Richard Duke McKeil, January 3, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Richard Duke McKeil of Greenville Junction is a professor emeritus at the University of Southern Maine, a former president of the Moosehead Marine Museum and owner of the historical vessel Katahdin.

One hundred years ago, a trip from Greenville to Seboomook by boat would reveal a level of economic development that would boggle the mind of today's conservationist, preservationist or protectionist.

The Plum Creek project barely disturbs the wildness of the region compared to what was in place in 1908.

The Mount Kineo Hotel was a hub of tourism for the lake with a 425-room hotel, employing 500 people and 50 local guides for a large part of the year.

Its yacht club had 80 members, most with large, active yachts traveling all over the 40 miles of Moosehead.

The Coburn Steamboat Co. owned five steamers over the length of 100 feet that operated on a regularly scheduled basis between Greenville and Northeast Carry, stopping at many points along the way. Three of these vessels were licensed for over 200 passengers.

There were 17 fishing camps along the lakeshore accommodating between 20 and 50 guests plus staff to meet their needs. Add 12 larger hotels all around the lake catering to tourists' needs.

There were a dozen farms along the waterfront, not set back as the Plum Creek lots would be. They had to be on the water since there were no roads for transportation of their product. All of the land-locked farms and hotels owned boats, a necessity for lake travel.

The lumber companies had several provisioning facilities on the water. Their warehouses and horse farms served the needs of the wood-cutting activities that operated year-round.

It was a two-day trip in winter from Greenville to the head of the lake with an overnight stop at Kineo, which maintained facilities for woodsmen, horses and managers all year.

The Depression ended the tourist business for 20 years, and it never did make a comeback. Kineo closed in 1933, the Maine Central Railroad stopped service to Rockwood in 1934.

Then came World War II with food and gasoline rationing, which severely affected travel.

In spite of these two events, several brave attempts to bring back the tourism of the pre-Depression era were made, including the Hilton family's unsuccessful attempt to restore and renovate Kineo between 1950 and 1970. Kineo finally ended up being an up-scale housing development, probably its highest and best economic use in the 21st century.

In 1951 the Greenville High School produced 51 graduates. In 2007 the number was 27. Our youth are our greatest export.

An influx of professionals and retirees who cause little employment opportunity have taken over the former resort facilities. With the decline in wood production, there are few jobs in the region for youth.

Along with the decline in school enrollment, we have for 20 years watched our hospital floundering in red ink and funding agencies hovering to close it. The up-scale folks with trophy houses have rescued it with generous financial support.

They help to fill the revenue gap left by the tourists of the past, and more are needed to create a critical mass for infrastructure development.

Housing development is going to come to Moosehead, and indeed is here now.

Many small developers are creating one or two homes at a time, but with scant planning. No provisions are made for walking trails, wildife habitat, open space and winter uses such as snowmobile trails or conservation easements.

It is time for this region to do a bit of catching up -- to where we were 100 years ago.