A History of Carrabassett Valley Timeline

• -470m

  470 million to 360 million years ago (give or take a few million years): The story of Carrabassett Valley begins when two huge land masses that would eventually become North America and Europe slammed together, unleashing cataclysmic events. According to Terry Plank, an earth science professor at Columbia University (quoted in John and Cynthia Orcutt’s book Enduring Heights: The High Peaks of Maine), the continental collision forced clay and sand from the ancient ocean depths up onto the land in huge piles that would become the Appalachian Mountains. Plank says large amounts of hot magma then rose from the earth’s mantle and flowed over many of those mountains, including the ones in western Maine. The heat from this fiery mass forged the ocean mud into brick-like formations that state geologist Bob Marvinney terms “layered metamorphic rock,” mostly granite and a heavier mineral called gabbro. From Carrabassett Valley’s standpoint, the most notable of these formations are what we now call Sugarloaf and the area’s other high peaks. Marvinney estimates those mountains were originally 12,000 to 15,000 feet tall.

  geology Sugarloaf
• -286m

  286 million to 245 million years ago (more or less): According to the Maine Geological Survey’s website, a period of “continuous uplift and erosion” during the late Paleozoic Era resulted in tremendous changes to the local landscape, including large fractures in the bedrock. Marvinney believes this could have been the beginning of a drainage ditch that would become the Carrabassett River.

  geology Carrabassett River
• -2.5m

  2.5 million to 13,000 years ago (all times approximate): This was the Pleistocene Epoch or what we commonly call the ice ages. The geological survey says huge glaciers several thousand feet thick covered Maine. As the ice sheets advanced and receded over many thousands of years, they caused serious erosion of the mountains. Without what Plank calls their “brick tops” of hardened stone, Sugarloaf and the other high peaks would have been whittled away to nothing, as were mountains that once existed in parts of Maine where the soil was softer. Instead, the relentless glaciers gradually scraped away enough of the rock to reduce the peaks to their current heights, exposing granite that was once buried deep in the earth’s crust. About 21,000 years ago, the last of the glaciers began to recede, a process that would take over 8,000 years. In his introduction to David S. Cook’s book Above the Gravel Bar: The Native Canoe Routes of Maine, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology David Sanger of the University of Maine says the melting glaciers initially resulted in high water levels, but that soon changed.

  geology Sugarloaf
• -13k

  13,000 to 10,000 years ago (your guess is as good as mine): According to Sanger, with the weight of the glaciers gone, the land rose up. Combined with climbing temperatures, this caused the water to recede. Estimates vary, but the first people, called Paleo-Indians, probably arrived in western Maine during this period. These were the ancestors of the Wabanaki, the collective name for the tribes we know today as the Penobscots, Passamaquoddys, Micmacs and Maliseets. “People may have been waiting for the ice to melt away,” said Marvinney. “They moved in pretty quickly after the ice melted.” Cook says the Paleo-Indians may have been preceded into this “strange and forbidding” tundra-like landscape by herds of caribou or similar animals that fed on moss and grasses, possibly alongside the last of the mastodons and mammoths.

  geology Native Americans Penobscot Indian Nation
• -10k

  10,000 to 2,800 years ago (results may vary): Although there were still large swaths of grasslands, forests slowly expanded across western Maine as the climate warmed. These new forests were initially spruce, fir, poplar and birch, according to Cook, but as the climate continued to change, oak and white pine took root, Hardwoods became common about 8,000 years ago, while maple, ash, beech and hemlock joined the mix about 5,000 years back. By then, the landscape had recovered from the glacial withdrawal and assumed many of the aspects we’d recognize today, and it’s likely people had settled in what is now Carrabassett Valley. A 1999 archeological excavation at the Hammond Field picnic area on Route 27 found small flint tools made from stone mined in eastern New York, indicating they were brought here by some of the earliest humans to arrive in Maine. According to state archeologist Dr. Arthur Spiess, the site couldn’t be definitively dated, but it was at least several thousand years old and could have been from the late ice age.

  Stone tools found at the Hammond Field excavation in 1999

  

  Courtesy of the Maine Historic Preservation Commission.

  A similar site at the south end of the airport was surveyed in 2008, but again, researchers couldn’t establish a definite date when it was in use. Spiess said it wouldn’t surprise him if there were many more such sites along that stretch of river. It’s also not clear whether the Indians lived here permanently or just visited occasionally. “Certainly, the site was occupied for thousands of years,” said Dr. Ellen Cowie, co-director of the Northeast Archeological Research Center, who conducted the airport dig. “We don’t know if it was seasonal. Not necessarily.” What is known is that during the early part of this period, the Paleo-Indians traveled on foot, following riverbeds over difficult terrain, so long trips were unlikely. But sometime after the ice was gone and the forests took over, the birchbark canoe was invented by person or persons unknown – possibly as long as 9,000 years ago, says Cook, although Spiess thinks it was more like 3,500 years back. Because this type of canoe was easy to carry and held a lot of people and supplies, it allowed far more extensive travel than had previously been possible. It was now feasible to summer on the coast, where fish and clams were abundant, and canoe up rivers in the fall to winter over in the interior, where game was plentiful. It should be noted that the Carrabassett was far from the easiest route inland, so Cowie suspects Native Americans returned here in spite of the hardships because either food was abundant or the place held some spiritual significance.

  Native Americans airport Route 27
• -500

  2,800 to 500 years ago (roughly): According to Spiess, Indians in Maine borrowed a bit of technology from tribes further south, learning to make fired clay pottery for cooking and food storage. “Native Americans developed a generalized hunting, fishing and gathering economy based upon the mobility of birchbark canoes and cooking food in ceramic pots,” wrote Spiess in an academic paper. “They combined subsistence and settlement strategies to move people to seasonally available resources, or to move food (such as baskets of clams or dead moose) and other resources to camp or village locations.” What this meant was that tribes came together on the coast in the summer, but broke into smaller units as colder weather approached, and moved inland. “The carrying capacity of the land wasn’t enough for large groups of people living in one spot,” said James Francis, the director of cultural and historic preservation for the Penobscot Indian Nation. “In fall, they’d break into family groups, so they could eke out an existence over the winter.” Another major change occurred between 2,000 and 1,500 years ago with the introduction of the bow and arrow, which soon replaced the spear as the weapon of choice for hunting. While tribes further south engaged in some farming, Spiess says, “Life over most of Maine was based almost entirely upon harvesting wild resources until after contact with Europeans.”

  Native Americans Penobscot Indian Nation
• 1500

  1500 A.D. to 1650 A.D. (starting to feel a little more confident about these dates): White explorers show up in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Although it would be many decades before they reached Carrabassett, Spiess notes that their iron tools, copper kettles and even firearms were traded from tribe to tribe, reaching well inland before their creators ever set foot here. What also spread were European diseases and increased conflicts between tribes. Over the next century and a half, the native population in both Carrabassett Valley and the rest of the state was decimated. According to Cook, by about 1730, all the native inhabitants of western Maine had vanished.

  Native Americans
• 1724

  A band of men from York, Maine attacked and burned the village of Old Point, now known as Madison, killing several people including the resident Catholic priest, Father Raul, and, possibly, an Indian named Chief Carrabassett. Contemporary accounts of the massacre don’t mention Carrabassett, leading some historians to question whether he existed. But it’s not unreasonable to suppose that the chroniclers of the time, mostly white men, might not have placed much importance on naming every Indian killed, even those who were chiefs. In 1768, Thomas Hutchinson published The History of Massachusetts-Bay from the Charter of King William and Queen Mary in 1691, Until the Year 1750. It contains the following paragraph:

  “Harman and the men who went to the cornfields did not come up till near night, when the action was over. They all, of both parties, lodged in the wigwams, keeping a guard of 40 men. The next morning, they found 26 dead bodies, besides that of the jeƒuit, and had one woman and three children priƒoners. Among the dead were Bomazeen, Mog, Job, Carabeƒett, Wiffememet, and Bomazeen’s ƒon in law, all noted warriors.”

  Is the town named after that fallen chief? Possibly, but there’s no definitive answer. It’s unlikely the river that flows through town was named the Carrabassett by Native Americans. They may have called the river a term that roughly translates as Seven Mile Stream, because the parts of it that featured the best hunting and fishing were about seven miles from Old Point.

  Or they may not have. As James Francis of the Penobscot Indian Nation wrote in the foreword to David S. Cook’s book Above the Gravel Bar, “The Euro-American way to name a place is either by naming it after someone, or naming for another place. … Penobscots had three basic ways of naming a particular location. Places were named for their geography or geology, the resources found there, or their names are based on legends that were passed down from generation to generation.” Whether the name Seven Mile Stream fits any of those criteria is debatable. As Cook noted in an email, European settlers could have coined the phrase for purely practical purposes. “There are numerous examples of such streams whose names help one know where they are, how far they may have come or have left to go,” he said.

  But back to Carrabassett. According to an article in the Fall 2016 edition of the Carrabassett Valley Connections newsletter by Steve Pinkham, author of Mountains of Maine, Old Tales of Maine and More Old Tales of the Maine Woods, “We know little about [Chief Carrabassett], though in 1830 Nathaniel Deering of Portland published a fictional play called ‘Carabaset’ about the life of the Norridgewog warrior.”

  Pinkham spoke to Carol Dana, linguistics specialist for the Penobscots, who noted that the Wabanaki language doesn’t have a letter R, and the letter B is pronounced as P. Even so, Dana speculated that the Carrabassett name could have been derived from a Wabanaki term meaning “one who turns around quickly,” possibly because he was particularly agile at fighting or hunting.

  In any case, the Seven Mile Stream name became firmly established. Pinkham noted that the first written reference to that designation was in the journal of a member of Benedict Arnold’s company in 1755. For the next century, all maps referred to it as either Seven Mile Stream or Seven Mile Brook. In 1870, Pinkham said, Alvin Johnson’s Map of Maine lists it for the first time as the Carrabassett River, but a map of Franklin County from about 1887 shows that designation only for the section of the river south of North New Portland. Above that, it was the “Seven Mile River.”

  Historians have no explanation for what prompted the name change, however gradual or abrupt, but within a few years the Carrabassett name prevailed for the entire length of the waterway. As you’ll see later in this timeline, the first railroad station in Jerusalem was called Carrabassett (although sometimes spelled with one ‘t”). As for the town, it took its time associating itself with the river that flowed through it, not officially adopting the name of Carrabassett Valley until 1971.

  Carrabassett River Arnold, Benedict railroad Native Americans Penobscot Indian Nation
• 1775

  Benedict Arnold’s company, on their ill-fated march to Quebec, likely camped for several days in what later became Carrying Place Township and Dead River Township, not far from the northeast corner of Carrabassett Valley. Their journals constitute the earliest recorded history of the area and earn them the distinction of being our very first tourists.

  Arnold, Benedict
• 1793

  The Commonwealth of Massachusetts sold 1.1 million acres of western Maine to William Bingham of Pennsylvania. The purchase price isn’t clear in the historical record, but according to The Golden Voyage: The Life and Times of William Bingham by Robert C. Alberts and other sources, it appears to have been less than 13 cents per acre. This huge plot of land west of the Kennebec River was eventually surveyed and divided into townships, two of which were later named Jerusalem and Crockertown and would eventually become Carrabassett. Bingham was considered one of the richest men of his time, having made a fortune in the West Indies as an agent for privateers. He was also a member of the Continental Congress and later a U.S. senator. Bingham hired agents to find settlers and buyers for his lands, but seems to have been only moderately successful. Much of the property, including present-day Carrabassett, was still in his possession when he died in England in 1804. The Bingham estate would not be fully liquidated until 1964.

  Bingham, William timber logging Crockertown Jerusalem
• 1828

  Bingham’s heirs sold 1,457 acres along both sides of the Carrabassett River, which were divided into 15 settlers’ lots located between the present-day site of Huse Mill Road and the Kingfield line. The first settlers arrived and begin logging operations.

  Bingham, William timber logging Carrabassett River
• 1828

  Stagecoach service began from Kingfield to Flagstaff and Eustis, following along the Carrabassett River. The stage also stopped in Jerusalem to let out-of-state visitors off at the Carrabassett Mineral Spring Farm and Camps (present-day Spring Farm) This health resort, known for its medicinal waters, was originally a boarding house for loggers. It was owned for many years by C. G. Smith of Boston and continued in operation into the 20th century, eventually expanding to include a game park featuring bison and bear cubs and a natural swimming pool. (Much of this information and information in subsequent entries comes from the Franklin County portion of the State of Maine Sesquicentennial publication in 1970 and was written by Mrs. G. Norton Luce with research assistance by Hershel Boynton.)

  Carrabassett River Jerusalem Carrabassett Mineral Spring Farm Spring Farm
• 1830

  The 1830 United States Federal Census listed 66 residents in No 3, 2nd Range (Jerusalem).

  Jerusalem census
• 1837

  A special Maine census listed a population of 54 people from eight families in Jerusalem, where there was also a sawmill. Crockertown was still uninhabited.

  Crockertown Jerusalem census
• 1840

  The 1840 United States Federal Census listed 47 residents in Township No 3, Second Range (Jerusalem).

  Jerusalem census
• 1840

  The 1840 United States Federal Census listed 6 residents in Township No 4, wnd Range (Crockertown).

  Crockertown census
• 1850

  The 1850 United States Federal Census listed 9 residents in Township No 4, 2nd Range (Crockertown).

  Crockertown census
• 1855

  Township 3 Range 2 (Jerusalem) was officially organized and named Treadwell Plantation.

  Jerusalem
• 1860

  The 1860 United States Federal Census listed 8 residents in Township No 4, 2nd Range (Crockertown).

  Crockertown census
• 1860

  The 1860 United States Federal Census listed 24 residents in Township No 3, 2nd Range (Jerusalem).

  Jerusalem census
• 1870

  The 1870 United States Federal Census listed 32 residents in Jerusalem.

  Jerusalem census
• 1870

  The 1870 United States Federal Census listed 9 residents in No 4, Range 2 (Crockertown).

  Crockertown census
• 1880

  While there had been other permanent residents of Crockertown as early as the 1840 Census, perhaps its two most important locals arrived in 1880. Charles G. Campbell and Asa U. Baker had emigrated to Maine from New Brunswick in 1865 and settled in Kingfield. Fifteen years later, they purchased 150 acres and a building from George Hatch for $40 and began farming in the area now known as Campbell Field. According to Crommett, some of their apple trees were still growing there when he lived in the neighborhood. According to the 1880 U.S. Census, these two men constituted the entire population of Crockertown, while Jerusalem had 21 residents. Campbell was still living on his farm according to the 1900 census, but had moved back to Kingfield by 1910.

