A Road Book for Cycling and Carriage Driving in Maine
Contents
- Compiler Bates Torrey explains that the routes were gathered mostly from wheelmen describing actual riding experiences, and warns that a road's surface changes from year to year so every description should be taken with some allowance. He argues that Maine's indented coast, rivers and lakes make perfect roads and perfect scenery incompatible, but that the State's compensations need no apology.
- An alphabetical roll of the League of American Wheelmen's local consuls for 1895, town by town from Auburn and Augusta to Skowhegan, South Norridgewock and Paris. Named officers include C. M. P. Steele at Portland, Charles H. Barstow at Bangor and Roland T. Patten at Skowhegan.
- The by-laws of the Maine Division, League of American Wheelmen, organized at Portland on 20 May 1886 and revised 30 May 1890. Six articles set out the Division's object of promoting wheeling in Maine, its officers (Chief Consul, Vice Consul, Representatives and Secretary-Treasurer), the Executive Board's powers, a quorum of fifteen, and how the rules may be amended.
- Torrey explains the conventions of the book: the "Specific Directions" are meant chiefly to get a rider out of a city or town, the towns named indicate the main roads between them, and distances are only approximate. He recommends using the Index and the maps together when planning routes or combinations of routes.
- Thirty-six miles by the shore road from Portsmouth through York, Ogunquit, Wells Village and Kennebunk to Biddeford, over sand and rough surfaces that Torrey admits are no favourable introduction to Maine. Notes point to the beaches a mile to the right, the nine-mile side run from Biddeford to Biddeford Pool, and the York County Wheelmen's club rooms on Main street.
- Thirty-five miles from Dover by the turnpike to South Berwick Landing, then North Berwick, Wells Village and Kennebunk to Biddeford, with street-by-street directions through the Berwicks and a mile-saving short cut before North Berwick. Hotel rates are listed for North Berwick, Berwick, Wells and Kennebunk.
- A folding plate arranged by Bates Torrey covering southwestern Maine from the New Hampshire line to the Kennebec, with the numbered routes drawn in. It runs from Portsmouth and Kennebunkport up through Portland and the Oxford County towns as far as the Rangeley Lakes and Phillips.
- Thirty-five miles from Dodge's hotel at Rochester through East Rochester, South Lebanon, Sanford, Alfred and Lyman to Biddeford, including the run over Mount Hope and through "Guinea Woods." Side runs branch from Sanford to Biddeford, Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Alfred, and Wells Beach by way of Wells Depot, with Steep Falls on the Mousam River worth a detour.
- Forty-five miles from Rochester by Route 3 to Sanford, then Springvale, Emery Mills, Shapleigh, Newfield and Limerick to Cornish. Two alternatives are given — a shorter twenty-six-mile line through Waterborough by the Guinea Road, Alfred Gore and Ross Corner, and the old stage route via Alfred — plus the thirty-mile Cornish to Saco run through Limington Corner and Hollis Center.
- Short runs out of Cornish to Limerick, Freedom by the Ossipee valley and Kezar Falls, Spectacle Ponds, Brownfield through the Notch, Hiram Falls, Denmark and Bridgton. Hiram Falls is the largest fall on the Saco, dropping 85 feet off ragged ledges beneath Mt. Cutler.
- Fifty-eight and a half miles from Cornish through South Hiram, Brownfield, Conway Centre, Red Stone, North Conway, Intervale, Glen Station and Bartlett to Crawford Notch and House. An alternative leaves the direct route at Brownfield for historic Fryeburg and Martha's Grove, rejoining below Red Stone to avoid the sand between Fryeburg and Conway Center.
- Thirty miles from Milton Mills past Long Pond through South Acton, Emery's Mills, Springvale, Sanford, Alfred and Lyman to Biddeford, with a warning to look out for Raccoon Gully beyond Alfred. Notes cover Shaker Village near Alfred, black bass fishing in Long Pond, and L. A. W. hotels at Alfred, Springvale and Sanford.
