Last updated: October 8, 2021
Place
The Fire of 1947
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In the state of Maine, 1947 is often referred to as the “The Year Maine Burned”. Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island were not spared during this extremely dry year that saw more than 200,000 acres burn statewide in Maine.
The local fire departments first received a report of smoke rising from the cranberry bogs nearby the local dump outside Bar Harbor in the afternoon of Friday October 17th, 1947. The direct cause of the fire is unknown but by October 21st, strong winds fanned the flames and the blaze spread rapidly quickly getting out of control engulfing over 2,000 acres on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island.
October 23rd saw the winds shift the fire’s trajectory towards the communities of Hulls Cove and Bar Harbor. The fire destroyed 67 seasonal estates along Bar Harbor’s famous “Millionaires’ Row” as well as 170 permanent homes and five large hotels in the area around downtown Bar Harbor.
Local fisherman from nearby communities assisted with a mass evacuation of at least 400 people to safety by boat because all the roads leading out of Bar Harbor blocked by flames. Eventually a path through Route 3 was bulldozed allowing cars carrying 2,000 people to journey to safety off the island.
The fire continued to burn until it was declared under control on October 27th. Even weeks later, after rain and snow had fallen, the fire still smoldered below ground. The fire was not pronounced completely extinguished until November 14, nearly one month after it began. In the end, 17,188 acres burned on Mount Desert Island—10,000 of those acres in Acadia National Park.
The majority of the Satterlee Estate was destroyed in the fire of 1947. Eleanor Satterlee came to visit for the summer of 1948. In 1949, the decision was made by the two Satterlee daughters, Eleanor and Mabel to donate the estate, all of Sand Beach and Great Head, to the National Park Service. They did so in honor of their mother Louisa, so this land would be protected in perpetuity for future generations of visitors to explore.
The lasting effects from the fire are visible today. While the national park did conduct some salvage efforts and selective plantings to prevent soil erosion, most of the island’s restoration was undertaken by nature. Wind carried seeds back to burned areas. As you drive the park loop road notice the change in vegetation types that is especially visible on the sides of the mountains. Spruce and fir that reigned before the fire have given way to sun-loving trees, such as birch and aspen. But these deciduous trees (trees with leaves) are short-lived. As they grow and begin to shade out the forest floor, they provide a nursery for the shade-loving spruce and fir (native conifers or needle bearing tree species) that may eventually reclaim the territory.
Fire has an important role in nature. It clears away mature growth, opening areas to the sun-loving species that are food for wildlife. The fire of 1947 increased diversity in the composition and age structure of the park's forests. It even enhanced the scenery. Today, instead of one uniform evergreen forest, we are treated to a brilliant mix of red, yellow, and orange supplied by the new diverse deciduous forests.
The local fire departments first received a report of smoke rising from the cranberry bogs nearby the local dump outside Bar Harbor in the afternoon of Friday October 17th, 1947. The direct cause of the fire is unknown but by October 21st, strong winds fanned the flames and the blaze spread rapidly quickly getting out of control engulfing over 2,000 acres on the eastern side of Mount Desert Island.
October 23rd saw the winds shift the fire’s trajectory towards the communities of Hulls Cove and Bar Harbor. The fire destroyed 67 seasonal estates along Bar Harbor’s famous “Millionaires’ Row” as well as 170 permanent homes and five large hotels in the area around downtown Bar Harbor.
Local fisherman from nearby communities assisted with a mass evacuation of at least 400 people to safety by boat because all the roads leading out of Bar Harbor blocked by flames. Eventually a path through Route 3 was bulldozed allowing cars carrying 2,000 people to journey to safety off the island.
The fire continued to burn until it was declared under control on October 27th. Even weeks later, after rain and snow had fallen, the fire still smoldered below ground. The fire was not pronounced completely extinguished until November 14, nearly one month after it began. In the end, 17,188 acres burned on Mount Desert Island—10,000 of those acres in Acadia National Park.
The majority of the Satterlee Estate was destroyed in the fire of 1947. Eleanor Satterlee came to visit for the summer of 1948. In 1949, the decision was made by the two Satterlee daughters, Eleanor and Mabel to donate the estate, all of Sand Beach and Great Head, to the National Park Service. They did so in honor of their mother Louisa, so this land would be protected in perpetuity for future generations of visitors to explore.
The lasting effects from the fire are visible today. While the national park did conduct some salvage efforts and selective plantings to prevent soil erosion, most of the island’s restoration was undertaken by nature. Wind carried seeds back to burned areas. As you drive the park loop road notice the change in vegetation types that is especially visible on the sides of the mountains. Spruce and fir that reigned before the fire have given way to sun-loving trees, such as birch and aspen. But these deciduous trees (trees with leaves) are short-lived. As they grow and begin to shade out the forest floor, they provide a nursery for the shade-loving spruce and fir (native conifers or needle bearing tree species) that may eventually reclaim the territory.
Fire has an important role in nature. It clears away mature growth, opening areas to the sun-loving species that are food for wildlife. The fire of 1947 increased diversity in the composition and age structure of the park's forests. It even enhanced the scenery. Today, instead of one uniform evergreen forest, we are treated to a brilliant mix of red, yellow, and orange supplied by the new diverse deciduous forests.