Rangeley, ME

Rangeley is a town in Franklin County, Maine, USA. Rangeley is the center of the Rangeley Lakes Region, a resort area. The town includes the villages of Oquossoc, Haines Landing and South Rangeley. Rangeley was the home of notable scientist Wilhelm Reich. His home, known as Orgonon, is now the Wilhelm Reich Museum. The Order secretly built the Rangeley Reactor Core beneath his home to extend his work.

History

It is named after an Englishman, Squire James Rangeley, who inherited a 31,000-acre (130 km2) tract bought from Massachusetts in 1796 by his father. He arrived in 1825 to establish an estate based on the English system of landlord and tenants, also giving extensive land to settlers. He built a sawmill, a gristmill, a two-story mansion, and a ten-mile (16 km) road to connect his property with the rest of the world. Rangeley resided here for 15 years, then sold the property and moved to Portland.

Type

Town

Population

1,168

Included Locations