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Another Adventure


	Another Adventure I barely survived this one. Not only did we climb the North Peak but we climbed the South Peak. Then we had to double back because the climb down from the South Peak was too dangerous for this ole gal. Straight down with loose rocks. So what started out as an hour adventure turned into a 2 1/2 hour one. But the view was breath taking. "QUAGGY JOE" Tradition says the hill derives its name from an Indian by the name of Joe, who was found entombed by some early explorer or surveyor, near a quagmire at its base, hence Quagmire or "Quaggy Joe". To the east at the base of the mountain lies a beautiful lake of about one hundred acres. Although only a brook when the first settlers arrived, it was called Echo Lake. Tradition says that Indians going onto the mountain and sounding their war-whoops would hear an echo. The summit is said to be 2000 feet higher than the surface of the lake. The east side of the mountain for nearly half the distance down from the top is near Roxanne M. Bubar

Roxanne M. Bubar

is nearly perpendicular; then it is a gradual descent to the lake and is covered with a dense forest of hardwood. The land all around the hill is of the best kind; on the west side it is cleared and cultivated more than halfway up the hill. To the southeast is Mars Hill, northwest is "Haystack" in Castle Hill. "Haystack" was called on the English map which was published during the northeastern boundary controversy, Mount Hellion. This mountain, Quaggy Joe, and Mars Hill were claimed by the English in that controversy as being the height of land named in the Treaty of 1783 as "dividing the waters which flow into the St. Lawrence from those which flow into the Atlantic". It, however, happened that these isolated hills were no heights of land whatever, as they had no connection with each other being separated by large streams. Between Haystack and Quaggy Joe flows the Presque Isle Stream which comes a long distance to the south and empties into the Aroostook River some six or seven miles to the north.
At the top of the highest peak was a clump of spruce trees, on a pole, nailed to the tallest tree was a white flag about two yards square. There was also a second white flag on Haystack Mountain. This was said to have been done by some engineers who laid a railroad line from St. Andrews to Quebec in 1837, and the line crossed what is now the boundary line south of Mars Hill and a little south of Quaggy Joe. At that time it was supposed that the location was a part of New Brunswick.
The summit of Quaggy Joe was made a station for observation by the boundary commission for running the line between Maine and New Brunswick under the Treaty of 1842.
Another interesting story found in Rev. Park's manuscript is a short one concerning how Quaggy Joe Mountain got its name. He states that it is a misconception that the mountain is named after an Indian who used to live there, but that it is really a corruption of what the first Indian said to the first white man encountered on the mountain. "Quaquajo" In Malacite, "Where are you going?"

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June 05, 2009

robinsonphotoart.com - Jeff Robinson

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