- Cross runs in York County: Sanford to North Berwick by Morrill's Mills, Sanford to Berwick and Great Falls past Bauneg Beg Pond, and North Berwick out to York Beach, Ogunquit and Wells Beach. Mt. Agamenticus, the highest point in the region, stands a mile off the York Woods road but has no wheel road to the summit.
- Sixteen miles of generally good road from Biddeford House across the bridge into Saco, then by the shore road through Dunstan's Corner, Oak Hill and Cash's Corner into Portland by Vaughan Bridge to the Preble House. Turnings are given for Old Orchard, Pine Point and Prout's Neck or the Checkley House.
- Runs out of Biddeford to Saco Ferry and the York County Wheelmen's summer house, to Sebago Lake through the Buxtons and Standish, and to Alfred, Goodwin's Mills and Hill's Beach. A continuation adds Kennebunkport, Goose Rocks, Fortune's Rocks and Pine Point, with beach and shore-dinner notes.
- Eight miles from Portland by the Cape Elizabeth ferry and Spring street to "Willard," then along the Shore Road past Cape Cottage, Portland Head Light, Delano Park and Pond Cove to the Ocean House. Torrey calls it the most popular run out of Portland, and recommends the deviation to the Cape Lights ("Two Lights") and the life saving station.
- A descriptive account of the Cape — originally part of ancient Falmouth, incorporated in 1765, and lately divided into South Portland and Cape Elizabeth — naming its Cottage (Shore), Ocean House, Hannaford, Baren Hill, Fowler and Spurwink Roads. It closes with the run from the Ocean House Road out to Buena Vista, the Cape's south-western point.
- A folding plate drawn by Dennett & Jose of Saco in 1895 showing Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough in detail. Every road on the Cape is drawn, from Portland Harbor and the ferries round by Portland Head Light, Delano Park, Spurwink and Richmond Island.
- Runs around the Cape: Portland to Spurwink by two roads, on to Higgins' Beach, Scarborough Beach and Prout's Neck, with a further approach due west from Pond Cove schoolhouse. Hotels named are Mitchell's at Spurwink, the Kirkwood and Atlantic House at Scarborough Beach, the Checkley House at Prout's Neck and Sea View Cottage at Pond Cove.
- Eight miles from the Preble House by Congress and Green streets, Deering Bridge and Forest avenue to Morrill's, then the Windham Road to Pride's Bridge and Westbrook. A six-mile alternative runs through Deering Park and the Brighton Road past Cumberland Mills, and further runs go to Evergreen Cemetery, Coal Kiln Corner and Stroudwater.
- Cyclist's Road Map of Maine: York, Cumberland, Androscoggin and Oxford Counties (opens in a new tab)A large folding plate prepared expressly for the Maine Road-Book by Dennett & Jose, Saco, 1895, covering the four south-western counties. It carries an inset of the Rangeley and Umbagog lake country above the main sheet, which runs from the New Hampshire line across Oxford, Androscoggin and Cumberland to the York County coast.
- Thirty miles from Portland by the Brighton Road to Westbrook, then Gorham, West Gorham and Standish, diverging from the old stage road between Standish and Steep Falls and passing Limington Bridge and Ruin Corner to Cornish. Torrey commends Morrison's bicycle repair shop and the Cornish Cycle Club rooms in Jameson Block, and offers a longer, prettier way round by Sebago Lake.
- Eight and a quarter miles by Deering Bridge, Woodford's, Morrill's Corner and Allen's Corner, then the Gray Road past Frost's Woods to Blackstrap Hill, the highest elevation within fifty miles and crowned by a Coast Survey monument visible far out at sea. Continuations run to Duck Pond and, by Mr. Copp's farm, to Goose Pond.
- Sixteen miles through Woodfords, Cumberland Mills, Westbrook and South Windham to Sebago Lake, following the Portland water pipes from Westbrook to the shore. Torrey notes the lake's 267-foot elevation and fourteen-mile length, and advises returning by way of Gorham for smoother, downhill road.
