increase font size Sifting History’s Sands: Desert of Maine owner seeks to separate truth from myth at Freeport landmark Share Mela Heestand, co-owner of the Desert of Maine in Freeport, shows off several old newspaper clippings and photos she has found in recent research. Alex Lear / The Forecaster FREEPORT — Legend has it that William Tuttle settled the farmland that is now the Desert of Maine in the late 18th century. Mela Heestand, co-owner of the Desert Road landmark since December 2018, doubts he ever existed. The Desert of Maine, which opens again next May, consists of a 20-30-ac...