Moosehead Lake is a deep, coldwater lake located in Piscataquis County in Northwestern Maine . It is the largest lake in Maine and the largest lake wholly within New England , the second-largest lake in New England after Lake Champlain , and the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States. Situated in the mostly undeveloped Longfellow Mountains , the lake is the source of the Kennebec River . Several rural Townships border the lake. Greenville is by far the largest town on the lake, with a small downtown area that has banks, shops, and restaurants. There are over 80 islands in the lake, the largest being Sugar Island and Deer Island to the west being the second largest.
24-678: Mount Kineo , with 700-foot (210 m) cliffs rising straight up from Moosehead Lake, has attracted visitors for centuries, from early American Indians ( Red Paint People ), to later tribes seeking its rhyolite to make stone tools, Penobscots and Norridgewocks , the Abenaki bands who battled here with their enemy the Mohawks , to 19th-century "rusticators" traveling by railroad and steamboat and today's hotel guests. Various species dwell among its cliffs and talus slopes, including peregrine falcons and rare plants. The Moosehead region includes
48-469: A basin . This may create peninsulas, and occurred for example in the Keweenaw Peninsula . In the case of formation from meltwater, melting glaciers deposit sediment and form moraines , which act as dams for the meltwater. This may create bodies of water that surround the land, forming peninsulas. If deposition formed the peninsula, the peninsula was composed of sedimentary rock , which
72-473: A landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most sides. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula . The word peninsula derives from Latin paeninsula , from paene 'almost' and insula 'island'. The word entered English in the 16th century. A peninsula
96-491: A $ 75 million investment was made into developing the 1,700-acre Big Squaw Mountain Resort into a year-round tourist attraction that would include a new ski-lift system, a large hotel, lakefront condominiums, and a marina. The plans are being made by local developer Perry Williams, along with Louisiana-based developers at Provident Resources Group. Mount Kineo Mount Kineo is a prominent geological feature located on
120-557: A 1,150-acre (470 ha) peninsula that extends from the easterly shore of Moosehead Lake in the northern forest of Maine . With 700-foot (210 m) cliffs rising straight up from the water, it is the central feature of Mount Kineo State Park , a protected area of 800 acres (320 ha) managed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Native Americans once traveled great distances to Mt. Kineo to acquire its rhyolite rock. This rhyolite
144-477: Is a weather station in the unincorporated namesake community of Moosehead on the middle part of the western lakeshore. The area has a humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfb ). Winters are cold and snowy, whereas summers are mild due to its relative elevation. The annual temperature of about 40 °F (4 °C) are similar to Quebec City in the St. Lawrence River valley further north and much colder than Maine's and
168-458: Is evidence of an igneous (volcanic) phase although the mountain formations also contain slate and sandstone demonstrating sedimentary and metaphoric history as well. The mechanical properties of the rhyolite on Mount Kineo exhibits the physical properties of flint and was used extensively by indigenous peoples to make arrowheads and implements and thus, has often been referred to as "Kineo flint" in literature; but this term misleads by implication that
192-539: Is generally defined as a piece of land surrounded on most sides by water. A peninsula may be bordered by more than one body of water, and the body of water does not have to be an ocean or a sea. A piece of land on a very tight river bend or one between two rivers is sometimes said to form a peninsula, for example in the New Barbadoes Neck in New Jersey , United States. A peninsula may be connected to
216-512: The 2024 solar eclipse, with 3 minutes and 24 seconds of totality. Mount Kineo Golf Course is believed to be the second oldest in New England. It came under new ownership in 2009. Played on the original 1893 course, the classic lakeside layout has no sand traps, small greens, and the Kineo cliff as a backdrop for the scenic over-the-water par 3 hole #4. Peninsula A peninsula is
240-499: The case of Florida , continental drift, marine sediment, and marine transgressions were all contributing factors to its shape. In the case of formation from glaciers (e.g., the Antarctic Peninsula or Cape Cod ), peninsulas can be created due to glacial erosion , meltwater or deposition . If erosion formed the peninsula, softer and harder rocks were present, and since the glacier only erodes softer rock, it formed
264-633: The east of Moosehead Lake, the Roach River is its second largest tributary. Flowing out of Moosehead Lake to the southwest are its east and west outlets—the Kennebec River . The Moosehead Lake Region encompasses 4,400 square miles (11,000 km) of North Central Maine, and includes 127 incorporated and unincorporated townships in addition to Moosehead Lake. The region is drained by 330 miles (530 km) of main stem rivers, into which flow 3,850 miles (6,200 km) of smaller tributaries. During