  Crockertown Jerusalem census Campbell Field Campbell, Charles G.
• 1894

  According to Guy Rioux’s book The Franklin County Narrow Gauges: Next Stop Kingfield, the Kingfield & Dead River Railroad (essentially a dummy corporation controlled by the Franklin & Megantic Railroad Co.) extended a two-foot narrow gauge line to create service from Kingfield to Carrabassett. The project was backed by a landowner syndicate headed by Frank J. D. Barnjum, which planned to build a lumber mill, store and hotel in Jerusalem. There was a depot at Spring Farm and a new station was constructed on what is now the Carriage Road near the future site of the Red Stallion Inn. The railroad’s primary purpose was to haul lumber, pulpwood and timber, but it also carried freight and passengers (the first passenger car on the line was named “Carrabassett”). Several homes, sawmills, a spool mill (owned by R.A. Huse & Sons) and a lodging facility catering to sportsmen called the Carrabassett House and Cottages were soon constructed in the vicinity of the station. According to Sterling T. Dow’s book Maine Postal History and Postmarks, a post office was established there in 1894 (it closed in 1903). As was not unusual at the time, the name of that office was spelled “Carrabasset.”

  An aside: Barnjum was born in England around 1858 and later moved with his parents to Canada. He was something of a child prodigy, having worked for a Montreal brokerage firm at age 13 and engaged in commodity trading (mostly timber) in Boston by age 19. In the early 1900s, Barnjum acquired nearly all the land in Jerusalem after Franklin County took the properties for non-payment of taxes. He owned a home in Kingfield where his wife and children spent summers until it burned in the late 1920s. His holdings in Maine eventually grew to some 300,000 acres and included a sawmill in Madrid. He died a wealthy man in Paris, France in 1933.

  Jerusalem railroad Barnjum, Frank J. D. Spring Farm The Red Stallion Carrabassett House Post Office
• 1897

  The Franklin Chronicle of July 29, 1897 published an article headlined, “A Day in Carrabasset: Farmingtonians Spend A Day In The Wild Lands – Good Fishing – In The Lumber Camps.” In the story, the unnamed author and his party rode the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad before switching to the Franklin & Megantic line. “The little narrow gauge railroad’s trains make excellent time, their roadbeds as well as rolling stock being in fine condition, so that the ride was most agreeable – and we rolled into Carrabasset at 6:05 p.m. and found a good supper awaiting us at the Carrabasset House, a handsome and commodious hotel erected there by the Hon. P.H. Stubbs of Strong, which is now leased and run by Mr. Geo. Prescott and his genial wife; here was our home for the ensuing night and day.” The writer described “Carrabasset” as being part of Jerusalem township. “Only 9 families reside in the township (Jerusalem), yet there is a big amount of business transacted every year.” The visitors set out the next day to fish Redington and Poplar Streams. “All the party had fair luck … and secured several hundred nice brook trout.” After fishing, the author visited the Russell Bros.-Estes Co. mill at the junction of Poplar Stream and the “Carrabasset River,” where some 630,000 “squares” of birch were awaiting shipment to Farmington. The mill manager said business would pick up in September, when 25 men and horse teams would cut an average of 131 cords per day. In addition, the S.D. Warren Co. of Cumberland Mills had 150 men cutting 20,000 cords of poplar in 40 days. By the time the operation concluded, Warren expected to have harvested 100,000 cords. Also, the Jenkins-Bogart Novelty Turning Works of Kingfield was cutting 1,000 cords for novelty items destined for city markets. And the R.A. Huse mill was busy turning “several hundred cords of birch” into spools that were shipped to market via the railroad. Meanwhile, sawmill owner C. Grant Jr., in addition to processing lumber, was busy inventing a flying machine. “His machine is stored in the attic of his mill, so it is said, and he is very secret in his work – nobody except himself sees or works upon it.”

  timber logging Jerusalem railroad Carrabassett House S.D. Warren Co
• 1897

  Life was not always idyllic in Jerusalem. From the Franklin Chronicle of September 9, 1897: “Burglars broke into the post office at Carrabassett Wednesday night but not finding anything they climbed on the roof of the plazza (sic) and made an entrance to the sleeping room of the proprietor of the Carrabassett House where they secured about $400. They made their escape and are still at large. Officers are looking for them.” (Note the spelling of “Carrabassett” with that extra t at the end.)

  Carrabassett House Post Office
• 1898

  The Franklin & Megantic was sold to the Sandy River Railroad Co. for $87,000 in stock. The F & M had taken full control of the Kingfield & Dead River the year before, but hadn’t paid the bondholders of that line anything, so they filed proceedings in court to take control of the Kingfield-to-Carrabassett line as compensation. In September, the track was extended about 400 feet north to serve the S.D. Warren logging operation.

  railroad S.D. Warren Co
• 1898

  After a couple of years of discussing the idea, according to Rioux, surveying was conducted to extend the rail line six miles to Bigelow, a village in Crockertown. Work on the extension was completed in December at a cost of $32,000. Meanwhile, the Madison Bulletin reported that “Frank J.D. Barnjum, timer and pulp wood agent, has just purchased Crocker township, for Boston parties for $110,000.” The Crockertown Lumber Co., owned by Isaac Crocker, was organized in Portland to cut timber on the recently purchased property.

  timber logging Crockertown railroad Barnjum, Frank J. D. Crocker, Isaac Bigelow Station
• 1899

  Sometime between 1899 and 1922: The railroad trip to Bigelow was hardly a pleasure jaunt. In her book, I Grew Up With The Narrow Gauge, Hazel Cushman Erickson – whose father, Dan Cushman, was the engineer on the line for the entire 23 years of its existence – described the winding route: “Some like to say ‘It would break a snake’s back.’ This was not only because of the curves, for this road was perilous otherwise. On one side as high up as one could see was a ledge which seemed to reach the sky. … On the other side, down, down, a long way down, was the rocky Carrabassett River, flowing gently in summer, but turbulent, foaming, gushing over rocks in spring, and at times jammed by ice floes piled up and crested nearly to the railroad’s edge. The danger here was the undermining of the rails.” In addition, Erickson wrote, heavy rains pushed rocks onto the tracks and caused washouts. “The driving rains with nearly zero visibility caused very slow speed. Even so, an accident did occur. Into a washout sprawled the engine tipping on its side. Fortunately, it tipped to the ledge side of the track and lay there, a snorting monster hissing steam. My dad was in the confines of the cab.” This was the first of seven tip-over accidents her father experienced, all without injury. Erickson also related stories of her father being called out of bed in the middle of the night by the local physician in Kingfield, Dr. Bell, who needed to make an emergency run to Bigelow to deliver a baby.

  Carrabassett River railroad weather
• 1900

  Crockertown Lumber’s new steam mill, located in the space between the current location of the Carrabassett Valley Public Library and Carrabassett Valley Academy’s old dormitory, began shipping lumber in January. The Russell Remick Birch Mill also went into operation. The Bigelow passenger station (which still stands) and freight shed were completed that summer. Bigelow had about 100 residents working at the mills and many of them lived in the B.N. Merrill boarding house. By November, mail service to Bigelow had been established. That fall, railroad workers built a 15-foot by 20-foot hunting and fishing clubhouse about two miles south of Bigelow on the Carrabassett. It became known as Riverside House and is still in use today. Hazel Cushman Erickson’s family visited there regularly, according to her book, I Grew Up With The Narrow Gauge: “Each fall we took a vacation at the Railroad Boys’ Camp on the Carrabassett River. Usually we invited another family to accompany us. This vacation always took place in blueberry season, and we all went blueberrying. My mother made the most delicious blueberry pie I shall ever eat. She always made a few extra which she would take out, all hot and juicy, to give to the train men as they went by the cottage.”

  timber logging railroad Carrabassett Valley Academy Bigelow Station Carrabassett Public Library
• 1900

  The 1900 United States Federal Census listed 35 residents of Jerusalem.

  Jerusalem census
• 1900

  The 1900 United States Federal Census listed 35 residents in Crocker.

  Crockertown census
• 1902

  Crockertown Lumber’s mill was sold to Prouty & Miller of Vermont. At some point around this time, the new owners constructed a dam creating Caribou Pond, allowing them to float logs down the Carrabassett River to their mill.

  timber logging Carrabassett River
• 1903

  The new owners built an addition to the mill for a planer and clapboard machine, as well as a small electric plant that allowed the settlement to be lighted by electricity. The complex now included the boarding house, 16 dwellings, a blacksmith shop and a storehouse. Output from the mill reached 100,000 board feet per day.
• 1905

  Prouty & Miller partner Oscar G. Miller sold most of Crockertown, nearly 20,000 acres, to the Great Northern Paper Co., which planned to use the timber as pulpwood for its mill in Madison.

  timber logging Crockertown
• 1905

  A fire on January 27 destroyed the mill, causing railroad revenues to decline to almost nothing. The mill was rebuilt in record time, and Prouty & Miller purchased the timber rights for 4,260 acres in the southeast corner of Jerusalem. In order to transport this lumber to the mill, a 2,500-foot extension of the rail line into Hammond Field and a 350-foot curved trestle across the river were constructed about two miles south of Carrabassett Station.

  timber logging Carrabassett River Jerusalem railroad
• 1908

  Around this time, The Maine Telephone Co. began service to the area, with its 1908 directory listing 10 phone numbers.
• 1908

  A great forest fire began at Hammond Pond near Jerusalem and burned over Hammond Pond Mountain, now known as Burnt Mountain, across the north side of Sugarloaf and west of the Caribou Pond Road toward Crocker Mountain. The flames damaged some 5,500 acres and came within a half mile of Bigelow, where a train was standing by to evacuate residents. While the damage was extensive, this event resulted in the terrain that provides some of the above-tree-line skiing on Sugarloaf today.

  Sugarloaf Jerusalem railroad Burnt Mountain Bigelow Station
• 1908

  The two railroads serving Carrabassett and Bigelow were financially shaky, so three bankers from Gardiner consolidated those lines with the more stable rail companies serving Strong and Rangeley, thereby creating the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad. Even so, the two spurs struggled to turn a profit and were eventually leased to the Central Maine Railroad, which would continue to operate them until 1923.

  railroad
• 1908

  In June, the Carrabassett Timberland Co., owned by Charles P. Hutchins and William C. Atwater, officers of a New York-based coal company, purchased the northern and southeastern parts of Jerusalem from Barnjum. Later that month, Barnjum also sold the southwestern quarter of the township to Hutchins and Atwater. These transactions were designed to help the cash-strapped Great Northern mill meet its need for spruce for its Madison mill, because Great Northern was a major customer of Hutchins and Atwater’s coal company. From 1908 to 1912, nearly 55,000 cords of spruce pulpwood were driven down the river to the mill.

  timber logging Jerusalem Barnjum, Frank J. D. Hutchins, Charles P.
• 1909

  Hutchins, who had a previous interest in the area from fishing trips he’d taken to Alder Stream, decided to take the advice of Great Northern president Garrett Schenck and purchase what is today Alder Stream Township. To do so, Hutchins formed a new corporation called the Dead River Timberland Co., which assumed the holdings of Carrabassett Timberland. The Alder purchase was completed on November 8. Hutchins was the father of the late Dead River board chairman Curtis M. Hutchins and grandfather and great grandfather, respectively, of long-time Sugarloafers Christopher and Charles P. Hutchins. Over time, Dead River grew to become one of Maine’s largest and most diversified businesses with interests in everything from building supplies to lobstering to film processing. Its ownership of land in Carrabassett continued until 1981, when its remaining property was sold to the Penobscot Nation under terms of the Maine Indian Land Claims Act.

  Native Americans Hutchins, Charles P. Dead River Company Penobscot Indian Nation
• 1910

  The 1910 United States Federal Census listed 27 residents of Jerusalem, all along the Kingfield Road.

  Jerusalem census
• 1910

  The 1910 United States Federal Census listed 46 residents in "Crocker", all along Franklin County Road.

  Crockertown census
• 1911

  The Maine Central Railroad purchased the Sandy River line.

  railroad
• 1912

  William C. Record began operating Record’s Sporting Camps on 75 acres in Jerusalem, located across the road from the current site of the SugarBowl bowling alley.

  Jerusalem Record, William Record's Camps
• 1916

  The railroad continued to struggle. The Maine Public Utilities Commission authorized the Sandy River to extend its line through Carrabassett northeasterly along the Carriage Road all the way to Grand Falls, but the project was never constructed. The PUC also approved the abandonment of the Carrabassett to Bigelow line, but only about 3,100 feet was actually shut down.

  railroad
• 1920

  The 1920 United States Federal Census listed 31 residents in Jerusalem, all on Carrabassett Road.

  Jerusalem census
• 1921

  Service was suspended on the Kingfield to Bigelow line over the winter. During this shutdown, the Huston Brook bridge was replaced and the Poplar Stream bridge was repaired. The trains again began running on May 1, 1922, but on May 29, the bridge over the south branch of the Carrabassett in Kingfield collapsed, dropping all but the engine and last car into the river.

  railroad
• 1923

  Hutchins, Atwater and Edward Varney, a Fall River, Massachusetts box maker with a mill in South Berwick, supplied the capital for the newly organized Lawrence Plywood Co. in Jerusalem, near the present-day site of the town hall. The mill began operations on November 1 using wood supplied by Carrabassett Timberland Co. While there was still much logging in the area, the logs were increasingly being carried to the mills by trucks. Bigelow had ceased to be a busy lumber center, and there were only a few houses and a general store there. Josiah S. Maxcy and Herbert S. Wing took control of the Sandy River line from Maine Central as receivers.

  timber logging Jerusalem railroad Hutchins, Charles P. Bigelow Station
• 1925

  Rail service to Bigelow ceased in 1925, and the rails between that village and Huston Brook were removed in 1927.

  railroad Bigelow Station
• 1927

  A state highway, Route 27 (also called the Arnold Trail), was built, linking Kingfield and Eustis, and replacing and upgrading the old county road. This not only made it easier for sportsmen to access the area, it also made trucks a serious competitor for the railroad's primary business of transporting lumber.

  timber logging railroad Route 27
• 1930

  The 1930 United States Federal Census listed 10 residents in "Crocker".

  Crockertown census
• 1930

  The 1930 United States Federal Census listed 185 residents in Jerusalem, all on the Dead River Road.

  Jerusalem census
• 1931

  Edward Varney, who had been managing Lawrence Plywood, sold his shares in the company to Dead River.

  Dead River Company
• 1932

  Maxcy and Wing successfully petitioned the Maine Supreme Court to allow them to shut down the railroad, citing competition from trucks as the reason the line was unable to turn a profit. The last train ran on July 8. But it wasn’t quite over yet. The Lawrence Plywood Co. convinced the state railroad commission to resume limited service by promising to ship all its products on the line. In April, 1933, trains began running between Carrabassett and Strong. It would prove a short reprieve.

  timber logging railroad
• 1935

  The end finally came in April, when the receivers petitioned the state supreme court for permission to sell the railroad. The court agreed and ordered an auction be held May 18 in Farmington. The high bidders at $20,000 were Morris Sackoff of Portland and Harry S. Kamenske of Nashua, New Hampshire, who in turn sold the assets to the H.E. Salzberg Co. of New York. The Sandy River ceased operations on June 30, and the sale became final on July 1.

  railroad
• 1936

  For some time, Clyde Jacobs, manager of Lawrence Plywood, had noticed a decline in box sales, because of a production cutbacks at a textile mill in Fall River, the major customer for Lawrence’s boxes. Jacobs had attempted to diversify, selling hardwood panels to furniture makers; white birch veneer to Cummings Co. in Norway, Maine for candy sticks; and poplar to Berst-Forster for its matchstick manufacturing operations in Dixfield and Oakland. Jacobs also contracted with Berst-Forster to manufacture matches in Carrabassett, but the type of matches made there didn’t sell well. On May 30, Dead River liquidated Lawrence Plywood. (That same year, Dead River entered the oil business, which to this day is it primary business asset.)

  timber logging Dead River Company
• 1936

  On September 16, the last section of narrow-gauge rail was removed in Farmington, ending nearly 56 years of operation.

  railroad
• 1937

  With the discontinuation of the railroad, most inhabitants left the area. Gradually, some of the buildings they left behind were converted to hunting and fishing camps. The final section of the Appalachian Trail opened on August 16, running from Bigelow Station to Oberton Stream. Also that year, a Maine Forest Service campground was located in Campbell Field, as shown in a Maine Appalachian Trail Club map from 1938.

