Desert of Maine Camel

A strange place to visit indeed, but one worth checking out is the Desert of Maine in Freeport, Maine. Here is a bit of history of the strange phenomenon.

The Desert of Maine was once a working farm, but because the land was overworked and the farm owners used poor crop rotation habits, erosion began to unearth the natural wonder beneath the farmland, starting with a dinner plate sized patch of sand that over the years began to "grow" and overtake the surrounding farmland.

Between 10,000-11,000 thousand years ago when the glaciers that once covered most of North America receded, they left behind large deposits of sand and silt . Once the erosion started and the sand began to become unearthed it began to adapt the habits of a real desert. Just as in the other deserts of the world, the sand began to move and swallow up everything in its path, including any farm buildings left standing.

The family that once owned and operated the farm finally, after years of futile efforts, gave up trying to contain the Desert sands and years later the farm was purchased and turned into a natural, public attraction.

Now the only thing that contains the Desert in Freeport, Maine is the surrounding forest which helps to keep the sand in place. At some point when the real camel that used to be kept here became a bit of a problem, it was replaced with a couple of camel statues, one sitting, one standing.