The Desert of Maine is approximately 40 acres of glacial silt. The "desert" formed when a glacier slid through the Freeport area some 10,000 years ago, leaving behind sand and mineral deposits. The silt was temporarily covered with a topsoil cap until failure to rotate potato crops and overgrazing led to soil erosion, exposing the dunes.

The Tuttle family owned the farm for generations, but abandoned it in 1919. Henry Goldrup converted the farm to a tourist attraction in 1925.