Little Lyford Pond camps
Encyclopedia
Early history
The camps were opened in 1874, bordering the West Branch of the Pleasant RiverWest Branch Pleasant River (Piscataquis River)
The West Branch Pleasant River is a tributary of the Piscataquis River in Piscataquis County, Maine. From a location north of Fourth West Branch Pond in Shawtown , the river runs about counterclockwise around the White Cap Mountain massif, then about southeast to its confluence with the East...
in northern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They included a maine lodge and 13 cabins as well as satellite camps for housing loggers. The camps are a 2.2 mile hike from Gulf Hagas and a 5.2 mile hike from the Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
's famed 100-Mile Wilderness
100-Mile Wilderness
The Hundred-Mile Wilderness is the section of the Appalachian Trail running between Abol Bridge just south of Baxter State Park and Monson, Maine, USA. It is generally considered the wildest section of the Appalachian Trail. This section of the A.T. is crossed by several logging roads and is...
. They are located approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) east of Greenville
Greenville, Maine
Greenville is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,623 at the 2000 census. The town is centered around the lower end of Moosehead Lake, the largest body of fresh water in the state. Greenville is the historic gateway to the north country and a center for...
and 30 miles (48.3 km) northwest of Brownville
Brownville, Maine
Brownville is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,259 at the 2000 census. Brownville includes the villages of Knight's Landing and Brownville Junction, near which passes the 100-Mile Wilderness of the Appalachian Trail....
.
Leased to private individuals 1960–2003
In 1960 Gale and Mary Torrey of Poland, Maine leased the camps and land from several paper companies. There were very few roads in the area at that time and access was via a 4 wheel drive road starting from a parking lot at big lyford pond near Kokadjo and proceeding southerly along the west side of the pleasant river. The camps were open only in the warm months and catered primarily to fly fisherman looking for brook trout. Electricity was via a generator. The "Clean Waters Act" of the 1970s was responsible for the creation of miles of logging roads in this area and the camps became much less remote. In 1977 the Frantzman family leased 300 acres (1.2 km²) of land and around 14 wood dwellings from the paper company that owns the camps. There are two lakes and a river within a mile of the site. There is no electricity, and water is gravity fed from a spring. The Frantzmans made renovations on the site, which they ran as the Little Lyford Pond Lodge. OuthouseOuthouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
s were constructed and placed on skids so they could be moved and the manure put to use. A greenhouse was built that used photovoltaic cells (solar cell
Solar cell
A solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect....
s) to power a hot water heater for a shower. There is a sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
and a root cellar. The cabins were next leased by the Fackelman family in 1987 and was later leased to the Leroys in the 1990s. The camps still exist and are maintained by the Appalachian Mountain Club
Appalachian Mountain Club
The Appalachian Mountain Club is one of the United States' oldest outdoor groups. Created in 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains in New Hampshire, it has expanded throughout the northeastern U.S., with 12 chapters stretching from Maine to Washington, D.C...
.
AMC Ownership
The camps are maintained by the Appalachian Mountain ClubAppalachian Mountain Club
The Appalachian Mountain Club is one of the United States' oldest outdoor groups. Created in 1876 to explore and preserve the White Mountains in New Hampshire, it has expanded throughout the northeastern U.S., with 12 chapters stretching from Maine to Washington, D.C...
. "When we learned the LeRoys were looking for new owners for the camps, we saw it as a rare opportunity to continue the tradition of providing quiet recreational opportunities while protecting this special place for generations to come," said Director Walter Graff. "The camps are an ideal place to continue our commitment to outdoor recreation, education, and backcountry stewardship for the benefit of the public."
The AMC purchased the wilderness camps in June from Bob and Arlene LeRoy, who have managed the Moosehead
Moosehead Lake
Moosehead Lake is the largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine and the largest mountain lake in the eastern United States. Situated in the Longfellow Mountains in the Maine Highlands Region, the lake is the source of the Kennebec River. Towns that border the lake include Greenville to the south and...
-region camps for six years. Bob LeRoy is staying on as manager of the camps.