  Campbell Field railroad Bigelow Station Appalachian Trail
• 1940

  The 1940 United States Federal Census listed 41 residents in Jerusalem.

  Jerusalem census
• 1940

  The 1940 United States Federal Census listed 37 residents of Crockertown. The enumerator noted "all houses & farms owned by lumber company".

  Crockertown census
• 1942

  The U.S. Army built an emergency landing field in Jerusalem on the site of what would later become the Sugarloaf Regional Airport.

  airport
• 1948

  Dead River records show that northern Franklin County continued to be an important source of pulpwood for the company. From 1948 to 1953, about 60,000 cords per year were cut, mostly in Alder Stream and Jerusalem townships. But that wasn’t the only tree cutting going on. In 1948, some enterprising locals from Kingfield cut a ski trail on Mt. Bigelow.

  timber logging Jerusalem Dead River Company
• 1949

  The Maine Ski Council, formed the previous year by an act of the Legislature, created a subcommittee to find the location in the state with the best ski-development potential. After considering Saddleback, Pleasant, Bigelow, Blue, Old Spec and Baldface, the subcommittee settled on Sugarloaf, because it had superior exposure and annual snowfall, as well as fewer accessibility problems.

  Sugarloaf
• 1950

  The Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Club was organized. In October, the club received a five-year easement (at a cost of $10 per year) to build an access road across land owned by the Merrow Estate to reach Great Northern land on Sugarloaf. Sel Hannah, a ski-trail expert from Franconia, New Hampshire, helped design Old Winter’s Way from the base of the snowfields to an elevation of 1,800 feet.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Ski Club
• 1950

  The 1950 United States Federal Census listed 10 residents in Jerusalem.

  Jerusalem census
• 1950

  The 1950 United States Federal Census listed 4 residents in Crockertown.

  Crockertown census
• 1951

  The club began trail and lift development on Sugarloaf. Amos Winter, a general store manager from Kingfield, and a group of youngsters hiked up the mountain with skis on their backs to do the actual cutting.

  Sugarloaf Winter, Amos
• 1952

  The first Sugarloaf Schuss race was held in April. Avid skiers, such as the Robert Scotts of Orono, the James Howes of Waterville and the Richard Luces of Farmington began converting old hunting camps into ski lodges.

  Sugarloaf
• 1953

  The first ski lift, a 10-horsepower portable rope tow, went into operation. It was located to the left (looking uphill) of the present-day Boardwalk trail. The tow charge was one dollar per day for non-club members.

  Sugarloaf
• 1953

  In April, Evelyn Brown of the Merrow Estate sold the club the 4,780-foot-long parcel of land it was using for access to the mountain.

  Sugarloaf
• 1954

  In February, Great Northern gave the club a 20-year lease for the use of Sugarloaf at a price of $25 per year.

  Sugarloaf timber logging
• 1955

  The first reported through-hiker on the Appalachian Trail to make it all the way from Georgia to Mt. Katahdin, Earl V. Shaffer, trekked across Crockertown in 1948. But perhaps the most remarkable through-hiker arrived seven years later, when Emma Gatewood, a 67-year-old grandmother, became the first woman to complete the hike. In his book Grandma Gatewood’s Walk, author Ben Montgomery described her thusly: “And here came Emma … plodding along through stones and stumps, her knee getting worse with each footfall, up 4,250 feet of rock called Sugarloaf, past the skilift, then down the other side and out onto the highway {Route 27}. There she met Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bell, who were spending a week at a friend’s cabin [Sno’dUnder] and invited Emma to sit down for some breakfast. Her knee was throbbing and swollen. After breakfast, Richard Bell positioned Emma and his two young daughters [Anne and Buffy] by a trail sign and snapped their photograph before Emma cut away. A fall storm was moving in as Emma hobbled on.”

  Sugarloaf timber logging Crockertown Route 27 Appalachian Trail Schaffer, Earl V.
• 1955

  Great Northern sold most of its land in Crockertown to Scott Paper.

  timber logging Crockertown
• 1955

  On March 24, a group met at the Worcester House in Hallowell to organize the Sugarloaf Mountain Corp. The officers were Robert Bass, president; Richard Luce, vice president; Richard Bell, secretary; and James Flint, treasurer. SMC bought out the holdings of the ski club for $10,000 worth of stock (1,000 shares). During that summer SMC issued and sold $100,000 worth of common stock and hired Amos Winter as executive manager. That season, the first T-bar was purchased, the original base lodge was constructed, and the Lower Narrow Gauge Trail was cut.

  Sugarloaf Winter, Amos Bell, Richard Sugarloaf Ski Club
• 1956

  New ski camps were being constructed at Bigelow Station and Campbell Field creating a community of skiers there and all along Route 27. On February 21, 1956, Thomas S. Slattery of Minot sold Jonathan, Roger and G. Norton Luce “as parcel of land with buildings thereon, situated in what was formerly the freight yard of the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad, at a place called Bigelow.” Not everybody who used those camps was a skier, though. The deed also specified, “One Gust Johnson has been granted the right to occupy one half of the shed situated directly back of the camp for his own use as long as he lives.” Johnson was a fur trapper. … Other families using Bigelow buildings for ski camps included the Bells and Folgers, while the Kiersteads, Mendalls and Cummings were building new camps in Campbell Field. The Carys and Basses built on what was then Route 27, but would soon become known as Woodcock Road. … Many of the new structures were being constructed on land owned by Dead River and leased from the company. In his history of Dead River, former board chairman Curtis M. Hutchins wrote, “There is ample evidence in the early pages of this Dead River story that my father was a far-sighted man. However, even if he possessed a crystal ball, it is hard to believe that he could have foreseen the day when Jerusalem Township would be swarming with human beings bent on breaking their legs by sliding down Sugarloaf Mountain. As a matter of fact, … I have to go over to Carrabassett every once in a while and see it to believe it.” Development eventually spread to other Dead River properties such as Carrabassett Village and Spring Farm. As Hutchins noted, “Thanks to my father … Dead River owns much of the land at the eastern base of Sugarloaf, and this ownership eventually dragged us out of the relative peace and quiet of the land business into the hurly-burly of the real estate business.”

  Sugarloaf Jerusalem Campbell Field railroad Spring Farm Hutchins, Charles P. Dead River Company Route 27 Bell, Richard Bigelow Station
• 1956

  The Tague family purchased Record’s Camps. Leo Tague, a native of Coplin Plantation, became the full owner in 1960, having added a dining room to serve skiers and renaming the place Tague’s Motel.

  Tague, Leo Record's Camps Begin, Clem Tague's Motel
• 1956

  SMC bought its first groomer in February 1956, and a weekend ski school was opened. The company had managed to turn a profit in its first season, and in its second season, another T-bar was added, Narrow Gauge Trail opened, and the base lodge was doubled in size. Brooks Dodge laid out Tote Road trail, with a warming hut halfway down. The ski school expanded to seven days a week.

  Sugarloaf
• 1957

  State Highway 27 through Campbell Field and Woodcock Lane was discontinued, making those roads private. This was the first part of a project to straighten and upgrade the state road and a major step forward in Carrabassett Valley’s long tradition of private roads.

  Campbell Field Route 27
• 1957

  On the mountain, Roger Page was director of the ski school, and Werner Rothbacher was hired to teach the Austrian technique of skiing and to coach the junior program.

  Sugarloaf
• 1957

  Irv and Edna Judson began construction of Judson’s Motel in September on land they bought from Dead River. It would open for limited operations the following February.

  Dead River Company Judson's Motel
• 1958

  Snowfall was so heavy that winter that the upper T-bar houses and cables were still buried in April, and SMC offered a free day of skiing to anyone willing to help shovel them out. “Awesome ski year,” recalled Jean Luce, who said she skied until Memorial Day much to the chagrin of her mother who thought she should have been busy planning her June wedding.

  Sugarloaf weather
• 1958

  During the summer of ‘58, Harvey Boynton built a ginger-bread style ski shop next to the base lodge, where the Sawduster chair now unloads.

  Boynton, Harvey
• 1958

  Sugarloaf hosted the U.S. Junior National Championships.

  Sugarloaf
• 1958

  The Sugarloaf Sauna opened on the corner of Town Line Road and Route 27 (this building later became Hug’s restaurant). The sauna is featured in the background of the famous bare-chested Uncle Al poster from the Bag.

  Sugarloaf Sauna Hug's The Bag & Kettle
• 1959

  Big changes on the mountain. A new two-story base lodge was built at the present site, and the parking areas were moved downslope. This shift made room for a 15-acre beginner’s slope. The Skidway T-bar was installed.

  Sugarloaf Scheeren, Alexander "Uncle Al"
• 1960

  A new wing was added to the base lodge, and Double Bitter Trail was cut.

  Sugarloaf
• 1960

  Boynton moved his ski shop to a new location, where the Bag restaurant is now. The roof became known as “Boynton’s Beach,” a prime spot for happy hour.

  Boynton, Harvey The Bag & Kettle
• 1960

  Big changes in the valley. The seasonal housing boom hit, with lots of construction in Spring Farm, Poplar Stream and Carrabassett Village, as well as in townships north of the mountain.

  Spring Farm real estate
• 1960

  In July, the Bigelow Corp. purchased the remaining 2,000 acres of the Merrow Estate from Mary White. The estate stretched from the current location of Hug’s restaurant to well up the Access Road, including what is now much of Carrabassett Valley Academy’s campus. Mark H. Merrow and Leon Warwell had purchased the land in 1920 from the Prouty and Miller families. In 1938, Wardwell sold out to Merrow, who died that same year. Evelyn Brown and Mary McDonald (later Mary White) inherited the property, with Brown conveying her interest to White in 1957.

  Hug's real estate Bigelow Corp. Carrabassett Valley Academy
• 1960

  Bigelow Corp. was financed through $10,000 investments from its board members and associates, who included George “Tim” Terry III, president; Harvey Boynton, vice-president; Adrian Asherman, secretary/treasurer; Ralph M. Clark, clerk.; as well as Alden MacDonald, Wadsworth Hinds, William Kierstead, Dr. Edwin Ervin, Parker Poole and Emil “Jay” Winter. According to a Bigelow Corp. paper, “The intent of this group was to invest in this property for the long term and to develop it in such a way as to best preserve the character of the area.” After a timber assessment, feasibility study and a development plan were prepared by the Joseph Sewall Co., one-acre lots were laid out under what Terry called “rigid controls as to types of structures and to keep the commercial area carefully separate from the residential sections.” This was the beginning of what’s now known as Sugarloaf Village 1 and 2.

  Boynton, Harvey Bigelow Corp.
• 1960

  In November, Pfeifle Enterprises purchased for one dollar and other considerations land from SMC to build the Sugarloaf Inn. Don and Maryann Pfeifle lived in and operated the inn with their four boys.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Inn
• 1961

  Late in the year, Rangeley Power Co. began offering electric service to Jerusalem, Crockertown and Wyman townships.

  Sugarloaf Crockertown Jerusalem Rangeley Power Co.
• 1961

  On the mountain, the Whiffletree and King Pine T-bars went into operation, and the Ram Down and Widow Maker trails were opened. … John Christie, who had been working as a ski patroller and bartender, was hired as Amos Winter’s assistant manager. Christie was responsible for laying out plans for a top-to-bottom lift line that was completed in 1966, effectively transforming the mountain. Christie became Sugarloaf’s general manager in 1965, but left that job in 1968 to head the Mount Snow Development Corp. in Vermont. In 1972, he came back to Maine and purchased Saddleback ski area, which he sold in 1976. He later wrote The Story of Sugarloaf, an extensive history of the mountain and was inducted into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame.

  Sugarloaf Christie, John Winter, Amos
• 1961

  The Somerset Telephone Co., successor to the Maine Telephone Co. and now owned by Kenton Quint of North Anson, created the Bigelow exchange (237) with eight accounts, including the Sugarloaf base lodge, Sugarloaf Inn, Chateau Des Tagues, Judson’s Motel, Norton Luce, Donald Pfeifle and Harold Anderson

  Sugarloaf Judson's Motel Sugarloaf Inn Somerset Telephone Co. Chateau des Tagues
• 1961

  The Bigelow Corp. constructed Brackett Brook Road in Sugarloaf Village and put a prefabricated Stan-Mar chalet at the crest of the hill, which was eventually sold to Robert Porteous of Portland. The road was extended to what is now Town Line Road, and a number of people built homes on it, including Norton and Jean Luce, Frank and Deanna Avantaggio, and Alden and Margaret MacDonald. In 1964, Bigelow hired Jud Strunk to live in another Stan-Mar chalet next to the Luces. Strunk’s job was to sell lots in the development by ferrying potential buyers around in a then-novel red Polaris snowmobile to show them lots on roads that hadn’t yet been built.

  real estate Bigelow Corp. Strunk, Jud
• 1961

  The Red Stallion Inn was created from what had been a Dead River Co. horse barn. Dead River leased the structure to a corporation owned by David Rollins and Wesley Sanborn. John and Jean Love ran the business. When the owners ran out of money in 1966, they sold the Stallion to Ed Rogers. There is some evidence the barn was originally part of the Spring Farm health resort, but it’s not known when or even if it was moved to the Carriage Road. It’s also possible the barn was constructed from timbers moved from Flagstaff before that town was flooded in 1949 by a Central Maine Power dam project. In any case, the structure was used as a barn until 1960, when Clifford Norton of Kingfield remembered shoeing horses there. Soon thereafter, Jean Luce recalled seeing horse dung being removed from the area that became the dance floor, although that task may not have been completed as thoroughly as might be hoped. According to Ed Rogers, during wet spells, the Stallion always had a familiar smell.

  Carrabassett Mineral Spring Farm Dead River Company The Red Stallion Rogers, Ed
• 1961

  Also around this time Route 27 underwent considerable reconstruction. Sections such as Spring Farm Road and Little Poplar Stream Road were discontinued and became private ways. As some stretches of the road were abandoned, they were taken over by the paper companies that owned the surrounding properties and maintained as access roads to ski camps. Weekend populations swelled, particularly in the winter.

  Spring Farm Route 27
• 1961

  Up on the mountain, George Cary was elected president of SMC.

