Visitors to Pierce Pond Camps get a good first impression of the place when they reach the gate some two and a half miles from the pond itself. There they are greeted by a former Maine woodsman with a cheerful smile and a twinkling eye. The gate is most useful as it provides a way for the camp to be notified of arriving guests so they may be met by a boat to reach their camp destination. A gatekeeper also helps to protect the pond from abuse and overuse as well as providing protection for vehicles and other property left at the lakeside parking area.
Howard Monroe (pictured) moved to the Pierce Pond Gate in 1967. Howard had been a teamster, a woodsman, a river driver, a well-known guide, and a great storyteller of all times. He was a small man with thick glasses and a caricature for a face. His legs bowed out so far, that once Jeannie backed her motorized trail bike between his legs, and all he had to do was sit down and hang on for a ride.
Howard represented a generation of Mainers who knew life in the raw. Living in the woods, far from civilization, he was forced to fend for himself. People of his generation either made it or they didn't. For example, Howard had his own home remedies, such as a cough medicine that called for a few drops of kerosene among other things! He even pulled his own teeth.
One of his favorite stories was about the time he got an owl without firing a shot. He was coming back to camp after using up all his ammunition when he spotted an owl looking at him. As he walked slowly by the tree in which the owl was perched, Howard noticed that the owl kept turning his head. So Howard decided to try an experiment. He began to circle the tree. The owl kept his eye on the man below and continued to turn his head. Howard kept going and the third time around the tree he heard a snap and the owl feel to the ground at his feet. No one really knows if this is a true story or not, and the truth was buried with Howard in 1977.