Читать книгу Hike the Parks: Acadia National Park - Jeff Romano - Страница 26

Some believe Norse Vikings visited Maine around the twelfth century. Italian sailor Giovanni da Verrazzano ventured along the New England coast in 1524. However, it was not until 1604 that French explorer and cartographer Samuel de Champlain first wrote about the land that is now Acadia National Park. He called the largest island “L’île des Monts Déserts” or "the Island of Barren Mountains.” Today, it is called Mount Desert (pronounced dessert) Island. Champlain also named many other natural features in the area, including nearby Isle au Haut or “High Island.”

The French settlers were also responsible for the park’s name. In the early seventeenth century, the word Acadia was used by fishermen and traders to describe an area encompassing portions of New England and the Canadian Maritimes. Some historians believe the term comes from a Mi’kmaq word meaning “piece of land.”

By 1613, French Jesuits had established a mission on Mount Desert Island, their first in North America. But, shortly after being established, the mission was destroyed by the English, effectively ending French influence in the region.