  Sugarloaf
• 1961

  In July, Tague’s Motel caught fire, destroying 10 units, the kitchen, dining room and lounge. A six-room addition, store and gas station were saved. Tague hastily built a larger motel across Route 27 at the current location of the Sugarbowl bowling alley, managing to get the newly christened Chateau des Tagues open in time for hunting season. The following year, Tague hired Clem Begin of Quebec to run the kitchen. … On Tague’s original site across the road, an older couple, possibly the Andrews, opened the Til Midnight Store. They rented the remaining cabins in back to skiers. That location later became at various times Valley Pie, a pizza place, and Macho’s Mexican Restaurant. Ted Jones recalled visiting the Til Midnight Store for an unusual purpose. While flying his plane, he noticed he was running low on fuel. So, he landed on Route 27 and pulled up to the store’s gas pumps and filled up.

  Route 27 Tague, Leo Tague's Motel Jones, Ted Chateau des Tagues
• 1963

  This was the first year Sugarloaf ski passes featured photos. Yet another new section was added to the base lodge.

  Sugarloaf
• 1963

  Charles and Elinor Clark of New Portland opened the Capricorn Lodge on Route 27 (the building later became Carrabassett Valley Academy’s original building) on land they had purchased in 1962. The Capricorn had 21 rooms and a lounge described as having a “Bavarian décor,” but the local business association published a brochure describing it, perhaps inadvertently, as “Barbarian.” The Clarks operated the lodge until 1971, when they sold it to Harold Alfond.

  Capricorn Lodge Carrabassett Valley Academy Alfond, Harold
• 1964

  Dutch Demshar built a ski camp in Spring Farm. Other than that, it seems to have been a quiet time.

  Spring Farm Demshar, Dutch
• 1965

  This story comes from sometime in the mid-1960s (although our source isn’t quite certain of the year) and exemplifies the attitude of the times. It’s based on an account John van C. Parker published in the ski club newsletter.

  Parker and some friends had rented a decrepit two-story bunkhouse on Route 27 diagonally across the road from Bigelow Station. It had once housed workers for a sawmill located further up the road on the narrow-gauge railroad line, but had been abandoned for many years except for the occasional squatter. It’s state of disrepair earned it the name Camp Ruin. It was a primitive place, heated by a wood stove. Water came from breaking a hole in the ice on the river. Plumbing was nonexistent, but there was an outhouse (toilet seats were hung on hooks by the stove to keep them warm). Even so, the accommodations were sufficient for those interested primarily in skiing and partying.

  The occupants of Camp Ruin included Parker, his wife Ann, Scott Scully, Bill Poole, John Robinson, “Wooly” and “Hoddy” Hildreth and Alice Mary Pierce. One year, Pierce broke her leg. As Parker related it, “The resulting cast, which was generously autographed and illustrated, ended up becoming a key decoration for the Camp Ruin living room. But, the following fall, when we made our annual trip to shovel out the outhouse, patch the tar paper roof, and fumigate the camp for flies, we discovered that the cast was missing.”

  The Camp Ruin crew eventually learned that the cast had turned up, wired to a wooden pole at the corner of the bar at Chateau Des Tagues. Parker noted that “elevation to such a conspicuous location was a source of pride” but “honor dictated that it should be retrieved.” Over cocktails and dinner on a Saturday night, a plan was concocted for “an all forces raid” on the Chateau. After dinner, about a dozen Camp Ruiners set out on their mission.

  At the Chateau, they found an SRO crowd listening to live music. Parker and Jack Pierce made their way to the post, while their compatriots spread out and prepared to divert the attentions of the bartenders and waitresses. Pierce gradually unwound the wires holding the cast to the post, and at the appropriate moment, slipped the cast under his coat. The gang made its escape back to the camp. “The evening’s drinking concluded with many toasts to Alice Mary’s cast which, by then, was back in its featured location in the Camp Ruin living room.”

  Still, it was just an old cast, and later that season, the crew decided to upgrade its decorations. The cast was relegated to the outhouse for a while, but eventually tossed into the woods. That would have been the end of this story, except that the next season, after a hard day of skiing, some of the Camp Ruin crew decided to visit the Sugarloaf Sauna (where Hug’s restaurant is now) to unwind. They ended up sharing a room with Leo Tague, the proprietor of the Chateau.

  After a few minutes, Parker worked up the nerve to asked Tague whatever became of that cast he had wired to a pole in his bar. “Leo blurted out a few cuss words and concluded his comments by stating that he didn’t really mind losing the cast but thought it was pretty cheap of someone to steal all the money that was being collected in it for a raffle.”

  The Ruiners retreated to their camp to relate this development to their friends. But locating the castaway cast in the deep snow of mid-winter was out of the question. “On the last weekend of the season,” Parker recalled, “the snow was still a foot or so deep all around the camp and a search would have been useless. The next Fall, however, we combed the area around Camp Ruin but never found a trace of either the cast or its contents.”

  Tague, Leo Chateau des Tagues
• 1965

  The Mogul Delicatessen, a prefabricated log building, was moved onto the lot at the corner of Town Line Road and Route 27 (across from what’s now Hug’s restaurant). The Mogul was owned by David Brophy of Waterville and featured everything from Italian sandwiches to baked beans and brown bread on Saturdays. Dick Ayotte worked at Mogul’s until he left to start his own store in Valley Crossing.

  Hug's Ayotte, Dick Valley Crossing
• 1965

  Dick and Mary Fountain built the Lumberjack Lodge on Route 27, and they became permanent residents along with their four children. The Lumberjack is now a condominium development.

  Lumberjack Lodge
• 1965

  Around this time, a larger, permanent, year-round population began emerging, as people moved to the area to work at the mountain, for the various inns and at assorted businesses providing building materials, car repairs, gasoline and laundry services to weekend visitors.
• 1965

  Construction of the Gondola began in the fall and operations commenced in January, with 50 four-passenger cars, carrying skiers 8,430 feet while lifting them 2,300 feet up the mountain. According to news accounts at the time, this addition attracted visitors from all around the northeast.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Gondola
• 1966

  When Chateau Des Tagues was full, Leo Tague rented out space in a building across Route 27 called “The Hovel.” The price was one dollar per night per person (compared to $9-$15 across the road). Plumbing was available at the Chateau.

  Tague, Leo Chateau des Tagues The Hovel
• 1966

  The mountain was rebranded as “Sugarloaf/USA.”

  Sugarloaf
• 1967

  Leo Tague, Dead River Co., and Henry and Irene Ware all sold adjoining plots of land to Franklin County for use as an airport. The sale to the county qualified the facility for federal funding, but to receive that money, the county had to foot the bill for 25 percent of the construction cost, some $32,000. Harvey Boynton supplied that cash. Dead River did the construction work, and the airport opened for business in 1968. The first manager was Tague himself. The airport would remain county property until the town of Carrabassett Valley assumed ownership after it became an incorporated municipality in 1972.

  Dead River Company airport Tague, Leo Boynton, Harvey Ware, Heny & Irene
• 1967

  The Richard Bell Sugarloaf Interfaith Chapel was built on the mountain, offering three services each Sunday, as well as weddings, youth activities and christenings. Bell of Farmington was one of the chief fundraisers for the facility. Before the chapel was constructed, both Catholic and Protestant religious services were held in the “Pack Sack” picnic area in the base lodge basement.

  Bell, Richard church
• 1967

  Sugarloaf hosted not only the NCAA Championships for men, but also the World Heavyweight Ski Championships. For the NCAA, the slalom and giant slalom were held on Narrow Gauge trail, while the downhill took place on Tote Road. A 45-meter ski jump had been constructed the previous year at the foot of Poplar Mountain across Poplar Stream from the Carriage Road, not far from the old town dump.

  Sugarloaf Poplar Mountain
• 1967

  Harry Baxter was hired as the new ski school director. Baxter had previously been at Mt. Whitter in New Hampshire. The following year, after Christie’s departure, Baxter became general manager of Sugarloaf.

  Sugarloaf Christie, John Baxter, Harry
• 1967

  Off the mountain, cross-country trails were being created from old logging roads and the narrow-gauge rail bed.

  timber logging railroad Outdoor Center
• 1967

  In response to the increasing interest in local real estate, Dead River Co. established a recreation division to deal with its property in the Carrabassett Valley area. Leaseholders were given an opportunity to buy the land their camps were on, and new housing developments were plotted out. Dead River also began construction of the Valley Crossing shopping complex at the corner of the Carriage Road and Route 27, with the first tenants moving in the following year. By that time, Dead River had expanded into construction, supplying building materials to other contractors, interior design, furnishings, maintenance, snow removal, firewood and propane, mostly as a result of burgeoning demand in the Sugarloaf area. As Dead River’s Curtis M. Hutchins wrote in his company history, “The primary purpose of these extensive operations was to promote the Carrabassett Valley as a recreational area and thereby enhance the value of our unsold land in Jerusalem Township.” As we’ll see in following years, that didn’t work out quite as planned.

  Dead River Company real estate
• 1967

  The state changed the name of Crockertown to Sugarloaf Township. The population consisted of six Fountains, five Pfeifles, four Luces, four Clarks and one Harold Anderson. For the first time, the township had a public-school bus to take kids to Kingfield, freeing the parents of that duty. The bus was owned and operated by the state, and Jack Hargreaves of New Portland was the driver.

  Crockertown Sugarloaf Township school
• 1968

  Dead River built four model homes in the first of its housing developments, Redington North, which opened in February of 1968. The company also proposed adding a golf course to the development, but that never happened. The Redington East development began shortly thereafter. Smaller “spacemaker” homes were being offered by Dead River for $18,000 to $28,000 including wells and waste disposal systems. … According to Jean Luce, there were 42 chalets and A-frames on Route 27 and its turnouts between the Access Road and Tague’s.

  Dead River Company real estate
• 1968

  The season began with heavy rain, which flooded the basement of Judson’s Motel at Christmas. With an inn full of skiers, Irv Judson attempted to save the furnace from the rising water, but died of a heart attack in the process. His wife, Edna (known affectionately as “Ma”), continued to run the motel for many years.

  Judson's Motel weather
• 1968

  The snowfall that year totaled a record-setting 347 inches, with two back-to-back storms over five days adding 67 inches. Everything was buried, and Route 27 was closed for 24 hours until the state highway department could bring in special equipment – a giant snowblower from Aroostook County – to clear Route 27. More than two dozen people stood on the snowbanks in the Capricorn’s parking lot to watch the big machine blow snow nearly to the river. Even so, many side roads remained impassable, and for a week, Fotter’s Store in Eustis delivered groceries to the Capricorn, where the locals picked them up using toboggans and skis. Brackett Brook Road was finally opened by two graders, one towing the other. On the bright side, the ski season ran from November 10 to May 11.

  Sugarloaf Route 27 Capricorn Lodge weather
• 1968

  Around this time (he’s not exactly sure of the year), Larry Warren, 22, showed up in Jerusalem intent on learning to ski. According to an article in the Fall 2018 issue of Carrabassett Valley Connections by Peggy Willihan, Warren took just two and a half days to become proficient enough to handle any trail on Sugarloaf. He also became smitten with the area. In 1971, he gave notice at the Boston accounting firm where he worked, intending to take a position he’d been offered by a fellow Sugarloafer at a Portland accounting company. But as Warren was about to make that move, Ted Jones resigned as SMC’s controller to open a wood-turning company in Kingfield, and Warren was hired to replace him as senior accountant and controller.

  Sugarloaf Jones, Ted Warren, Larry
• 1969

  The first double chairlift, Bucksaw, was installed that fall. It was 5,360 feet long with 1,191 feet of vertical lift. The Sawduster double chair was also constructed (1,300 feet long with 130 feet of vertical lift), although it wouldn’t open until the following year.

  Sugarloaf
• 1969

  The Valley Crossing shopping complex was built by Dead River at the corner of the Carriage Road and Route 27. By this time, Dead River had expanded into construction, supplying building materials to other contractors, interior design, furnishings, maintenance, snow removal, firewood and propane, mostly as a result of burgeoning demand in the Sugarloaf area. As Dead River’s Curtis M. Hutchins wrote in his company history, “The primary purpose of these extensive operations was to promote the Carrabassett Valley as a recreational area and thereby enhance the value of our unsold land in Jerusalem Township.” As we’ll see in following years, that didn’t work out quite as planned.

  Jerusalem Hutchins, Charles P. Dead River Company real estate Valley Crossing
• 1969

  The annual Jerusalem Dump Party was featured in the November issue of Playboy magazine. Everyone had their clothes on (in the photos, anyway).

  Jerusalem
• 1969

  H. Norton “Icky” Webber was working at a ski shop in Jerusalem when he met Billy Jones, and they decided to open a bar and restaurant in Valley Crossing. According to Jay Reynolds, who has managed that business since 1972, Webber and Jones named it The Bag because of vague connections to jokes about being half in the bag. For most of its existence, The Bag was a seasonal operation, open in the winter in Jerusalem and, starting in the summer of 1970, serving customers in Camden. Shortly, thereafter, they also opened You Know Whose Pub in Waterville and hired Reynolds to manage it.

  Jerusalem The Bag & Kettle Webber, H. Norton "Icky" Jones, Billy Reynolds, Jay
• 1970

  Twenty condominiums were built on the mountain, signaling an approaching shift in the real estate market. The units were priced between $19,000 and $35,000. … Land values in the area were estimated to have tripled in the last 10 years.

  Sugarloaf
• 1970

  Dutch Demshar was managing Peter Webber’s Ski Shop at Valley Crossing.

  Demshar, Dutch Webber, Peter Valley Crossing
• 1970

  Four area residents had planes: Harvey Boynton, Larry Sullivan, Leo Tague and Ted Jones (who told the Original Irregular that he preferred flying low because if something went wrong, he could get out and fix it). In an earlier version of this timeline, it was incorrectly stated that Dutch Demshar also owned a plane. This misconception may have been caused by Demshar, an Annapolis graduate and a Naval Reserve officer, occasionally using a fighter jet from the Brunswick Naval Air Station to buzz the Carrabassett air field.

  airport Tague, Leo Boynton, Harvey Demshar, Dutch Jones, Ted
• 1970

  Cap’n America (aka Peter Roy) was appointed the Red Stallion’s public relations director.

  The Red Stallion
• 1970

  An advertisement appeared in the Original Irregular for “Ayotte’s Country Store and Pot Shop.”

  Ayotte's Country Store
• 1971

  Records and recollections conflict, but it appears Leo and Mary Tague sold Chateau Des Tagues to Ronald E. Tripp and promptly set off on a winter vacation to Europe with Dick Keenan, Dick Smith, Don Fowler, Athill Herbert, Larry Sullivan and others. But that sale may have fallen through, because the following year, the Tagues sold the property to Joseph LeBeau of Orono. What’s clear is that LeBeau eventually defaulted on his loan, and in 1976, the Tagues again assumed ownership. Somewhere in this period, somebody changed the name of the place to the Narrow Gauge Inn, but by 1977, it was again the Chateau. After regaining the property, the Tagues leased much of the bar and restaurant operation to others, including Ed Rogers, owner of the Red Stallion.

  Tague, Leo Chateau des Tagues Narrow Gauge Inn Rogers, Ed Tague, Mary Tripp, Ronald E. Keenan, Dick Smith, Dick Fowler, Dick Herbert, Athill Sullivan, Larry LeBeau, Joseph
• 1971

  Faced with high costs and low profits, Dead River sold off its construction, design, services and building materials operations, but it did build a 28-unit condominium project in Valley Crossing. At this point, the company estimated some 350 to 400 families had ski camps of one sort or another in Jerusalem.

