Daggett Rock

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Daggett Rock
Daggett in October 2025.jpg
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Daggett Rock
Location in Maine
Location Phillips, Maine, United States
Coordinates 44°50′54″N70°18′18″W / 44.84840°N 70.3049°W / 44.84840; -70.3049
Administered byPhillips Historical Society Museum
Website Daggett Rock

Dagget Rock, (sometimes known as Daggett's rock or Cleft rock) is the largest known boulder in Maine. Located in Phillips, it is about 80 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 25 feet high, with only a portion of the rock being exposed above ground. It is estimated to weigh around 8,000 tons. [1] The rock is split into three pieces with the south-facing portion being the largest.

Contents

Geologic history

Daggett Rock is a large granite glacial eratic containing feldspar crystals more than 1 inch in length. The prevailing opinion amongst geologists is that the boulder is derived from the Redington granite pluton and was plucked from the nearby Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley and deposited to its current location on Wheeler Hill, about 12 miles southwest of the mountain, sometime during the last glacial period. [2]

History

According to popular local legend, in the early 1800s a local woodsman named Daggett came upon the rock while inebriated during a violent lightning storm and climbed atop it. Upon reaching the top, he cursed his ill luck and claimed he could not be struck down, whereupon a great bolt of lightning struck the rock, killing him and splitting the rock into three parts. [3]

Contrary to this story, however, geologic evidence suggests that Daggett Rock split during its deposition by the glacier thousands of years before.

Since the 1880s, Daggett Rock has been a popular location amongst wealthy tourists, drawn by the unique nature of the erratic, and has since become a popular spot for rock climbers. [4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Weddle, Thomas K. "Daggett Rock - Maine's Largest Glacial Erratic". Maine.gov. Retrieved 1 January 2025.
  2. ↑ "Daggett Rock". Phillips Historical Society Museum. Phillips Historical Society Museum. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  3. ↑ "Daggett Rock Trail". Maine Trail Finder. Community Geographics. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
  4. ↑ Butler, Jan & Christy (2018). Erratic Wandering. Jan & Christy Butler. ISBN   978-1540569875.
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