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#1732791386521288-743: The headwaters of the Kennebec, the West Branch of the Penobscot , the Piscataquis , the Pleasant , and the Saint John rivers. Henry David Thoreau and other 19th-century visitors remarked on the beauty of the area. Thoreau described the lake as “...a gleaming silver platter at the end of the table.” The region has a large moose population; moose outnumber people 3:1. However, the name of
312-473: The hotel. It burned during demolition and the old employee house was burned down in 2018. The state park offers various trails around the peninsula and to the mountain peak. The park can only be reached by water. The Mount Kineo Golf Course operates the seasonal water shuttle service from the public dock in Rockwood to Mount Kineo. The park is one of five Maine State Parks that was in the path of totality for
336-566: The largest private United States landowner, submitted a development proposal for the Moosehead region in April 2005. It was the largest development ever proposed for the state of Maine. The initial version of the scheme called for 975 house lots, two resorts, a golf course, a marina, three RV parks, and more than 100 rental cabins. However, Plum Creek was defunct as of 2016 and all development plans have been cancelled. In January 2021,
360-552: The last glacial era, more than 1,200 natural lakes and ponds were carved into its landscape, varying in size from one acre (4,000 m) ponds to Moosehead which, at 75,451 acres (305.34 km), is one of the largest natural freshwater lakes in the United States. The total area of all standing surface waters in the region is more than 238,000 acres (960 km) – 24% of the total area of lakes and ponds in Maine. There
384-531: The mainland via an isthmus , for example, in the Isthmus of Corinth which connects to the Peloponnese peninsula. Peninsulas can be formed from continental drift , glacial erosion , glacial meltwater , glacial deposition , marine sediment , marine transgressions , volcanoes, divergent boundaries or river sedimentation. More than one factor may play into the formation of a peninsula. For example, in
408-407: The nearby Canadian maritime provinces ' coastal areas. Winter temperatures are similar to subarctic inland northern Sweden and Finland and as a result, boreal forests dominate the shoreline in spite of being in the mid-latitudes. Because of its cold climate, the lake becomes completely frozen over for about 5 months each year. Seattle -based Plum Creek Real Estate Investment Corporation,
432-482: The region derives from the remarkable similarity between maps of the lake and an antlered moose. Set at an elevation of 1,023 feet (312 m), Moosehead Lake is approx. 40 by 10 miles (64 by 16 km), with an area of nearly 118 mile² (approx. 303 km), and over 400 miles (640 km) of shoreline. Its major inlet is the Moose River, which, east of Jackman , flows through Long Pond to Brassua Lake. To
456-421: The rhyolite is a cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz derived from a sedimentary origin. The rhyolite is actually an igneous extrusive material implying a volcanic phase that created the unique properties of this highly sought after material. Being the country's largest known mass of this rock, once used by Indigenous people to craft arrowheads , hatchets , chisels , etc., Indigenous implements made from
480-626: The second Mt. Kineo House burned again in 1882. Designed by Arthur H. Vinal , the third Mt. Kineo House opened in 1884. In 1911, the Maine Central Railroad purchased the resort and engaged the Hiram Ricker Hotel Company to operate it. Then the largest inland waterfront hotel in America, it had accommodations for over 500 guests. In 1933, the railroad eliminated its Kineo branch, and in 1938 sold
504-468: The sediment is deposited, forming a delta peninsula. Marine transgressions (changes in sea level) may form peninsulas, but also may affect existing peninsulas. For example, the water level may change, which causes a peninsula to become an island during high water levels. Similarly, wet weather causing higher water levels make peninsulas appear smaller, while dry weather make them appear larger. Sea level rise from global warming will permanently reduce
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#1732791386521528-543: The stone have been found in all parts of New England and even further south, it is evident that various tribes visited Mt. Kineo for centuries to obtain this material. In 1846, Henry David Thoreau visited the Moosehead Lake region, and the mountain's geological formation, Indian relics and traditions deeply interested him. The first Mt. Kineo House was built on the shores of Moosehead Lake in 1848, but burned in 1868. Rebuilt in 1870 and opened in 1871,
552-497: The volcano erupts near shallow water. Marine sediment may form peninsulas by the creation of limestone . A rift peninsula may form as a result of a divergent boundary in plate tectonics (e.g. the Arabian Peninsula ), while a convergent boundary may also form peninsulas (e.g. Gibraltar or the Indian subcontinent ). Peninsulas can also form due to sedimentation in rivers. When a river carrying sediment flows into an ocean,
576-504: Was created from a large deposit of glacial drift . The hill of drift becomes a peninsula if the hill formed near water but was still connected to the mainland, for example during the formation of Cape Cod about 23,000 years ago. In the case of formation from volcanoes, when a volcano erupts magma near water, it may form a peninsula (e.g., the Alaskan Peninsula ). Peninsulas formed from volcanoes are especially common when
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