  Jerusalem Dead River Company real estate Valley Crossing
• 1971

  That winter, Sugarloaf hosted the Tall Timber Classic World Cup, the highest-level race held up to that time on the mountain, as well as the Arlberg Kandahar races.

  Sugarloaf
• 1971

  An SMC subsidiary offered another 30 condos for sale on the mountain at prices ranging from $24,900 to $38,000.

  Sugarloaf real estate
• 1971

  With the explosion of development on Sugarloaf, a staffed gate was set up on the Access Road near what is now the check-in center. The gatekeeper was Smitty Smith.

  Sugarloaf
• 1971

  Clem Begin and Leo Tague formed the Sugarloaf Construction Co.

  Tague, Leo Begin, Clem
• 1971

  Sugarwings began offering charter air service from the airport.

  airport
• 1971

  After purchasing the Capricorn Lounge, Harold Alfond hired Jim and Jean Doughty to run it for him, which they did until 1978.

  Capricorn Lodge Alfond, Harold
• 1971

  Hutchins of Dead River met with local residents of Jerusalem, Crockertown and Wyman to urge them to incorporate as a town in order to lower the state taxation rate of 15 mils on unorganized territories (most of that money went directly to the state) and thereby gain greater local control over spending. In March, the three townships held a meeting at the base lodge to consider the idea. Those present were polled, with voters from Jerusalem firmly in favor 8-3, those of Crockertown (Sugarloaf) more closely dived at 7-6 in favor, and those of Wyman firmly opposed 3-0. The participants decided to schedule more formal votes later in the year. On October 26, Jerusalem voted 21-13 to become the Town of Carrabassett Valley. The election was held at Judson’s Motel and overseen by Deputy Secretary of State Peter Damborg and other state officials. Frank Rogers cast the first ballot. Wyman and Crockertown declined to join the new municipality, the latter by a margin of one vote.

  Crockertown Jerusalem Hutchins, Charles P. Dead River Company Judson's Motel Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1972

  Sugarloaf approached Billy Jones about moving the operation [The Bag] to the mountain. In late December of that year, The Bag opened at its present location with Jay Reynolds as manager. It only served lunch, because in those days, all the nightlife was in the valley. The Bag’s indoor space was much smaller than it is today, so in 1975, the bar added a large outdoor deck covered with an inflatable dome, but that bubble had an unfortunate tendency to collapse under heavy snowfalls. After a couple of seasons, it was abandoned.

  Sugarloaf The Bag & Kettle Jones, Billy Reynolds, Jay
• 1972

  During the summer, the Village Center on the mountain was constructed. It included an expanded space for Harvey Boynton’s ski shop, but the end of “Boynton’s Beach.” There was also room for the Bag & Kettle and several other shops, as well as 17 condos, a locker room and office space.

  Boynton, Harvey The Bag & Kettle
• 1972

  Down at Valley Crossing, the Ski Rack, which had been located in Livermore Falls, began operations, as did the Truffle Hound, a 40-seat, candle-lit, fine-dining restaurant owned by Larry Warren, Ted Jones and Ed Rogers. The chefs were George and Leslie Wiltshire. In 1974, Warren’s brother Steve took over the restaurant, aided by a new bartender named Lloyd Cuttler.

  Jones, Ted Warren, Larry Valley Crossing The Ski Rack Truffle Hound Cuttler, Lloyd Rogers, Ed
• 1972

  Al Webber built the 31-unit Blue Ox Lodge, which was later sold and converted to a condominium development called Timberwind.

  Webber, Al Blue Ox Lodge Timberwind
• 1972

  At the base of the mountain, the Bigelow Corp. demolished the last remaining houses from the railroad era. By that time, Bigelow had sold 340 lots in the area.

  railroad real estate Bigelow Corp.
• 1972

  SMC president King Cummings announced the company had purchased Burnt Mountain (1,750 acres) from Scott Paper and had acquired an option to purchase Crocker Mountain.

  Sugarloaf Cummings, King Burnt Mountain Crocker Mountain
• 1972

  Dead River’s Left Bank condo project opened in November. The company also proposed building a dam on the Carrabassett River to create a 350-acre lake to enhance the area’s appeal as a four-season resort. The idea was kicked around for several years, but ended up going nowhere.

  Carrabassett River Dead River Company real estate
• 1972

  Route 27 was designated by the Maine Department of Transportation as a scenic highway.

  Route 27
• 1972

  The Red Stallion hosted the first World Mud Football Championship. It was covered by ABC’s Wide World of Sports.

  The Red Stallion
• 1972

  The Outer Space Band played the Stallion for the first time.

  The Red Stallion
• 1972

  Singer-songwriter-comedian (and unsuccessful state Senate candidate) Jud Strunk left the area on July 15 for Nashville and later Hollywood. The following year, he became a regular on the final season of the TV show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in. Strunk, who had moved to Eustis after his real-estate adventures, had his biggest hit record in 1973 with Daisy a Day. Other chart singles included My Country and The Biggest Parakeets in Town. After his show-biz career ended, he returned to the area to start a business restoring antique airplanes.

  Strunk, Jud
• 1972

  An organizational town meeting was held March 15 with 22 people present, according to the minutes, but the first official town meeting took place on April 26 on the second floor of Valley Crossing over Ayotte’s store. Voters dealt with a warrant containing 19 articles and elected Preston Jordan (three-year term), Larry Warren (two years) and Parker Hall (one year) as selectmen. The school committee consisted of Shirley Smith, Gail Jordan and Martha Ayotte. Maralyn Beck was chosen as the town clerk, tax collector and treasurer.

  Ayotte's Country Store Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Warren, Larry Valley Crossing Jordan, Preston
• 1973

  WTOS-FM, an alternative-rock station licensed to Skowhegan, went on the air. Soon thereafter, its transmitting tower was moved to the top of Sugarloaf (hence the call letters), and “The Mountain of Pure Rock” increased its power to 57,000 watts, allowing it to be heard for more than 200 miles in all directions.

  WTOS-FM
• 1974

  At the annual town meeting in March, Carrabassett Valley voters decided by a vote of 24-14 to establish a town-manager form of government. Preston Jordan, who had recently resigned as first selectman, became the first to hold the post. He’d serve until 1989.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Jordan, Preston
• 1974

  After two seasons of light snowfall, Sugarloaf installed its first snowmaking system. The Spillway East chairlift opened. SMC general manager Harry Baxter left for Jackson Hole, and Charles Skinner was hired to replace him.

  Sugarloaf Baxter, Harry weather Skinner, Charles
• 1975

  The Spillway chairlift went into service, but it didn’t have an easy time winning approval. As part of its development plans, Sugarloaf Mountain Corp. had long planned to build a double chairlift and access trails connecting the Double Runner lift with the upper mountain. But the proposed lift was delayed for several years when it was discovered it might disrupt the habitat of a rare mouse-like mammal called the yellow-nosed vole, which lives at altitudes over 3,000 feet. Environmentalists and state regulators objected to the construction, but after some contentious meetings and much debates, a settlement was reached. The Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) and SMC agreed to take several steps to insure the voles would not be disturbed. Among the protections were the planting of trefoil under the new lift, because the yellow-nosed vole likes this plant, while its competitor, the red-backed vole (which also lives on Sugarloaf) does not, thereby keeping the two species separated. According to a resolution worked out by the parties, this planting would “encourage the yellow-nosed vole to cross this area in their multitudinous journeys from wood to wood.” In addition, SMC agreed to erect several signs reading “Warning, Vole Crossing” in locations where they could be clearly seen from the new chairlift.

  On May 2, 1975, during legislative debate on the resolution, one senator said, “LURC has often demonstrated its ability to make a mountain out of a molehill. I submit that LURC has reached new heights of sublime inanity. The Land Use Regulation Commission has finally succeeded in making a vole hill out of a mountain.”

  The controversy eventually died down, and Sugarloaf even introduced a costumed mascot named Lemon, the Yellow-Nosed Vole and held an annual celebration called Yellow-Nosed Vole Day at the start of each season.

  Sugarloaf Yellow-nosed Vole
• 1975

  By a vote of 7-6, the 13 adult residents of Crockertown (officially Sugarloaf Township) voted to join Carrabassett Valley, and the voters of Carrabassett cast ballots in favor of accepting them. The Legislature later approved the annexation. The expanded municipality became the largest in area of any organized town in Maine. At that year’s town meeting, held March 26 at the base lodge, residents decided to name the combined town Carrabassett Valley, rather than Sugarloaf. Larry Warren was chosen first selectman (three-year term), with Dr. R.A. Page and Alden McDonald chosen for two-year terms, and Gordon Bither and Jean Doughty for one-year terms. The school board consisted of Rhonda Willett, Jean Luce and Trudy Sullivan. The planning board, consisting of chairman Norton Luce, Phoebe Stowell, Burnham “Bud” Ragon and Carol Stratton, was given the task of creating a comprehensive plan. It would take the next 11 years to complete that work.

  Crockertown Sugarloaf Township Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1975

  The mountain hosted a big country music festival sponsored by Maxwell’s restaurant (now Longfellow’s) in Kingfield. The headliner was Waylon Jennings, with Jud Strunk one of the supporting acts.

  Sugarloaf Strunk, Jud Maxwell's
• 1975

  Dead River’s venture into real estate came to an end, as demand for housing had shifted from the valley to condominiums on the mountain. As Hutchins put it, “[F]urther development after 1975 seemed unwise.”

  Hutchins, Charles P. Dead River Company real estate
• 1975

  When the Bag & Kettle moved to the mountain in 1972, its space at Valley Crossing was taken over by Flannagan’s restaurant. Three years later, the three partners in that enterprise had a falling out, with two of them, Larry Sullivan and Joe Williamson, taking control. They renamed the operation Tufulio’s, allegedly because they considered themselves two fools for getting into this business deal in the first place.

  The Bag & Kettle Valley Crossing Tufulio's
• 1975

  Jean Doughty was elected a Carrabassett Valley selectman, the first woman to hold that post (and the last until 2018).

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1975

  Central Maine Power acquired Rangeley Power. A new transmission line from Wyman Dam in Moscow went into service later that year to meet increased demand for electricity from Sugarloaf.

  Sugarloaf Rangeley Power Co.
• 1975

  A new two-lane bridge replaced the old one-lane span carrying the Carriage Road across the Carrabassett River. According to The Original Irregular, the new bridge meant “no more kamikaze games of who’ll get across first.”

  Carrabassett River
• 1976

  SMC sold the Sugarloaf Inn to Peter Webber.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Inn Webber, Peter
• 1976

  William Sim, general manager of the Donner Ski Bowl near Lake Tahoe, was hired as the new general manager of SMC replacing Charles Skinner, who returned to his personally owned ski resort in Minnesota. Before Skinner left, he gave an interview in which he said Sugarloaf, Scott Paper, Dead River and Huber Corp. had been in discussions for several years about building a massive resort including both Burnt and Crocker mountains, as well as a dam across the Carrabassett.

  Sugarloaf Carrabassett River Dead River Company Burnt Mountain Crocker Mountain Skinner, Charles Sim, William
• 1976

  The path of the Appalachian Trail was moved away from Bigelow Station and the summit of Sugarloaf to its present location across the peaks of North and South Crocker.

  Sugarloaf Crocker Mountain Bigelow Station Appalachian Trail
• 1976

  The section of the Carriage Road from Double A Drive to the old town dump was discontinued. The dump was closed, and a new transfer station opened.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1976

  That summer, the Schuss Café and Maxwell’s were taken over by SMC. … Gladstone’s restaurant opened over the Bag. It was for dinner only. During the day, the space was used by the Sugarloaf Regional Ski Education Foundation (a predecessor to Carrabassett Valley Academy) for its tutorial program.

  Sugarloaf Carrabassett Valley Academy Maxwell's Schuss Café Gladstone's
• 1976

  The valuation of Carrabassett Valley was $14,829,421. The tax rate was 19.5 mils.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1976

  The town library opened under Ayotte’s store at Valley Crossing.

  Ayotte's Country Store Valley Crossing Carrabassett Public Library
• 1976

  The town recorded its first birth. Brady Winn was born to John and Janine Winn.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1976

  Harold Alfond donated the Capricorn Lodge to the University of Maine Foundation.

  Capricorn Lodge Alfond, Harold
• 1976

  The Red Stallion built an extension on the south side, the only part of the building that remains today.

  The Red Stallion
• 1976

  Ayotte’s bought the Designs building across from the airport for a move planned for the following summer. The building had originally been a youth recreation center called the Valley Den run by Emory Hall of North New Portland. Its elongated shape was meant to accommodate a bowling alley, but that never happened. For many years after that, the structure was used by Dead River as a warehouse and store for the furnishings they supplied for the Redington homes they were building. Jim Drinan was in charge of this operation.

  Dead River Company Ayotte's Country Store
• 1976

  Snowmaking began on November 1. On November 13, Double Runner lift opened and there was skiing on Boardwalk.

  Sugarloaf
• 1976

  The Merry Construction Co. was formed by Lloyd Cuttler, Larry Warren and Tom Hildreth to purchase the Valley Crossing building from Dead River.

  Dead River Company Warren, Larry Valley Crossing Merry Construction Co. Cuttler, Lloyd Hildreth, Tom
• 1976

  Joan McWilliams and Peter Wentworth dominated the Maine Freestyle Championships. Later that year, McWilliams won the National Amateur Freestyle held at Wildcat Mountain.

  Sugarloaf McWilliams, Joan
• 1976

  At the March town meeting, voters approved funding for a touring center for cross-country skiers. The 3,800-square-foot center was built later that year on the public lot at a cost of $165,000. Newell Construction built the access road, while Clem Begin constructed the building, as well as contributing the last $15,000 needed to fund the project. (Begin was also busy that year putting yet another addition on the base lodge, a space now known as the King Pine Room.) The bulk of the money came from the town’s newly created recreation fund and grants from the state and federal governments. Upon completion of the touring center, it was leased to Western Mountains Corp., a nonprofit organization formed the previous year to promote economic development in the area. WMC’s board of directors was composed of Larry Warren, president; Alden MacDonald, treasurer; Dutch Demshar, clerk; David Spaulding and Gardiner Defoe. Jack Lufkin was hired as manager. Season passes were $20 for the first adult, $10 for the second adult and $5 for children. … Meanwhile, Larry Warren and Hazen McMullen cleared old tote roads and provided a temporary building for cross-country enthusiasts. The trails include one from Redington to the touring center and another along the Narrow Gauge to the village center and Valley Crossing.

  Begin, Clem Outdoor Center Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Warren, Larry Valley Crossing Western Mountains Corp. Public Lot
• 1976

  Townspeople also considered a proposal to purchase Poplar Mountain for recreational use, particularly hang gliding. No action was taken on the idea. Hang gliding was already being offered on Sugarloaf (the World Hang Gliding Championships had been held there the previous year), and it attracted NBC’s Today show that summer. But the activity was discontinued shortly thereafter because a glider nearly collided with electric lines running between the base lodge and the Gondola.

  Sugarloaf Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Poplar Mountain Sugarloaf Gondola
• 1976

  SMC created a new company, Mountainside Corp., to handle development, sales, rental and management of real estate.

