In 1930, former Maine governor Percival Baxter bought nearly 6,000 acres around Mount Katahdin

A former governor of Maine built one of North America’s largest state parks piece by piece over three decades. He paid for every purchase with his own money after efforts to use public funds failed. Percival P. Baxter made his first purchase, 5,960 acres around Mount Katahdin, in 1930. By the time he made his final land gift 32 years later, he had given 201,018 acres to the people of Maine. Later land purchases, gifts, and transfers increased the total size of Baxter State Park to 209,644 acres, according to records from the Baxter State Park Authority. The land campaign remains one of the largest efforts by one person to protect land in American history.A political defeat turns into a private campaignBaxter first tried to protect Mount Katahdin while serving in the Maine State Legislature during the 1920s. He introduced bills to create a state park around Maine’s highest peak, but his efforts failed. Timber interests and political opposition stood in the way. When Baxter left public office in 1925, he stopped trying to create the park through politics and decided to buy the wilderness himself. He spent the next 32 years dealing directly with private timber firms, paper companies, ...