A Comment about The Maine Spirit Blog

Historians and horse lovers owe a great debt of gratitude to Stephen Thompson for his thorough and fascinating survey of Maine’s tie to the magnificent beast that, in both work and sport, was a principal means of tying this vast state together in the long era before the automobile. Water Village, my history of Waterville, only touches on the horse, most particularly the astonishing creature named Nelson. Thompson’s work reveals the full tale of the impact of these beloved animals in this area, and in celebration of the horse, future generations will be grateful to know a story that otherwise might have been lost in the mists of time. -- Earl Smith, Dean of College, Emeritus, Colby College

Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Harness Racing at Oakland Park in Gardiner, Maine 1877

At one time there was a road from Gardiner to South Gardiner that passed through the Oakland Estate. Today as you stand along side the field where there once was a trotting park you can see no evidence of that park. Blue Marble Geographic of Hallowell assisted in imaging for Oakland Park Storyboards. The images in this post once again provide viewers with unexpected views. Truly a wonderful moment in reliving Maine's Lost Trotting Parks History.

The trotting horse Smuggler raced on this track.









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2 comments:

  1. UnknownApril 8, 2020 at 9:46 PM

    Very interesting I had never heard about these tracks. The Woolworth Family of Woolwort 5 & 10 had a nice farm not to far from your neck of the woods but have no clue if any of that famoly were active way back then?

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    1. Stephen ThompsonApril 11, 2020 at 8:13 PM

      I have not researched the Woolworth's harness racing. My cousin Clark has. Perhaps 1940's through 70s. The training track was given to a summer camp for horseback riding I believe. I thought I saw it once and there were trees growing up on the track. But then maybe not! I will check with the Harness Racing Museum in Goshen, NY.

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