  Sugarloaf real estate
• 1977

  The Valley Crossing building was moved up to the Mountain and renamed Village West. To accommodate the move, the building was cut into three large sections and 11 smaller pieces, and Route 27 was closed to traffic while it passed through. Johanna Luce Harris remembered that the school bus she was riding on as a student was stuck behind the slow-moving convoy, making for a very long trip home that day. … Shortly after the big relocation, the Valley Crossing site was sold to Valley Associates (Larry Sullivan, Chris Hutchins, Joe Williamson). The new company oversaw the construction of the Hotel Carrabassett and a new location for Tufulio’s, both on the original foundation. The Hotel Carrabassett later became Valley Crossing One Condominiums. Soon thereafter, Valley Crossing Two Condominiums was built on another part of the same foundation.

  Route 27 Valley Crossing Tufulio's Village West
• 1977

  On the mountain, plans were announced for a large hotel to be built next to Village West. Because of SMC’s later financial problems, it took several years for that project to be completed.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Hotel
• 1977

  John Diller headed the freestyle program. The top competitors were Janet Montgomery and Joan McWilliams. In March, Montgomery defeated McWilliams and successfully defended her Eastern Amateur Freestyle Championship at Waterville Valley. Don’t feel too bad for McWilliams, though. She went on to become a four-time national champion.

  Sugarloaf McWilliams, Joan Diller, John
• 1977

  The University of Maine held a six-week forestry camp in Carrabassett during the summer.

  timber logging
• 1977

  Judson’s Motel celebrated its 20th anniversary March 3-5.

  Judson's Motel Tague, Leo The Red Stallion Chateau des Tagues Narrow Gauge Inn
• 1977

  Sugarloaf Groceries opened in Village West. This subsidiary of SMC was run by Dan and Sue Reichart.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Groceries Village West
• 1977

  Dexter Shoe opened an outlet store in Village West. The company was owned by Harold Alfond, who had recently become a part-owner of the Boston Red Sox.

  Alfond, Harold Village West
• 1977

  The airport runway was reconstructed by the county, adding a new apron and tie-down area, as well as extra parking.

  airport
• 1977

  In January, Clayton “Tiger” Bragdon Jr. was elected director of the Sugarloaf Area Association, replacing Gordon Bither, who moved away.

  Bragdon, Clayton "Tiger" Jr.
• 1977

  That same month about 150 skiers took part in the Can-Am races, and White, White World Week was held January 23-28.

  Sugarloaf
• 1977

  Carrabassett Valley’s valuation jumped over $4 million to $18,750,000. The tax rate held steady at 19.5 mils. … There were 27 elementary school students in town and six who attended high school. Reports at the time listed the year-round population at about 200, but this was probably the number of people registered to vote. This figure was likely somewhat inflated by the increasingly common practice among weekenders of having one member of a household register to vote in Carrabassett, while the other continued to be a resident of their original hometown. That kind of splitting continues to the present day. … In March, the town meeting was held at the new touring center for the first time. Voters approved a zoning ordinance and agreed to buy a lumber yard on the Carriage Road for $18,000 as the location for a fire station.

  real estate Outdoor Center school Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1977

  In July, Ayotte’s opened its new location on Route 27. The official grand opening was October 15-16.

  Ayotte's Country Store
• 1977

  In November, the selectmen voted to buy four acres from Chase Brothers as the location of a new town office. The town office had been located in Valley Crossing prior to that building’s relocation, but was moved to temporary quarters in Chateau des Tagues while a permanent home was constructed.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Valley Crossing Chateau des Tagues
• 1978

  Icky Webber and Billy Jones dissolved their partnership, with Jones assuming full ownership of The Bag, and Webber getting the Waterville restaurant (and retaining ownership of The Bag in Portland). After that, Jones began expanding the operation, first by replacing the deck with a permanent space indoors, creating the current restaurant. The bar area was not yet part of the operation, instead housing the offices of Sugarloaf’s president and comptroller.

  Jones made a couple of attempts to establish another business upstairs, first a sort of private club called Gladstone’s, and later the Black Bear Café. Neither was particularly successful. What was successful were the soups Jones made daily. By the mid-1980s, these dishes were such an important attraction that the name was changed to The Bag & Kettle.

  Sugarloaf The Bag & Kettle Gladstone's Webber, H. Norton "Icky" Jones, Billy Black Bear Café
• 1979

  The Bigelow Corp. sold land on the Access Road to Michael and Linda Gammon to build a new Ski Rack ski shop. This site later became Theo’s/Sugarloaf Brewing Co. and is now The Rack restaurant.

  Bigelow Corp. The Ski Rack
• 1979

  On the mountain, the Village South complex was built.

  Village South
• 1979

  In the valley, the Maine Department of Transportation constructed a picnic and rest area on Route 27 at Hammond Field Brook. The land was owned by Wing Spool and Bobbin Co., which leased it to the state.

  Route 27
• 1979

  Larry Warren was hired as president of SMC. He would serve in that post until 1986.

  Sugarloaf Warren, Larry
• 1980

  The skating rink at the touring center opened on January 20. After that, it appears to have been a quiet year.

  Outdoor Center
• 1980

  The 1980 United States Federal Census listed 107 residents in Carrabassett Valley.

  census Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1981

  Lloyd Cuttler had opened Gepetto’s restaurant on the mountain, shortly after moving the building it was in from Valley Crossing to Sugarloaf in 1976. But the real beginning of Gepetto’s was this year, when Cuttler hired Tiger Bragdon to run the place in his own inimitable style.

  Valley Crossing Cuttler, Lloyd Bragdon, Clayton "Tiger" Jr. Gepetto's
• 1981

  On March 6, as part of the Maine Indian Land Claims Act, the Penobscot Nation acquired ownership of all of Dead River Co.’s remaining land in Carrabassett, some 24,000 acres. This made the tribe the town’s largest landowner.

  Penobscot Indian Nation
• 1981

  On October 5, entertainer Jud Strunk and Richard Ayotte, owner of Ayotte’s Country Store, died in a plane crash shortly after takeoff from the airport. A scholarship fund was established in Ayotte’s name to aid local children taking part in ski competitions.

  airport Strunk, Jud Ayotte, Dick
• 1982

  Bigelow Corp. had sold its remaining land to Peter Webber, who announced his intention of conveying much of it to the town for use as a golf course. On February 9, the town voted 49-13 to acquire the property and construct the course. Funding for the project came from $250,000 in town money, $500,000 from the Maine Bond Bank, $250,000 from grants and $500,000 from land sales. Webber and SMC then created a joint venture called Mountain Greenery, to which Webber conveyed 1,600 acres at the base of the mountain. The new venture was to be involved with operating the golf course and other enterprises.

  Sugarloaf Bigelow Corp. Webber, Peter Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Sugarloaf Golf Club
• 1982

  Sugarloaf hosted the Maine Special Olympics Winter Games for the first time. This annual event had previously been held at Saddleback, but was moved because Sugarloaf could accommodate more athletes and offered a wider range of facilities, including the touring center and skating rink, not to mention volunteer labor from the ski club and Carrabassett Valley Academy. Donated condo lodging allowed most participants and chaperones to be housed close together, and the community pot-luck supper in the base lodge became a major event with support from volunteers from Carrabassett, Kingfield and Stratton. Jean Luce chaired the event for its first several years, before Steve Pierce took over.

  Sugarloaf Carrabassett Valley Academy Maine Special Olympics Luce, Jean Pierce, Steve Sugarloaf Ski Club
• 1982

  Carrabassett Valley Academy was founded on July 9. The private school purchased the former Capricorn Lodge from a Florida couple who had bought it from the University of Maine. CVA was a middle and high school program focused on academics and winter sports. It had its origins in the Sugarloaf Regional Ski Education Foundation, which had trained young athletes for competition. The foundation’s supporters felt a more comprehensive program was needed, since those students often left Maine to attend ski academies in other states. According to its incorporation certificate, the trustees of the new school were King Cummings (chair), Walter Burrage, Alan Cohen, Bruce Colon, Arthur Currier and Jean Luce. In short order, the school began to attract top athletes and soon had an enrollment of more than 100.

  Capricorn Lodge Carrabassett Valley Academy Cummings, King Luce, Jean
• 1983

  The town began building the golf course designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. It also signed a 20-year lease with Sugarloaf to operate the facility. “Right from the start, the criteria was, because of the location, we had to have a first-class golf course,” Peter Webber told the Morning Sentinel a few years later. “Otherwise, nobody would come there.” The plan originally called for a nine-hole course located a couple of miles south of the mountain on the town’s public lot. The Outdoor Center would have done double duty as the club house. But Webber and Jones realized after taking an airplane ride over the area that it made more sense to build at the base of Sugarloaf and to make it 18 holes. The cost was $2 million, with half of that coming from the town in the form of $250,000 from the recreation fund and $750,000 in borrowing. The remainder came from sales of the Village on the Green project, contributions and land donated by SMC and Mountain Greenery.

  Sugarloaf Outdoor Center Webber, Peter Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Sugarloaf Golf Club Public Lot
• 1983

  The new town office was completed at a cost of $35,000. The adjacent town park cost $38,000.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1983

  On the mountain, the Double Runner and Spillway East and West chairlifts were rebuilt, and the West Mountain lift went into operation. … SMC incorporated Sugartech, a wholly owned subsidiary for the operation of sewer lines and waste-water treatment. A major expansion of both those facilities was financed by a $2.5 million revenue bond issued by the town.

  Sugarloaf Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) West Mountain
• 1983

  The town voted to extend the airport runway by 850 feet and do other repairs at a local cost of $270,000, which was 5 percent of the total cost. But this project never happened.

  airport Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1984

  The Snubber triple chairlift went into operation transporting skiers from parking lot 6 to the Whiffletree T-bar. It was 5,425 feet long with 400 feet of vertical lift.

  Sugarloaf
• 1984

  In December, voters finally approved the town’s first comprehensive plan, which the planning board had been working on since shortly after Carrabassett Valley was incorporated. This plan would remain in place until an update was approved in 2001.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1985

  The kitchen at The Bag was expanded and two mainstays of the menu were introduced: the Bag Burger and wood-fired pizza.

  By then, Alexander “Uncle Al” Scheeren had become the face of the business, both as a bartender and a musician. Uncle Al had arrived at The Bag around 1978, after a stint in the U.S. Air Force and working at the Sugarloaf Sauna. He continued slinging drinks and playing tunes until shortly before his death in 2014.

  Sugarloaf Sauna The Bag & Kettle Scheeren, Alexander "Uncle Al"
• 1985

  The Sugarloaf Golf Course opened on September 11. Among the dignitaries present was former U.S. Sen. Margaret Chase Smith and Gov. Joseph Brennan. Ski writer Dave Irons was also on hand. “I remember watching Joe Brennan hit the first two balls, one woods left, one woods right,” Irons wrote in an email. “Brennan remarked that it was obvious he spent his time in the office and not on the golf course.” Almost immediately, golf publications began rating the Sugarloaf course as one of the top courses in New England and the nation – and not just for its stunning views. “What happens is the course overmatches a lot of people,” Mike Baker, a Sugarloaf pro told the Morning Sentinel. “It’s a tough course to beat. You can play good and not have a good score.”

  Sugarloaf Golf Club
• 1985

  The town purchased eight acres on Bigelow Hill from Mountain Greenery for a new transfer station. The facility cost about $360,000 and opened in December.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1985

  Early planning began for West Mountain’s Riverside housing project. … The Sugartree Health Club opened in February. … In December, Kingfield Savings Bank unveiled the area’s first ATM in the base lodge.

  Sugarloaf West Mountain
• 1985

  The town hired Bill Gilmore as code enforcement officer. He would continue in that job until he retired in 2018.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Gilmore, Bill
• 1985

  Construction of the Sugarloaf Mountain Hotel, much delayed by SMC’s looming financial difficulties, was finally completed. The $8-million hotel featured 102 units, as well as meeting rooms and 3,200 square feet of commercial space. There was no grand opening celebration, because of what came next.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Hotel
• 1986

  In spite of a year that saw skier visits increase by 15 percent to more than 200,000, SMC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March in order to reorganize. Sugarloaf officials said the problem was losses related to real estate development and poor cash flow. Spokesman Chip Carey told UPI the resort would continue to operate normally. “We foresee paying all our bills,” Carey said. In July, Larry Warren resigned as president of SMC and Mountainside. King Cummings assumed the post of interim CEO. In August, Jerry J. Muth of Colorado was hired as executive vice-president and general manager of SMC. In November, Warren Cook was named president and CEO of SMC, and the following month, Cook assumed the same posts at Mountainside. At that time, Muth was chosen as the executive VP and COO of Mountainside. The bankruptcy court approved the company borrowing $2.5 million to upgrade snowmaking and terrain before the following season. There were other changes as well. In August, SMC sold two condo projects to Dartmouth Corp. for $2 million and the mountain entered into an agreement with Boston Concessions Group to operate all food and beverage sales, with BCG receiving 20 percent of gross revenues. … The West Mountain condo development was unveiled in April alongside the West Mountain chairlift.

  Sugarloaf real estate Warren, Larry Cummings, King Carey, Chip Cook, Warren West Mountain
• 1986

  According to its website, WSKI-TV has been “Independently owned and operated since 1986,” but the local cable-only channel had its origin well before that. In the history section of its site, WSKI notes that it had its roots in a private cable service Sugarloaf started in the early 1970s for condos and homes in the immediate vicinity of the mountain. In 1974, Somerset Telephone Co. was hired to manage the cable system, and in 1978, SMC set up a message board on one channel. The following year, Nadine McLeod was hired as station supervisor, and daily recorded trail and weather reports began, as well as some other limited programming. When SMC filed for bankruptcy in 1986, WSKI was shut down, but only briefly. By that fall, McLeod and Jeff Dumais had formed Snowfields Productions and reached a deal with Sugarloaf to operate the station. Snowfields negotiated agreements with several subsequent operators of the local cable system to remain available to viewers. The station also gradually expanded its offerings, becoming an affiliate of the RSN network. In 2010, RSN became Outside Television and continues to offer its programming on WSKI.

  Sugarloaf Somerset Telephone Co. WSKI-TV
• 1986

  The Campowners Association purchased leased camp lots along Route 27 from the state that had been part of the former Crockertown public lot.

  Route 27 real estate Public Lot
• 1987

  Heavy rains and melting snow caused a great flood that hit on April 1 (designated by the Army Corps of Engineers as a 50-year flood), washing away parts of Route 27 on the S curves as well as the bridges to Ted Jones’ property and Claybrook in Kingfield. There was also a huge landslide on the west side of Crocker Mountain, although it’s not clear if that was the result of this storm or a hurricane in August.

  Route 27 weather Jones, Ted Crocker Mountain
• 1987

  The J.V. Wing Snowmobile Club was founded, marking the start of a significant increase in that activity and a major economic boost to the area. As of 2018, the club maintains over 55 miles of trails with its two state-of-the-art groomers and connects to the Black Fly Loop’s 134 miles of trails.

