Sand Beach Solitude
From the article “Acadia National Park: Mountain Playground by the Sea” by Herbert J. Seligmann in our August 1959 issue.
Divided by the broad expanse of Frenchman Bay, Acadia National Park lies like two giant paws, one of which includes vast tracts of land on Maine’s largest island, rugged Mt. Desert with its imposing mountain range, and the other jutting out to the east in the sloping pink-granite ledges of Schoodic Point where, during gales and hurricanes, hardy souls gather to watch enormous combers sweep in from the North Atlantic.
During 1957, attendance was estimated at 850,000, with 1,200 or more persons camping nightly at the Blackwoods and Seawall sites. The demand for camping has been so great that the time limit for each party has been reduced from 30 to 14 days.
Visitation at Acadia has more than tripled since we ran our very first feature on the park 60 years ago this summer. Today, Sand Beach is still a peaceful oasis, but in August, you’re likely to share it with a few more folks than the lonely beachcombers in this photo. We’re jealous of that level of solitude, sure, but even more so of the people who had 30 days of free time in the mid-1950s to spend camping at Blackwoods or Seawall! Here’s to excerpting this special Acadia issue in another 100 years.
Images: W. H. Ballard (sand beach); Stell Shevis (cover)