Ocean Highways

Frenchman Bay extends seven miles between Mount Desert Island and the Schoodic Peninsula beyond the Porcupine Islands. For centuries, humans used these bountiful waters for fishing, trade, and scenery. During the long struggle to possess North America, French frigates hid behind the Porcupine Islands to prey on English warships, giving the bay its name. Early European settlers crossed the bay in schooners, sloops, and fishing boats to harvest its abundance. Beginning in the late 1800s, tourists arrived by steamboat and pleasure yacht, helping establish Bar Harbor as a popular resort.

Bar Harbor, Maine · United States