  J.V. Wing Snowmobile Club
• 1987

  The town built a new 30-foot by 60-foot swimming pool in Town Hall Park.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1987

  After a lengthy delay awaiting the right weather conditions, Richard Branson and Per Lindstrom took flight on July 2 in their hot-air balloon, the Virgin Atlantic Flyer, from the Village on the Green square in what would become the first successful attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean in such a craft. Some 150 spectators rode the Gondola to the top of Sugarloaf to watch the liftoff. Thirty-seven hours later, Branson and Lindstrom jumped from the balloon off the west coast of Scotland, after nearly crash-landing in Northern Ireland. Branson is best known as the founder of the Virgin Group, which controls more than 400 companies.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Gondola
• 1987

  After being ousted as president of SMC, Larry Warren launched his new enterprise, Longfellow Cable Co. Longfellow, which offered eight channels (that probably seemed like a lot in an area with almost no over-the-air reception), successfully wrested the local cable TV contract away from Somerset Telephone. In 1988, Longfellow signed a 10-year contract with the town as its exclusive cable provider and soon expanded to 26 area communities. But Longfellow was heavily leveraged, and when its chief lender, Maine Savings Bank, failed, the bank’s assets were sold off in 1991. Longfellow became part of Frontier Vision, and Warren was again out of a job. Frontier was acquired by Adelphia in 1999, and Adelphia (and its 10-year contract with the town signed in 2001) was gobbled up by Time Warner in 2007. Time Warner became Spectrum in 2016, after being acquired by Charter Communications, and is still Carrabassett’s exclusive cable provider.

  Sugarloaf Somerset Telephone Co. Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Warren, Larry Longfellow Cable Co.
• 1987

  In April, the court approved the mountain’s reorganization plan, and SMC officially emerged from bankruptcy in June. The plan called for the new board of directors to invest $8 million, a new financing setup and the sale of some real estate assets.

  Sugarloaf real estate
• 1988

  The old Whiffletree T-bar was replaced with a new quad, as part of a $3-million upgrade of lifts, trails and snowmaking, including the King Pine Quad and the creation of the King Pine Bowl. Nevertheless, the season was a disappointment due to below-average snowfall. The Gondola remained closed all year.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Gondola
• 1988

  State Police Trooper Ron Moody was hired as the town’s first chief of police. Moody later told the Daily Bulldog that his approach to law enforcement had been established many years before as a 19-year-old rookie cop in Ogunquit. On his first day on that job, the police chief told him, “We’re in the resort business. We’re here to take care of people.”

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Moody, Ron
• 1989

  Preston Jordan announced his resignation as town manager. Shortly afterwards, the selectmen hired code enforcement officer Bill Gilmore to do both jobs.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Jordan, Preston Gilmore, Bill
• 1989

  Carrabassett Valley’s only murder to date took place on May 30 near Bigelow Station.

  Bigelow Station
• 1990

  The town issued $5 million in general obligation bonds to purchase a first mortgage on Sugarloaf for two years in an attempt to stabilize the ski area’s finances.

  Sugarloaf Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1990

  The 1990 United States Federal Census listed 325 residents in Carrabassett Valley.

  census Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1991

  The upper parts of the Gondola reopened.

  timber logging Sugarloaf Gondola
• 1992

  SMC continued to struggle financially, but the company developed a plan to right itself. With support from the town, Fleet Bank and the Finance Authority of Maine, SMC divested itself of its wastewater treatment plant (which became a public facility), obtained new financing and wrote off some other problem items. These changes were intended to transform SMC into as viable entity for new investments.

  Sugarloaf Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 1993

  The SMC Competition Department was formed to handle the administration and on-hill responsibilities of running racing programs and other events that had previously been overseen by the ski club. The club continued to handle the recruiting and training of event workers and officials.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Ski Club
• 1993

  Jim McManus and Dick Leeman purchased the Ski Rack building on the Access Road and began renovations to turn it into Franklin County’s first craft brewery. Sugarloaf Brewing Co. and Theo’s restaurant and pub opened in the summer of 1994. The brewery and pub closed in April 2005, a victim of over-optimistic expectations for expansion. Its brands and recipes were sold to Casco Bay Brewing, which was, in turn, acquired by Shipyard Brewing. Until at least 2017, Shipyard still brewed occasional batches of Carrabassett Pale Ale. And the original brewery equipment is still functioning as part of the system at the Run of the Mill brew pub in Saco.

  The Ski Rack Sugarloaf Brewing Co. Theo's Restaurant
• 1994

  In August, SKI Ltd. bought a 51 percent interest in SMC. SKI was a publicly held company that owned Killington and Mt. Snow/Haystack. Among the new majority owner’s first acts was to announce $4.5 million in expansions and improvement, including a high-speed, detachable quad chairlift, the Super Quad.

  Sugarloaf
• 1996

  The Whiffletree high-speed detachable quad was installed, with part of the old Whiffletree quad moved to create the Timberline chairlift. This permitted renewed access to the summit, replacing the Gondola, which had been shut down permanently in the spring of 1996.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Gondola
• 1996

  In June, Les Otten, owner of the Sunday River and Sugarbush ski resorts, merged his LBO Enterprises with SKI Ltd. to form the American Skiing Co. The $107-million deal (and some additional purchases in the western United States) resulted in the largest ski-resort operation in North America. American Skiing also bought the remaining 49 percent of Sugarloaf from SMC, giving the company total ownership of the mountain. One of the first noticeable indications of the new regime was the abrupt disappearance of the sign part-way up Sugarloaf and visible from the Double Runner Chair West that read, “If You Were At Sunday River, You’d Be At The Top.”

  Sugarloaf Otten, Les
• 1997

  American Skiing’s initial public stock offering was listed on the New York Stock Exchange at a price of $18 per share. It never got that high again.

  Sugarloaf
• 1997

  Carrabassett Valley Academy expanded by purchasing the Lumberjack Lodge for additional dormitory space.

  Carrabassett Valley Academy Lumberjack Lodge
• 1997

  A town committee was formed to study whether it was feasible to build a multi-purpose indoor recreational facility, but the idea was put on hold the next year because several residents were pushing for the town to build its own school. Committee members worried that bringing the two proposals forward at the same time could result in both of them being turned down. In 1999, the school plan was defeated by voters, who preferred continuing to pay tuition for students sent to neighboring school districts rather than a sizable increase in their property taxes. That cleared the way for further consideration of the recreational facility. The project got a major boost in 2000 when Carrabassett Valley Academy suggested a partnership with the town to build it. Later that year, voters approved the idea and construction got underway on what would become the Anti-Gravity Center.

  Carrabassett Valley Academy school Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Anti-Gravity Center
• 1998

  Billy Jones had been leasing space for The Bag from SMC, but in 1998, he bought part of the building, giving back the upstairs, but obtaining the office area that it is now the bar, which opened in 1999. Shortly after the turn of the century, The Bag debuted its own craft brewery. The beers proved so popular that the tiny operation couldn’t keep up with demand, so the company contracted with Shipyard Brewing to produce some of the larger volume beers. In 2016, The Bag switched to Baxter Brewing for that purpose and in 2018, began offering its beers in cans.

  Sugarloaf Jones, Billy
• 1998

  A couple of hours after the new year arrived, Kevin Zebrowski, a student from the University of Maine, Farmington disappeared from the bar at Judson’s. Zebrowski, who had been celebrating there since about 11 p.m., was seen by friends around 1:30 a.m., but by 2 a.m., there was no trace of him. He left behind his coat with $120 in the pocket, which was concerning, because temperatures that first night of the year plunged to near 20 below and it was windy. After his disappearance was noticed, a search was launched, first in the vicinity of Judson’s and then across a wider area. It proved fruitless. In the weeks that followed, Zebrowski’s parents offered a $10,000 reward (later raised to $25,000) for information, distributed flyers around New England and eastern Canada and hired a private investigator. They found no clues. Mark Lopez, the State Police detective assigned to the case, said there was no indication of foul play. The sad truth came to light in April, when two skiers from Connecticut went behind Ayotte’s store to relieve themselves. There, partially concealed by a melting snow pile about 500 feet from Judson’s back door, they discovered Zebrowski’s body. The medical examiner ruled that he had frozen to death, apparently after sitting down to rest.

  Judson's Motel Lopez, Mark
• 1999

  Warren Cook resigned as president of SMC, amid worsening financial conditions for American Skiing.

  Sugarloaf Cook, Warren
• 1999

  In the fall, the Penobscot Nation closed their 24,000 acres of land in Carrabassett Valley to public use, citing abuses such as littering, signs asking mountain bikers and cross-country skiers to pay the town for use of the trails, and other illegal activity. After some tense meetings between the town and the tribe, local residents formed a Land Committee to negotiate with the Penobscots. In return, the tribe opened the land to “traditional recreational uses” for limited periods in 2000 and 2004, and by permit at other times. An agreement to fully reopen the land was finally reached in 2004. As a result of the closing, the Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association was formed to deal with many of the issues raised by the tribe and to promote responsible year-round outdoor recreation. In 2000, the town and the Penobscots began negotiations to change the status of the tribe’s lands to federal trust properties, which would have allowed the Penobscots to set their own environmental, wildlife and timber harvesting regulations. It would also have given the federal government ownership of the land, which would have reduced town tax revenues. The talks didn’t produce an agreement.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Penobscot Indian Nation Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association
• 1999

  In December, Bill Gilmore announced he was resigning as town manager, but would continue as code enforcement officer, the job he was originally hired to do. “I just feel that 10 years in a dual role is enough,” Gilmore told the Lewiston Sun Journal.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Gilmore, Bill
• 2000

  The town had been leasing the former Crockertown public lots (where the touring center and cross-country trails are located) from the state Bureau of Public Lands, but decided to buy the 1,243-acre site for $424,000. The purchase was financed with a 20-year loan from the Maine Bond Bank.

  Outdoor Center Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Public Lot
• 2000

  In March, the Sugarloaf Ski Club celebrated its 50th anniversary.

  Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Ski Club
• 2000

  The 2000 United States Federal Census listed 399 residents in Carrabassett Valley.

  census Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 2000

  In May, the selectmen picked Greenville town manager David Cota to be Carrabassett Valley’s new town manager. Cota beat out about a dozen other candidates for the $52,000-a-year position. First selectman Bob Luce told the Bangor Daily News the town had urged Cota to apply. “We felt he was an extremely strong candidate because of his outdoor interests,” Luce said.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Cota, David Luce, Bob
• 2001

  Les Otten resigned as CEO of American Skiing.

  Sugarloaf
• 2001

  In a close vote at the March town meeting, voters approved spending over $750,000 to upgrade 5.8 miles of the Narrow Gauge Trail along the Carrabassett River from Campbell Field to Huston Brook as a multi-use recreational pathway. The money came from a $600,000 state grant (which required the path be handicapped accessible) and $150,000 in town funds. Opposition to the plan came from some hikers and mountain bikers, who preferred what the Morning Sentinel called “the rough, rugged and primitive trail just the way it is.” They feared the pathway would be paved with asphalt, but that idea was opposed by the Penobscot Nation, which owned the land. Eventually a compromise was reached, and the project, featuring a stone-dust surface, was completed in 2003.

  Campbell Field Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Penobscot Indian Nation Narrow Gauge Pathway mountain biking
• 2001

  Larry Warren proposed the idea of a system of 12 huts and 180 miles of trails extending across western Maine from Moosehead Lake to the Mahoosuc Range. It was expected to cost $11 million and was estimated to attract 16,000 overnight visitors per year for the first three huts. To raise the needed funding and negotiate rights for the trails, Warren formed the Western Mountains Foundation. “We’re trying to create a resource of national significance,” Warren told the Morning Sentinel. In December, town voters approved a $30,000 donation to begin trail development. WMF would eventually become the nonprofit Maine Huts and Trails. In 2004, the organization applied for permits to build its first hut in Carrabassett Valley near Poplar Stream Falls on land leased from the Penobscot Nation, but problems gaining permission for a trail through the Bigelow Preserve delayed approval of the project.

  Warren, Larry Penobscot Indian Nation Maine Huts & Trails Western Mountains Foundation
• 2001

  The $1.2 million Anti-Gravity Center physical training facility, jointly financed by the town and Carrabassett Valley Academy, officially opened in February. The 20,000-square-foot complex, with a climbing wall designed by Clem Begin and built on land donated by American Skiing, featured a gymnasium, skate park and locker rooms. “The facility caters to a wide demographic and athletic background,” CVA spokesman Rodney Corey told the Morning Sentinel.

  Begin, Clem Carrabassett Valley Academy Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Anti-Gravity Center
• 2002

  On the 20th anniversary of its founding, Carrabassett Valley Academy announced plans to build a new and larger campus on 22 acres adjacent to its current location, where the school was already constructing a soccer field and track complex. Even though the new buildings would have allowed CVA, which serves students from eighth grade through a postgraduate year, to expand its enrollment from 115 to 150, Headmaster John Ritzo said any growth would be done slowly. “We don’t want to lose the things that make us unique,” he was quoted as saying in an Associated Press story. CVA’s decision to expand came in the wake of placing six skiers and snowboarders on the U.S. Olympic team and having former students Bode Miller and Kirsten Clark win medals in Olympic and world competitions. In all, CVA alumnae included eight Olympians, four world champions and 70 national champions.

  Carrabassett Valley Academy
• 2003

  The end of the road for the Red Stallion. That spring, Ronnie Allen, who had purchased the legendary-but-long-closed bar at auction, burned the original barn and had the debris hauled away. The event attracted a large crowd of Stallion alumni, who were considerably less boisterous watching the flames consume the building than they had been back when it was their go-to watering hole. Allen planned to build a housing development on the site, but only got as far as restoring the old motel section and constructing a large storage facility.

  The Red Stallion
• 2003

  The town proposed building a new clubhouse on the golf course. Ground was broken for that project the following year, and the clubhouse opened in 2005. In the end, the project required the town to borrow nearly $1 million.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Sugarloaf Golf Club
• 2003

  The Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association had begun work on its new shooting range in 2000 on a 23-acre site just north of the transfer station. In minutes of the group’s meeting that fall, the facility was described as “primitive at this point,” but that was soon to change. By its official opening in 2003, a committee consisting of Paul Tessier, Daryl Sleight, Bill Chase, Tom Spring, Paul Houlares and Neal Trask had overseen a series of upgrades, including trap shooting, rifle, pistol and archery ranges. The improvements culminated in 2017 with the installation of a $70,000 five-stand sporting clays operation. This was made possible by some 30 volunteers, construction material donated by Peter Weston, construction work performed by Harvey Packard and oversight by Trask. As of late 2018, the range had 585 members and was described in the CVOA newsletter as “state of the art.”

  Carrabassett Valley Outdoor Association
• 2004

  Larry Warren gave up on his plan to run a trail through Bigelow Preserve for his huts and trails project after several years of encountering intense opposition from activists who insisted legislation creating the park banned most motorized transportation. That would have made it impossible for Warren’s Western Mountains Foundation to groom cross-country trails between proposed huts. Warren said he was close to finalizing a deal with another landowner to avoid the need for a trail through the preserve. That landowner turned out to be the Penobscot Nation, which owned property adjacent to Bigelow and agreed to allow Warren’s trail to cross it.

