Cates, Abner Crocker, Hiram, Jr. Crocker, Sylvester    Crocker, James Davis, William Eaton, Alden Gilman, Samuel           Gilman, Sumner Hackett, William Hackett, Zenas Haines, Marshall Hale, Warren Hardy, Lyman  Harmon, E. Hartwell, George Hartwell, Ephraim Hinkley, Nathan Hinkley, William Hunter, James Huse, Benjamin Jennings, James Kelly, James Kennedy, Jesse Kenney, Charles Lakeman, Charles Lambert,  Simon Lambert, Benjamin McKeen, John Morrill, Zephaniah Morton, Samuel Norton, Gustavus Nutting, Thomas Nutting, George Phillips, Orren Pinkham, Winfield Pullen, Charles Rich, Elbridge Richards, Martin            Richardson, Eben Rowe, Thomas Sanborn, Oscar     Searles, James Seely, David Stevens, Charles Stinchfield, Timothy Sweat, Alanson Sweet, Abram Taylor, John Thompson, James Towle, James True, Greenlief            Willard, and Jeremy W. Wyman

Freeman Enlistments:

Edward Bangs, Enoch            Brackley, Orren Brackley, Rufus Brackley, William  Brackley, Cyrus Cook, Nathaniel Cook, Colamore Davis, Augustus Durrell, Orrin Eames, Rufus Ellsworth, Abner Foster, William Foster, Ansel Gammon, William       Gammon, Edward Gilkey, William Hackett, Lyman Hammon, Charles       Huff, Daniel Huff, Benjamin Kilkenney, Augustus          Luce, Frederic Nevens, Zachariah Norton, Gustavus Page, Lewis Peterson, Hosea Ripley, Ormandel Rowe, Joel Soper, Isaac     Starbird, Cyrus Stevens, Joseph         Stevens, David Taylor, William True, John      Tuttle, Zenas Vaughan, George Welch, Isaiah           Welch, John Whitney, John Wilson, and William Winter

Beck Kolak and Caitlin Lajoie of the Maine Conservation Corps help build a switchback on the Fly Rod Crosby Trail.

Come on out to work on the Fly Rod Crosby Trail this summer! The next 2 work days are going to be held on Saturday(s) July 30^th and August 27^th. Rain dates will be Sunday(s) July 31^st and August 28^th.

Volunteers should meet in the field below the Star Barn Bed & Breakfast in Madrid TWP at 9:30am. We will be clearing brush, building bog bridges (keeps hikers out of the mud in boggy areas) and clipping the trail corridor.

Directions: Take rt 4 to the center of Madrid Village, go approximately 5 miles on Reeds Mills Road to the Star Barn. Please park in the field below the Bed and Breakfast.

What to bring….

1)      Sturdy boots, work gloves and clothing (long pants)

2)      Lunch and plenty of water

3)      Loppers/Clippers if you have them (if not we will provide)

4)      A smile!

If you have any questions or would like more information please call Ben Godsoe at 207-578-0306. Thanks, see you on the trail!

Quincy Mittman and Jay Shenard getting ready to go out on the Trail.

Senator Collins and Commissioner Beardsley at the West Saddleback Connector dedication

Sen. Susan M. Collins

All Trails Celebration

June 25, 2011

Thank you, Tom.  Distinguished guests and friends, it is a pleasure to join you today in this great celebration.  The West Saddleback Connector is a shining example of the hard work and cooperation required to realize the “All Trails”  principle.

Ninety years ago, the conservationist Benton MacKaye presented our nation with a great vision.  Concerned that an increasingly urban society was separating people from nature, he conceived of a chain of trails along the spine of America’s eastern mountains, from Maine to Georgia, that would re-establish that vital connection.

He expressed his vision with these marvelous words: “If these people were on the skyline and kept their eyes open, they would see the things that the giant could see.”

Within two years, in 1923, the first link in that chain was created in New York State.  The national treasure that became known as the Appalachian Trail continued to grow.  Today, Benton MacKaye’s vision has been realized, from Spring Mountain, Georgia, to Mount Katahdin, Maine.  The vantage point of the giant stretches for more than two thousand miles.