- Forty-nine miles by Westbrook, Gorham, West Gorham, Standish, Steep Falls, East and West Baldwin, Hiram and Brownfield to Fryeburg, though Torrey thinks the road via Cornish better. Extensions carry the tourist to Lancaster, N. H., by North Conway and the Crawford House, or by train to Colebrook and back through Dixville Notch, Errol, Upton and Bethel.
- Thirty-nine and a half miles by Deering Bridge as for Route 9, then Woodfords, Morrill's, Pride's Corner, Duck Pond, North Windham, Raymond and Naples to Bridgton. Local trips from Bridgton take in Highland Lake, The Ridge with its White Mountain view, Pleasant Mountain, Waterford Flat (birthplace of Artemus Ward) and Summit Springs.
- A table of measured round-trip distances furnished by R. F. Sawyer — Cape Elizabeth Perry to the Ocean House by the Shore Road, Morrill's Corner by the Shell Road, Yarmouth by Falmouth Foreside, Scarborough Beach by Vaughan Bridge, and more. The list continues with Prout's Neck, Old Orchard, Kennebunk, Higgins' Beach, Biddeford Pool and Harpswell.
- Twenty miles by Tukey's Bridge and East Deering to Allen's Corner, then the Gray Road through West Falmouth and Cumberland Center to Walnut Hill and Wescustigo Spring, returning for variety by Yarmouth and the Shore Road. Also given are Yarmouth to Pownal, a more direct fourteen-mile way to Walnut Hill by Colley's Corner, and Portland to Bath by the Harpswell steamer and Orr's Island.
- Twenty-five miles by Tukey's Bridge, Veranda street and Martin's Bridge through Falmouth Foreside, Cumberland, Yarmouth and Freeport to Brunswick, with clay road beyond Yarmouth and sand near Brunswick. Side notes cover the Underwood Spring, Yarmouth to Freeport and Prince's Point, and Brunswick out to Mare Point and Harpswell.
- Thirty-five miles by the Gray Road through West Falmouth and West Cumberland to Gray, then New Gloucester and Danville Junction to Auburn and Lewiston. Notes add Poland Spring five miles from Danville Junction, the Gray to Dry Mills run, the Androscoggin falls seen from the bridge between the two cities, and the Auburn to Lake Auburn side run.
- From Brunswick across the bridge to Topsham, then following the river (or the telegraph-pole road after heavy rain) through Bowdoinham, Richmond, Gardiner and Hallowell to Augusta. Hotel rates are given for Richmond, Gardiner and the Augusta House.
- Eighteen generally poor miles from the DeWitt House by Lisbon street through Lisbon and Lisbon Falls, then the river road to Brunswick, with about two miles of coal-ash sidewalk worth using. A note on Brunswick describes Bowdoin College, its chapel paintings and library statuary, and the Bowdoin Paper Company's twenty tons a day.
- Thirty-four and a half miles by Sabattus street through Sabattus, Monmouth, Winthrop and Manchester to Augusta, the stretch along Sabattus Pond being the best road in Androscoggin county. Also described is the fifty-mile Lewiston to Bryant's Pond run up the Androscoggin through Keene's Mills, North Turner, Canton Village, Dixfield and Rumford Falls.
- Runs out of Lewiston to Turner by the Switzerland or River Road returning past Lake Auburn, to Sabattus Pond, around Lake Auburn from the Court House, and to Cobbosseecontee Pond by Day's Corner. The continuation adds a second, newer route to Augusta by Green Depot and the College road.
- Ten miles by Lisbon street and the Main street bridge into Auburn, then Minot avenue to Minot Corner and on to Mechanic Falls. Further runs go Auburn to Norway by the Hebron road, West Minot, Hebron and South Paris; Mechanic Falls to Canton through Buckfield and East Sumner; and Livermore Falls to Farmington by North Jay and East Wilton.
- Forty-one miles up Pleasant Street by the telegraph poles through Welchville, Norway, Harrison, North Bridgton and Bridgton to Fryeburg. Alternatives run North Bridgton to Fryeburg by Waterford and Lovell, and Fryeburg to Bethel Hill through the Lovells, East Stoneham and North Waterford.
