Sieur de Monts Spring is intricately linked with the early history of Acadia National Park. It is named for the French nobleman, Pierre Du Gua, de Monts, who was Lieutenant Governor of New France in the early 1600s.Pierre Du Gua, de Monts, had authority over all of North America from present day Philadelphia to Montreal. In 1603 he was commissioned by King Henry IV “to establish the name, power, and authority of the King of France; to summon the natives to a knowledge of the Christian religion; to people, cultivate, and settle the said lands; to make explorations and especially to seek out mines of precious metals.”
George B. Dorr, the first superintendent of Acadia National Park named the spring and built the spring house (pictured) in 1909. On a nearby rock Dorr carved the words: “The Sweet Waters of Acadia.” Today the spring is a symbol of the enthusiasm and gallant efforts which brought into being the first National Park in the eastern United States.
Sieur de Monts Spring is located behind the Nature Center close to where Route 3 crosses over the Park Loop Road.
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