FARMINGTON – Each of Maine’s mountains have names that tell a unique story.

Author Steve Pinkham researched those stories and wrote “Mountains of Maine: Intriguing Stories Behind Their Names.” The Strong Historical Society and High Peaks Alliance will host Pinkham at the UMF Roberts Learning Center on Friday, Aug. 26. From 6 p. m. to 7:30 p. m., he will tell many of those tales with a slide show in the Star Trek auditorium (Room 23).

“Maine names can have practical, historical, Biblical, and personal derivations,” he said. “Others have more whimsical and eclectic origins.”

He researched the mountains, fire towers, plane crashes, and mountain tragedies that make up Maine outdoor history. He interviewed local historians and scoured the Maine State Historical Society, the Maine Archives, the University of Maine, libraries of Yale, Harvard, Brown, and Dartmouth, and the Library of Congress. The book’s bibliography contains more than 200 references to other reading materials.

For example, Isinglass Hill, all of 440 feet, located in Waterboro, was once an important source of mica. Isinglass refers to that mineral found in large, thin sheets in the earth. An important commodity in the 1800s, it was widely used as the “glass” doors on wood stoves and burners. Jockey Cap, near Fryeburg, may be the largest boulder in the world. Mount Carlo is named for a dog, and Dog Mountain got its name after his mistress purportedly threw him from the top to see if he had magical powers. Needless to say, he did not.

Now living in Quincy, Mass., Pinkham was raised in Lexington Township, has hiked all over the state, and has completed the Appalachian Mountain Club’s “New England’s Hundred Highest” (www.amc4000footer.org). He will have copies of his book and will autograph them and answer questions. The event is free, but donations are welcomed. For more information, call 684-2195 or email [email protected].