- Thirty-five and a half miles following the Grand Trunk Railway through Welchville, South Paris, West Paris, Bryant's Pond, Locke's Mills and Walker's Mills to Bethel Hill, passing Snow's Falls between the Parises. Side runs continue Bethel to Rumford Falls by Newry, Bethel Hill to the Rangeley Lakes by Grafton and Umbagog Lake, and Bethel Hill to Bridgton Centre through the Waterfords.
- Thirty-three miles through North Woodstock, Milton, Rumford Corner and Point, North Rumford and South Andover, crossing the Androscoggin and following the Byron road to the south arm of the Richardson Lakes. Variants turn west at Andover for Umbagog Lake, or run through Gilead, Shelburne and Gorham, N. H., to Errol; the Bryant's Pond to Dixfield run passes Rumford Falls and Ridlonville.
- Fifty-seven miles from the Tontine House by Topsham and Bay Bridge to Bath, then Woolwich, Wiscasset, Damariscotta, Waldoboro, Warren and Thomaston to Rockland, hilly and rough with the worst going near Waldoboro. Notes cover Ham's Hill between Topsham and Bath, the Adams House on New Meadows River, and the thirty-mile Waldoboro to Belfast road by Union, Appleton and Searsmont.
- A folding plate covering mid-coast and central Maine between the Kennebec and the Penobscot, with the numbered routes marked. It reaches from the Boothbay and Damariscotta shore up through Augusta, Waterville and Belfast to the Moosehead Lake country.
- Forty miles from the Coney House across the river and out by the Belfast road through Windsor, Upham's Corner, Searsmont and Belmont Corner to Belfast, over an old stage road that once had an inn every five miles. Side notes cover fishing at Quantabacook and Tilden's Ponds, and the runs from Augusta to Togus and to Winthrop by Western Avenue.
- Thirty-five miles from the Coney House by Bangor street, crossing the Kennebec at Winslow into Waterville, then Fairfield to Skowhegan, passing Riverside, Vassalboro and Winslow. Alternatives take the left bank by Sidney, or Fairfield to Skowhegan by Shawmut and Pishon's Ferry; further notes give the Winslow to East Vassalboro side run past China Pond and old Fort Halifax, and Augusta to Farmington by Readfield, Mt. Vernon and Vienna.
- Fifty-five miles as Route 26 to Searsmont, then south-east by North Appleton, Hope and South Hope, passing Rockville and West Camden into Rockland. The Nevins House at Searsmont is the hotel named.
- Sixty miles from the Elmwood Hotel by College street to Fairfield, across the Kennebec to Benton, then Albion, Palermo, Liberty and South Montville to Searsmont and on as Route 28 to Rockland. Reversed by way of Thomaston, Warren, Jefferson, Windsor and East Vassalboro the run totals fifty-four miles.
- Thirty-five miles of stage route from the Elmwood by College street to Fairfield and Benton, then Albion, Freedom, Foster's Corner, Knox, Morrill and Poor's Mills into Belfast by the Trotting Park and Belmont avenue, with a bad hill in Knox. Sparrow's Tavern at Freedom and C. Wellington's at Albion are the houses named.
- Forty-five miles of hard road as Route 30 to Benton, then east through Unity, Thorndike, Jackson and Monroe Village to Winterport, where the Penobscot may be crossed to Bucksport Centre and on to Ellsworth. A turn south at Monroe Village reaches Belfast in fifteen miles.
- Seventy-eight miles by College street to Fairfield, then Benton, Clinton, Burnham, Pittsfield, Newport, Corinna, Dexter, Sangerville, Guilford, Abbot, Monson and Shirley to Greenville — the sportsman's route to the lake, with trout plentiful in the Churchill stream. A Dexter to Cambridge link by Ripley connects with Route 35, and Mt. Kineo lies twenty miles up the lake by steamer from Greenville Junction.
