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In 1916 Baxter began his campaign to make the area a state park. In 1920 he led a group of politicians up [[Pamola]] Peak, traversing the Knife Edge to the summit (now known as Baxter Peak).
In a 1921 speech, Baxter said: <blockquote>Maine is famous for its twenty-five hundred miles of seacoast, with its countless islands; for its myriad lakes and ponds; and for its forests and rivers. But Mount Katahdin Park will be the state’s crowning glory, a worthy memorial to commemorate the end of the first and the beginning of the second century of Maine’s statehood. This park will prove a blessing to those who follow us, and they will see that we built for them more wisely than our forefathers did for us.</blockquote>
Most of the land around Katahdin was then owned by the [[Great Northern Paper Company]]. Following the [[Crash of 1929]], the company agreed to sell {{convert|6000|acre|km2}} around the mountain for $25,000 in 1930 to Baxter personally. Baxter in turn deeded the land to the state with the proviso that it: "shall forever be used for public park and recreational purposes, shall be forever left in the natural wild state, shall forever be kept as a sanctuary for wild beasts and birds, that no road or ways for motor vehicles shall hereafter ever be constructed thereon or therein."
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