  Warren, Larry Penobscot Indian Nation Maine Huts & Trails Western Mountains Foundation
• 2005

  Paul Schipper, the “Ironman of All Sports,” ended his streak of skiing every day that Sugarloaf was in operation after a quarter-century and 3,903 days. He was 82 years old. Schipper’s legacy lives on in the annual Iron Man Award, which began that year. This honor is bestowed on the skier who logged the most days on the mountain, while also displaying the “Sugarloaf spirit.” Most winners have continued to ski every day even after winning the award.

  Sugarloaf Schipper, Paul
• 2005

  Condo development in Carrabassett reached a fever pitch, with 150 new units in various stages of construction or permitting. “If the stock market is uncertain, but the economy is solid, people will usually invest their money in real estate, as has been the case in recent years,” town code enforcement officer Bill Gilmore told the Morning Sentinel.

  Sugarloaf real estate Gilmore, Bill
• 2005

  The Western Mountains Foundation began a search for its first executive director to speed up fundraising for its huts and trails system. The foundation said it had letters of intent granting easements for 118 miles of its proposed 180-mile pathway.

  Maine Huts & Trails Western Mountains Foundation
• 2005

  A wind-power company called Endless Energy filed a petition with the Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) to rezone Redington and Black Nubble mountains in Redington Township to permit the construction of dozens of wind turbines. These structures would have been visible from both Sugarloaf and the Appalachian Trail. The idea was supported by clean-energy advocates and Carrabassett Valley’s town government, but opposed by other environmentalists, who feared it would destroy pristine wilderness and negatively impact outdoor recreation. After extensive hearings, LURC – at that time, the state agency that oversaw development in the unorganized territories – rejected the application in 2007. Endless Energy then submitted a scaled-down plan calling only for turbines on Black Nubble. In 2008, LURC gave that proposal the thumbs down. Soon after, Gov. John Baldacci’s special task force on expediting wind-power projects decided the two peaks were inappropriate locations for turbines. Many of the project’s opponents believed that decision put an end to the possibility of such a development. But the Carrabassett selectmen had a bill introduced in the state Legislature in 2009 that would have allowed it to annex Redington Township. If that measure had been successful, it would have removed LURC and the Baldacci task force from the process, requiring only that the wind farm meet local zoning rules. The legislation was soundly rejected by the state Senate. A second attempt to pass an annexation bill in 2011 never got beyond the discussion stage, even though town officials insisted that effort was aimed at enhancing recreational opportunities, rather than giving the green light to wind towers.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Appalachian Trail Endless Energy
• 2006

  The town’s New Library Committee unveiled plans for a $1.1 million library and community center on land next to the Anti-Gravity Center that was donated to the town by SMC. In return, Sugarloaf got space in the building for a day-care center for its employees. Fundraising for the project began in 2007, with a goal of collecting about half the total cost.

  Sugarloaf Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Carrabassett Public Library
• 2006

  Kingfield resident Richard Rose bought Judson’s, partially restoring the motel and bar that had been deteriorating for several years through a series of short-term owners. While Rose had some success in his early years of running the bar, Judson’s permanently ceased operations in 2013.

  Judson's Motel
• 2006

  Carrabassett Valley Academy alumnus Seth Wescott won a gold medal in the initial snowboard cross event at the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy. Wescott was born in North Carolina, but grew up in Farmington. He was an avid skier and snowboarder from the age of 10, but in 1989, he gave up skiing to concentrate on snowboarding. It paid off, not only with the Torino gold, but when the “Boss of the Cross” gave another gold-medal performance in the same event at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. In addition, Wescott won gold in snowboard cross at the 2005 World Championships (to go with the silver medals he grabbed at the 2003, 2007 and 2011 games) and three silvers and bronze at the Winter X Games. Wescott, still a Carrabassett resident, co-owns The Rack bar and restaurant (which occupies the old Sugarloaf Brewing site on the Access Road). In 2014, he also became a partner in Winterstick Custom Snowboards, which has a facility on West Mountain.

  Carrabassett Valley Academy Wescott, Seth The Rack Winterstick Snowboards West Mountain
• 2006

  In May, the town planning board approved construction of the Western Mountains Foundation’s first hut near Poplar Stream Falls. The 5,300-square-foot hut and a 460-square-foot bunk house were designed to accommodate about 42 people. Its cost was estimated at about $600,000. The foundation also announced it had received a $509,000 grant from the state Land for Maine’s Future program.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Maine Huts & Trails Western Mountains Foundation
• 2007

  Maine Huts and Trails (formerly the Western Mountains Foundation) began construction of its first hut near Poplar Stream Falls, and completed work on its first 36 miles of trail, most of it in Carrabassett Valley. Gov. John Baldacci and officials from the Penobscot Nation attended the September groundbreaking ceremony. “Western Maine has to transform itself from the industries of the past to the industries of the future,” group founder Larry Warren told his guests. “We believe that nature-based tourism, experiential education and quality destination resort facilities will create significant opportunities.”

  Warren, Larry Penobscot Indian Nation Maine Huts & Trails Western Mountains Foundation
• 2007

  Carrabassett Valley Academy opened the first phase of its expansion, a dormitory called Murfey Hall. That allowed the school to sell the Lumberjack Lodge, which it had been using for dorm space. The Lumberjack became a condo project.

  Carrabassett Valley Academy Lumberjack Lodge
• 2007

  At the March town meeting, voters approved spending $1.2 million for improvements to the Outdoor Center.

  Outdoor Center Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 2007

  In August, the financially struggling American Skiing Co. sold Sugarloaf and Sunday River to Michigan-based Boyne USA for $77 million. Boyne, which owned and operated several U.S. ski resorts, quickly sold the two Maine properties to CNL Lifestyle Properties of Florida, but signed a deal to operate Sugarloaf and Sunday River.

  Sugarloaf
• 2008

  In February, Maine Huts and Trails’ Poplar Stream Falls hut officially opened, offering hikers, snowshoers and cross-country skiers hot meals, showers, private and dormitory rooms, and meeting space in three cabins.

  Maine Huts & Trails
• 2008

  Also in February, Ron Moody retired as police chief after nearly two decades on the job. In an interview with the Daily Bulldog, Moody made no excuses for his easygoing approach to enforcing the law. “I plead guilty to being extremely lenient,” he said. “Arrest isn’t my philosophy.” The town had 31 applicants for the chief’s job, with State Police Trooper Scott Nichols Sr. being chosen as Moody’s replacement. Nichols of New Sharon, a 24-year veteran of the state force, promised to “tailor what we do to the needs of the town,” according to the Morning Sentinel. Nichols would stay on the job only four years before running and winning the post of Franklin County sheriff.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Moody, Ron Nichols, Scott
• 2009

  Construction of the new $1.5 million library and community center near the Anti-Gravity Center began. Nearly a third of the cost was covered by private donations and grants, including gifts from Clem and Rolande Begin, the Stephen & Tabitha King Foundation and a Maine State Library New Century Grant.

  Begin, Clem Carrabassett Public Library
• 2010

  Brackett Basin, the first phase of Sugarloaf’s 10-year expansion plan, opened. But the mountain also garnered negative national publicity in December when a malfunction on the Spillway East chairlift caused several passengers to be thrown from their seats, with eight being hospitalized. A CNN producer happened to be on the lift when the accident occurred, resulting in heavy coverage of his cellphone video. The incident also called into question the complex relationship between the town’s police force (which employed the police chief) and Sugarloaf Security (which employed all the officers in the department). The possibility that might create a conflict of interest resulted in state officials handling the investigation into whether there was negligence involved. No wrongdoing was discovered, and Sugarloaf dismantled the lift after the season and replaced it with a new quad.

  Sugarloaf Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 2010

  The 2000 United States Federal Census listed 781 residents in Carrabassett Valley.

  census Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 2010

  In May, the Carrabassett Valley ATV Club was formed to maintain the 21 miles of trails previously operated by the Kingfield and Flagstaff ATV clubs. In its first seven years the new club would increase its trail mileage by 50 percent.

  Carrabassett Valley ATV Club
• 2011

  Billy Jones sold The Bag & Kettle to Pat Mulligan and Pierre Lamy in 2011. Lamy bought out Mulligan in 2016, and in 2019, while celebrating the restaurant’s 50th year, he told the Original Irregular, “I consider myself the custodian rather than the owner. My job is to keep The Bag going the way it has for the past 42 years before I became a part.”

  The Bag & Kettle Jones, Billy Mulligan, Pat Lamy, Pierre
• 2011

  On August 28, a flood caused by Tropical Storm Irene did severe damage, washing out two bridges on Route 27, damaging the road in the S turns and washing away a bridge and sections of the Narrow Gauge Trail. The bridges on 27 were hastily replaced by the state, allowing a truck that was trapped between them for several weeks to continue on its way to Canada.

  Route 27 weather Narrow Gauge Pathway
• 2012

  In December, the town hired State Police Trooper Mark Lopez of Kingfield as its new police chief, replacing Scott Nichols Sr., who had won election in November as sheriff of Franklin County. Lopez, who had 25 years’ experience with the State Police, was one of 14 candidates for the job.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Nichols, Scott Lopez, Mark
• 2013

  The Burnt Mountain open-terrain skiing area went into operation.

  Sugarloaf Burnt Mountain
• 2013

  In late July, Appalachian Trail through-hiker Geraldine Largay, a 66-year-old from Tennessee, was reported missing, prompting a huge search of the area involving many people from Carrabassett Valley. No trace of her turned up for more than two years, prompting several false sightings and many rumors. Largay’s body was finally found in October 2015 on U.S. Navy property in Redington Township. Several months later, the state medical examiner ruled she had died from lack of food and water. Her diary indicated she was suffering from a mental illness and had run out of her medications.

  Appalachian Trail
• 2014

  Adam Platz, director of Baxter Brewing Co.’s Baxter Outdoors division, and the AP27 Corp. purchased Judson’s. Platz told the Daily Bulldog he wasn’t sure what he was going to do with the property, but it would involve some demolition. “It’s not a viable structure and will need significant rehab,” he said. Eventually, the entire building had to be torn down, although the sign – faded but still readable – remained.

  Judson's Motel
• 2014

  In November, Alexander “Uncle Al” Scheeren died at the age of 76, after more than 50 years of bringing music and joy to western Maine. Uncle Al grew up in Naples, New York and graduated from Hobart College in Geneva, New York. After spending four years in the U.S. Air Force, he was honorably discharged with the rank of captain. He accepted an invitation to visit some friends in Carrabassett Valley and never left. In addition to bartending at the Bag, Uncle Al played in numerous bands in numerous styles from folk duets to blues and jazz combos. His instruments included the trombone, violin and ukulele, and he was an accomplished singer. His obituary said he performed with “some of the biggest and some of the smallest names in musical show business.”

  The Bag & Kettle Scheeren, Alexander "Uncle Al"
• 2015

  Another lift failure, this time on the King Pine quad, overshadowed Sugarloaf’s hosting of the U.S. Alpine Championships in March. The King Pine base terminal was replaced before the following season.

  Sugarloaf
• 2015

  The Adaptive Outdoor Education Center was constructed at the touring center, which was now known as the Sugarloaf Outdoor Center. The AOEC provides lodging and a wide variety of outdoor recreational opportunities to people with disabilities. The program was founded by Bruce and Annemarie Albiston after her father suffered a stroke. It began in 2012 as an annual weekend retreat for people with aphasia, but after seeing the positive changes it brought about, the Albistons worked to expand it to a year-round program for anyone with a disability.

  Outdoor Center Adaptive Outdoor Education Center
• 2015

  The SugarBowl Family Entertainment Center opened in May on the former site of the Carrabassett Inn, which was also the former site of Chateau des Tagues, the Carrabassett Yacht Club and many others. It featured eight lanes of bowling, a golf simulator and a game room for kids, as well as a pub for adults.

  Chateau des Tagues The SugarBowl Family Entertainment Center
• 2015

  In July, the town dedicated its new pool to Samantha Wright, the former pool director who died in a tragic automobile accident. Wright had been advocating for a new pool since 2010, when structural problems with the old pool were discovered. The $580,0000 project was financed through a federal grant, taxpayer funding and donations of money and labor by an estimated 250 volunteers.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 2016

  The Bill and Joan Alfond Competition Center was built on the mountain. In addition to support from the Alfonds, much of the funding for the project was raised by Bruce Miles.

  Sugarloaf
• 2016

  Larry Warren announced plans for the Longfellow Mountains Heritage Trails, a non-motorized recreational pathway stretching from Coburn Gore to Kingfield. By the following year, he had secured funding from the Maine Community Foundation, the Hugh and Elizabeth Montgomery Foundation, the Davis Conservation Foundation, the Town of Carrabassett Valley and the Franklin County TIF Fund. Under Warren’s complex plan, an unidentified third party would purchase the 220+ acres of the Ted Jones property in Carrabassett and after one year sell it to the town for $180,000. The third party would receive a tax break, while the town would use the land for part of the trail system.

  Jones, Ted Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Warren, Larry Longfellow Mountains Heritage Trails
• 2017

  Joe Christopher, owner of Three Rivers Whitewater in West Forks, bought the Sugarloaf Inn. Christopher would make news in 2018, when he announced he had purchased legendary Portland pub Three Dollar Deweys and was planning to reopen it in March 2019.

  Sugarloaf Inn
• 2017

  In its premiere season, the DIY Network show Maine Cabin Masters sent its team of renovators to Carrabassett Valley and Wyman to rescue two rundown A-frames in a mere six weeks. The episode first aired in March.

  real estate
• 2017

  In the summer of 2017, The Bag became a year-round business.

  The Bag & Kettle
• 2018

  Boyne Resorts, the Michigan company that had been operating Sugarloaf since its 2007 sale to a Florida investment firm, announced it was buying the mountain and seven other recreational operations (including Sunday River in Newry and Loon Mountain in New Hampshire) from Ski Resort Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Oz Real Estate. “Our intention all along has been to regain and acquire ownership of these resorts,” said Stephen Kircher, president and chief executive officer of Boyne, told the Lewiston Sun Journal. “We are pleased to see this come to fruition and also really proud of our long-term achievements and diligence that primed us for this acquisition.”

  Sugarloaf
• 2018

  Karen Campbell was elected to the Board of Selectman, just the second woman to serve on that body and the first in more than four decades.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal)
• 2018

  With code enforcement officer Bill Gilmore scheduled to retire at the end of the year, after 33 years in the position, the town hired Chris Parks to replace him. Parks had previously been director of the Sugarloaf Nordic Outdoor Center. Jamey Omo, the center’s assistant director, replaced Parks.

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Gilmore, Bill
• 2018

  According to the Maine Revenue Service, Carrabassett Valley became the most valuable municipality in Franklin County this year, with a total state-certified property valuation of $622.6 million. It was the first time in at least 14 years that Carrabassett had topped the list, displacing Jay, which had held that distinction since at least 2006. In 2018, Carrabassett’s valuation increased by more than $22 million over the previous year, while Jay’s declined by $61 million. The Valley’s growth was fueled by projects on the mountain and booming demand for second homes. Town Manager Dave Cota told the Lewiston Sun Journal, “While we do continue to see approximately $4 million to $5 million of new construction and renovations a year within our community, we are also seeing increasing sale prices.”

  Town of Carrabassett Valley (municipal) Cota, David

More to come, stay tuned.