In 1887, a young man named Michael Joseph Marr emigrated from Frampton, Quebec, to the Moosehead Lake region, where he went to work as a woodsman and guide. Seven years later, he built a sporting camp at the head of Indian Pond, ten miles from Rockwood, and opened it to sportsmen and vacationing families. He would run it for the rest of his life, and his wife and daughters would carry it on after his death. Marr’s Indian Pond Camps finally closed in December 1952 — not by choice, but because Central Maine Power’s Harris Station hydroelectric project flooded the entire property.
In the 58 years between, the camps became one of the finest and most well-known sporting destinations in Maine. Guests arrived by train from New York and Boston, disembarking at Marr’s Station and making their way down a mile trail to camp. They found hand-hewn log cabins, linen tablecloths in the dining room, guides who knew every trail and waterway, and fishing that was, by all accounts, exceptional. Over the years the camps hosted senators, congressmen, university presidents, and business tycoons — as well as, in Mike Marr’s words, typical groups of folks. Most came back year after year.
Mike Marr ran a disciplined operation. He believed a stay in the woods need not sacrifice orderly living, and the camps reflected that conviction — clean, well-kept, and hospitable. He also held firm opinions about certain things. Electricity, for instance. If he provided that, he reasoned, people might as well stay home. From the first day to the last, the camps were lit by kerosene lamps, refrigerated by block ice cut from the pond each winter, and cooked on a wood-burning stove. After his death in 1936, his wife Evelyn and their four daughters honored that conviction to the end.
When the camps closed, the water rose and covered everything. Today, on a clear day when the water level is low, you can still see the foundation of the main house from the air.
Bob Cowan — Mike Marr’s grandson, historian, and trustee of the Moosehead Historical Society — will share this story through family documents, photographs, and personal memory.
Thursday, July 16, 2026 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM Center for Moosehead History