- Twenty-eight miles of good gravel road from the Hazelton House by Elm street along the river through Norridgewock, Mercer, New Sharon and Farmington Falls to Farmington, ridable to Mercer without dismounting. Notes add Skowhegan to Madison ("Hayden") Lake, Farmington to Dixfield by the Wiltons, and Farmington to Strong, Phillips and Kingfield.
- Runs from Hotel Coburn to the Old Point Monument at Madison — re-erected at the expense of the Skowhegan Wheel Club — and to Lake George, Fairgrieves Bay on Hayden Lake, and Smithfield by the Skowhegan and Norridgewock electric road. The Wheel Club keeps a repair kit for visiting wheelmen at the Lake George and Fairgrieves Bay hotels.
- Fifty-five miles from the Hazelton House down Eddy Hill and along the river to Canaan, then Pittsfield, Newport, Etna, Carmel and Hermon to Bangor. Torrey calls it a fine run over excellent roads.
- Fifty-nine miles by "Dr. Man's" Plains to Malborn Mills, then Cornville, Athens, Harmony, Cambridge, Parkman and Abbot to Greenville, passing Harmony Castle and Moose Pond. The page also outlines the Skowhegan Wheel Club's Canadian tour — up the Kennebec to The Forks and Jackman, over the boundary and down the Chaudière to Quebec, then by boat and rail through the Saguenay and Temiscouata country to Edmundston, Grand Falls, Fort Fairfield and Houlton.
- Seventy-six miles by Madison Centre and North Anson to Patterson's Bridge, Solon Ferry, Bingham, The Forks and Parlin Pond to Moose River — an easy two days' ride that Torrey rates almost as good as macadam. Notes praise the Bingham to The Forks road and describe Carrying Place Pond, its red-spot trout and Arnold's portage on his Quebec expedition.
- Twenty-eight miles from the Thorndike House by telegraph poles to Rockport, then Camden, Lincolnville Beach, Saturday Cove and Brown's Corner in Northport to Belfast, with warnings about Clam Cove hill, Duck-Trap Hill and the steep Spring-Brook Hill north of Camden. Adjacent Rockland points of interest include Owl's Head, Crescent Beach, Tennant's Harbor, Clark's Island and Spruce Head.
- Runs from the Crosby Inn to Islesboro by steamer to Rider's Cove, on to Lands End and Turtle's Head; to Monroe Village by Swan Lake and Swansville; to Pitcher's Pond and Tilden's Pond; and fifteen miles to Fort Point by Searsport, Sears Island, Stockton and Cape Jellison. Fort Point has an old French fort said to predate the Revolution, a lighthouse, and a reputation as the coolest place in Maine.
- Eighteen miles by Miller street and Lincoln Avenue through Hall's Corner, Dickey's Mills, Miller's Corner and Lincolnville Centre, then the turnpike to Camden. A second way goes through Northport and Pitcher's Pond; the turnpike from Lincolnville runs along the base of Mount Megunticook beside the lake of the same name, and the shore road makes a thirty-six-mile round trip.
- Thirty-nine miles by High and Bridge streets and the water front to Searsport Harbor Cove, then Searsport, Prospect and Prospect Ferry across to Bucksport, and on through Orland to Castine with the river in view. Orland to Ellsworth is the more direct through route east; other runs go Belfast to Liberty by Belmont, Searsmont and South Montville, and to the Cottage City Inn on the Camden Turnpike.
- From the Crosby Inn over Bridge Hill on to the Searsport road, then following the shore through Searsport, Stockton, Prospect, Frankfort, Winterport and Hampden to Bangor. Hotels named include Stockton Springs Hotel, the Commercial House at Winterport and the Bangor House.
- Seventy miles by Union, Hammond and Ohio streets to Kenduskeag, then East Corinth, West Charleston, Dover, Guilford, Abbot, Monson and Shirley to Greenville — by far the best route to the lake from Bangor. Alternatives run via Dexter and Exeter Mills, or east and north by Ripley, Cambridge and Parkman to Abbot as in Route 35.
