Wilsons On Moosehead Lake Information

Located on the West side of Moosehead Lake on the mouth of the East Outlet of the Kennebec River, Wilsons on Moosehead Lake Camps is known as the longest, continuously operated sporting camps in the state of Maine. We are conveniently located between Greenville and Rockwood, Maine where you can find numerous outdoor activities! It all started after the surrender of General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox on April 9th, 1865, when Henry I. Wilson returned from the Civil War to his home in Massachusetts and decided that he wanted to move north, away from the city, in search of an untroubled frontier. Henry bought a house on the north end of the lake, but soon after filled the position of dam operator on the East Outlet. The position was said to be 'cursed', as the last three dam operators had either drowned or been killed operating the mill, but after surviving four years in the Civil War, Henry wasn't afraid of a little curse! Upon taking the job Henry floated his two-story house from the north end of the lake down onto the property, which stood for nearly 140 years and was the front part of the hotel, which was facing the lake. Soon after, Wilsons became a huge draw for sportsmen from all over the country, including the 18th president Ulysses S. Grant. The inn was the center of attention, staffing guides, guests, and hosting a large dining area and kitchen staff. In 2004, the hotel was deemed irreparable and control burned to the ground. Hopes of a new lodge being built are still high. In addition to the hotel, 17 rental cabins were constructed, part of one is still standing and one of the 15 cabins available for rent today. Upon taking the job Henry floated his two-story house from the north end of the lake down onto the property, which stood for nearly 140 years and was the front part of the hotel, which was facing the lake. Soon after, Wilsons became a huge draw for sportsmen from all over the country, including the 18th president Ulysses S. Grant. The inn was the center of attention, staffing guides, guests, and hosting a large dining area and kitchen staff. In 2004, the hotel was deemed irreparable and control burned to the ground. Hopes of a new lodge being built are still high. In addition to the hotel, 17 rental cabins were constructed, part of one is still standing and one of the 15 cabins available for rent today. The next major figure to run the sporting camps was Alfred Wilson, with the help of his two sons Donald and Alfred J., known as Junior. While Fred and Junior were busy guiding and trapping, Don graduated from the University of Maine with a mechanical engineering degree and was pursuing a career in the engineering field. Unfortunately Junior's untimely death due to drowning off of Pratt's Point on September 18th, 1936 resulted in Don leaving his engineering career to come back and help run the camps. After being passed down through four generations of Wilsons over 109 years, the camps were sold to Wayne and Shan (Shirley) Snell, who ran the camps for 19 years before their son and his wife, Scott and Alison Snell took over in 2002. For nearly 18 years Scott and Alison have been running the camps, and in 2015 celebrated the 150th anniversary of Wilsons on Moosehead Lake.