Millions, from throughout America and around the world, have enjoyed this treasure.  For most, it is an invigorating day hike filled with inspiring views, nature, and history.  A select number – now approaching 12,000 – have hiked the entire Trail.

An interesting fact about what is called the “Two Thousand Mile Club” is that close to 90 percent of these “thru-hikes” begin in Georgia and end in Maine.  Experienced hikers may have some technical reason for this, but I think it’s just human nature to save the best for last.

At about the same time Benton MacKaye launched his great plan, another conservationist, Aldo Leopold, made a prediction.  As Americans began to have both more disposable income and leisure time, the call for public lands would also grow.  As more Americans sought weekend refuge from the city, different views would emerge about recreation.  And recreation, Mr. Leopold said, “is a perpetual battlefield because it is a single word denoting as many diverse things as there are diverse people.”

At first, the battle was between those who listened for the quiet tread of their own footsteps and those who preferred the clatter of a horse’s hooves.  Then came the wheels – bicycles at first, soon joined by things motor-driven.   At times, it has seemed as though this battle truly was perpetual and was being fought between an ever-increasing number of armies.

We are here today to celebrate a victory.  This is not a triumph of one army over others.  This is a victory for cooperation and collaboration.  It is a peace that was earned through hard work and commitment, and it is one that will last.

Striking the right balance between wilderness and human activity requires, first and foremost, a willingness to appreciate other viewpoints.  Only then can common ground be found.  In the terminology of dedicated hikers, there is no “blue-blazing.”  There are no shortcuts.

From the beginning of the negotiations, I recognized that the special qualities of the Appalachian Trail and its quiet cathedrals of nature had to be preserved.  At the same time, I knew that development at the Saddleback Ski Area and the growth of other forms of outdoor recreation were essential for Maine’s economy and the enjoyment of those who live and visit here.

Hikers, skiers, snowmobilers, ATV riders, hunters, fishermen, and campers all want to enjoy our outdoor treasures.

By the year 2000, the only significant unprotected section along the Appalachian Trail was at Saddleback Mountain.   Repeated attempts during the previous 17 years by the National Park Service and the ski resort to establish a permanent Trail corridor had not produced results.

In order to make sharing the mountain possible, I secured $4 million for the Department of the Interior to purchase 587 acres on the southeast side of Saddleback.   This legislation called upon the resort to donate 538 acres along the ridgeline, plus a scenic easement northeast of the ski slopes.  The law was passed and the deeds signed in January of 2001.

The remaining issues of multiple use, trail crossings by motorized vehicles, and other issues were best resolved with the involvement of the people of Maine.  So I worked to secure language in the appropriations bill calling for a portion of the land purchased with federal dollars to be conveyed to the state.

The negotiations between the National Park Service and the State of Maine to bring about this conveyance were long – nearly a decade.

But they were successful.  State and federal officials deserve credit and our thanks.  But this success was made possible, above all, by the diverse users who took time to see the other point of view.  I especially commend the Maine Appalachian Trail Club, the Maine ATV clubs, and the Maine Appalachian Trail Land Trust, for working with each other and trusting each other.

I want to commend a former State Commissioner, former staffer, and good friend of mine, Bill Vail, for helping to bridge the differences.

Maine’s heritage is to share the outdoors and to respect other users.  We reject the false choice of pitting the environment against the economy because, here in Maine, the environment is the economy.  They are inextricably linked.

They will remain so as long as government, recreational groups, businesses and private landowners work together, talk together, and solve problems together.  The West Saddleback Connector is proof that the “All Trails” approach leads in the right direction.  Standing here today on Benton MacKaye’s skyline, you don’t have to be a giant to see that there is plenty of room for all of us, as long as all of us are willing to make room.  Congratulations to all who made this day possible.

High Peaks Alliance Director Betsy Squibb "talking trails" with the public.

Sandy River Land Trust and High Peaks Alliance Summer Volunteers: Mt Abram students Jay Shenard, Quincy Mittman and Danny Roy watching the show.

Senator Collins with Maine Conservation Corps Environmental Educator Ben Godsoe

Hope to see you all at the next High Peaks Alliance meeting at the Phillips Public Library, this Friday July 8th. The Business meeting starts at 5pm and the High Peaks Alliance meeting runs from 6-7:30 pm. All are welcome to attend both!