- Forty-seven miles over the toll bridge to Brewer, then Holden Centre, Dedham, Ellsworth Falls and Ellsworth, on by the Eden drive through Salisbury and Hull's Coves to Bar Harbor, with mountainous going in Dedham and Beckworth's mile-long hill. Other runs go down the east bank to Bucksport, Bucksport to Castine by Orland, Castine round by Sargentville, Sedgwick, Brooklin and Blue Hill, and Bar Harbor to Cherryfield via Hancock and Franklin.
- A description of Mount Desert Island — irregular in outline, joined to Trenton by a toll bridge, and carrying thirteen mountain peaks of which Green Mountain rises 1,527 feet. Eagle Lake, named by Church the artist, lies three miles from Bar Harbor and supplies the town with water; the rocky shore throws spray fifteen feet at the Southwest Harbor sea wall.
- Introduces the Bar Harbor rides, beginning with The Ocean Ride — thirteen and a half miles by the shore road past Schooner's Head, the Spouting Horn, Anemone Cave, Great Head and Otter Cliffs, returning by the Gorge. The Eagle Lake, Green Mountain and 22 Mile rides follow after the Map No. III plate.
- A folding plate draughted by F. L. Norris covering eastern and northern Maine from the Penobscot to the New Brunswick border. It takes in the Down East coast from Bucksport and Mount Desert through Machias to Calais, and the Aroostook country up to Houlton, Presque Isle and Van Buren.
- About three miles each way from Bar Harbor by Main and Mt. Desert streets to the Eagle Lake Road, passing the Kebo Club grounds and the foot of Green Mountain. The road is very hilly but the return is downhill; there is good fishing, boating and a steamer at the lake, with the Lake House for a hotel.
- Two miles from Bar Harbor by Mt. Desert street and the Eagle Lake Road to the guide board for the Green Mountain carriage road, then about two miles more to the summit. Riders may instead go by Eagle Lake and take the cars up for a fully three-mile coast down the carriage road; the Summit House stands on top.
- A twenty-two-mile round from Bar Harbor south past G. W. Vanderbilt's residence and through the Gorge to Seal Harbor and its natural sea wall, on to Northeast Harbor and up Somes Sound between the Hadlock ponds. It returns by the gorge between Brown and Sargent Mountains into the Somesville road, past Eagle Lake and the foot of Green Mountain to Bar Harbor.
- Sixty and a half miles from Ellsworth by the stage road and telegraph poles through Franklin, Cherryfield, Harrington, Columbia Falls and Jonesboro to Machias. Alternatives follow the coast more closely by Hancock, West Sullivan, Sullivan, Steuben and Millbridge, or turn off for Addison Point, Indian River and Jonesport; Schoodic Lake beyond Harrington offers fine fishing.
- Twenty-eight nearly level miles along one principal thoroughfare through East Machias, Whiting and Lubec, then the ferry to Eastport; a second way of the same length follows the coast by Cutler. Notes mention Cathance Lake, the best fishing ground in the State, and Eastport's twenty-foot spring tide, the greatest in the United States, followed by a quotation on the ethics of sidewalk riding from the Conn. Road Book.
- Forty-eight miles from the Eastern Hotel by Court street and the telegraph poles through East Machias, Dennysville, Pembroke and Milltown to Calais, more level though four miles longer than the direct road. A shorter variant turns off just beyond Dennysville; wheelmen are urged to cross the free bridges to St. Stephen, N. B., where the Y. M. C. A. has a bicycle club.
- Twenty-eight miles from the Quoddy Hotel over the toll bridge off the island, then Perry, Robbinston and Red Beach to Calais, following the shore of Passamaquoddy Bay and the St. Croix — the most beautiful road in this section, with dangerous hills at Red Beach. Notes cover the Passamaquoddy Indian village at Perry, the world's largest red granite quarries at Red Beach, and Douchet's Island opposite, site of the French settlement of 1605.
