Maine’s 1st ski mountain restores historic name

BRIDGTON, Maine (AP) — Maine’s first ski mountain — created when the Civilian Conservation Corps carved a single trail in 1936 — is reverting to its original name, Pleasant Mountain.

Operators of what was known as Shawnee Peak for more than 30 years polled skiers about the name, and announced the change on Wednesday.

“It gives me great pleasure to return to our original name and also to know that this ski area is poised for a great future so others may experience what many of us already have,” said Ralph Lewis, general manager and Bridgton local.

Shawnee Peak was a name chosen in 1988 by new owners who already operated Shawnee Mountain in Pennsylvania, which bears the name of a Native American tribe that was pushed west by settlers.

Michigan-based Boyne Resorts bought Shawnee Peak last October. It also owns Sunday River and Sugarloaf resorts in Maine.

Several other resorts have changed their names in recent years, including Vermont’s Suicide Six, which became the Saskadena Six, and California’s Squaw Valley, which is now known as Palisades Tahoe.