- Ninety miles from the Border City Hotel through Milltown and Baring, then the main road by Princeton, Topsfield, Brookton (Jackson Brook) and Weston to Houlton. Houlton is twelve very hilly miles from Woodstock, N. B., and is the gateway to Aroostook County; a 126-mile run to Fort Kent goes by Caribou and Van Buren.
- One hundred and thirteen miles by Main street and the direct road through Orono, Oldtown, Milford, Greenbush, Lincoln, Winn, Mattawamkeag, South Molunkus and Haynesville to Houlton. A note describes Aroostook County's 168 towns, plantations and townships, its remarkably good wheeling roads and hospitable people, and the stage road from Patten.
- Forty-two miles from the Exchange hotel by Court and Main streets through Monticello, Bridgewater and Blaine to Presque Isle, with a detour by Spragueville for fine mountain scenery and warnings of bad hills at Monticello and the "Winding Hill." A variant runs north from Blaine by the Fort Fairfield road to Easton Centre and Sprague's Mills.
- Thirty-four miles of first-rate road by Caribou, North Lyndon and Acadia to Van Buren, with a new road along the Aroostook River avoiding the bad hill near Caribou. Further notes give the Washburn variant, Presque Isle to Fort Fairfield and Andover, N. B., and the link by Edmundston and Lake Temiscouata to Rivière du Loup.
- Extracts from Isaac B. Potter's "The Law of Cycling" establishing that a bicycle is a carriage and that wheelmen may use any public highway on the same terms as other drivers. Cases cited include Coombs vs. Purrington, Barker vs. Savage, Macomber vs. Nichols and Moses vs. Pittsburgh, and the piece closes with the observation that the law favours courtesy even where it does not demand it.
- Ten pages of tabulated Boston-area routes, reprinted by courtesy of the Road-book Committee of the Massachusetts Division to give a continuous description of roads from Boston to the Provinces. Each table gives points on route, running and intermediate distances, road material, grade, condition, hotels and turn-by-turn instructions, covering Boston to Portsmouth, Nahant, Fitchburg, Wellesley, Worcester, Mt. Wachusett, Greenfield, Albany and Providence, and closing with the bounds of the Boston Riding District.
- Edmundston to St. John by the St. John River, through St. Basile, Green River, St. Leonards, Grand Falls, Andover, Florenceville and Woodstock to Fredericton, with hotels, river crossings and salmon and trout fishing on the Tobique noted along the way. From Fredericton two roads run to St. John — the old "Nerepis" road and the Oromocto and Gagetown way — or the tourist may take the daily steamer down river.
- F. A. Elwell's essay on why Maine's highways are sandy, rocky, glue-like in clay and erratically graded, and why the State's poverty and sparse settlement have kept them so. He points to France's tree-shaded, river-smooth roads as proof of what skilled engineering can do, and calls for trained road-makers versed in MacAdam and Telford to be made responsible for the work.
- James E. Marrett, Chief Consul of the Maine Division L. A. W., argues that the League leads the movement for better highways to the profit of farmer, driver and pleasure-seeker alike. He asks why the road near every town is forever muddy or dusty despite the annual labour and dollars spent on it, and answers that only methodical, scientific construction can advance the State.
- A town-by-town list of bicycle repairers across Maine, from C. H. Barstow at Bangor and R. A. Fairfield at Biddeford to Haggett Bros. at Portland and G. R. Bodwell at Sanford. Eighteen towns are covered, including Calais, Camden, Houlton, Lewiston, Norway, Oldtown, Pittsfield and Rockland.
- A table of what the railroads and steamboat lines charged to carry one wheel with its passenger. The Grand Trunk, Portland & Rochester and Portland Steam Packet Co. carried a wheel free; the Maine Steamship Co. charged 50 cents, the International S. S. Co. $1.00, and the Boston & Maine and Maine Central 25 cents each.
- The book's alphabetical index of towns, routes, side runs, maps and topics, with page references. A prefatory Remark advises wheelmen wishing to make up longer through routes to combine the numbers, or reverse them to travel in the opposite direction.