THE KENNEBEC VALLEY- The Kennebec River S. H. Whitney 1887 Augusta: Sprague, Burleigh & Flynt, Printers to the State. 1887 pages 12-23 THE KENNEBEC RIVER. Every locality has it pages of unwritten history, which, when transcribed by the pen of the lover of antiquarian research, becomes valley of the Kennebec, though of compara- tive recent discovery, is not inferior in roman tic scenery or historic note to the valley of the Euphrates or the Nile. The Kennebec River flows through three large counties in it journey to the ocean. It takes it rise in Somerset County, divides Kennebec County into two sections, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean, through Sagadahoc County. As one enters the river's mouth, from among the beautiful island of Casco Bay, a delightful view greets the eye. The peaceful river as it stretches up into the mainland, the magnificent headland, the Eden-like islands, the bold outlines of dis- tant mountains that loom up into the clear air, or are draped by wandering clouds, pre sent to the lover of natural beauty one of the most charming views to be found in this country. At the mouth of the river, upon the western bank, stands "Fort Popham," built of granite, guarding as it were the inhabitants of the val- ley from the invasion of the enemy. As we advance up this broad river, were are cheered by the loveliness of the scene around us; the snow-white white sails of vessels that glided upon verdant fields, and the roar and din of popu- lous cities, all bespeak the advancement of civilized life. A few miles from the mouth of the river is Merry-Meeting Bay. This bay receives the waters of the Androscoggin River, a tribu- tary to the Kennebec. At the head of this bay, in the Kennebec River, is a small island which was once the home of the great ruler of the tribe, and when this noted sachem AP- pointed a joyful feast, the forest-crowneed shores of Merry-Meeting Bay re-echoed the songs of a thousand dusky warriors. A course continued up the river from the bay will bring us to the artificial falls at Augusta. Here the current meets the tide, after falling one thousand and seventy feet in running a distance of about one hundred mile. The water falls at Augusta about fifteen feet, thus furnishing valuable power which is well im- proved. As we advance up the river from this point, the general beauty of the scenery, the fertility of the soil and the neat appear- ance of the buildings will impart most favora- ble impressions. The river between Augusta and Waterville flows in a southerly direction; the water is usually smooth, there being no falls or rapids to disturb its peace. At Water- ville the water dashes wildly over the rocks, seeming to take delight in disturbing the usual calm and peaceful course of the river from that point to the dam at Augusta. Just below these falls the Sebasticook unites with the Kennebec. At the junction of these two rivers stands "Fort Halifax," which marks the spot where dwelt the Ticonnets but a little more than a century ago. As we pass from Ticonnet Falls to the falls at Skowhegan, we find ourselves amid the verdant slopes and fertile vales of Fairfield, and what was once the town of Bloomfield, names which originated from the blooming appearance of this section, and, as the traveler passes through this region, the rich fields upon each bank afford many pleasing landscapes to the eye. Arriving at Skowhegan Falls, the trav- eller will pause to admire them and the beau tiful village which is spread out before him. The total fall of the water at this point is twenty-eight feet. Thus far from the sea our course has been toward the north, but at this point, in order to follow the river, we take our course toward the west. Following the river in this direction for about six miles brings us to Norridgewock. Few localities offer more interesting con- side rations to the student of Indian history than the town of Norridgewock and it sur- rounding. As we leave this romantic vil lage, by the way of the river, we change our course again and take a course toward the north, and soon we arrive at "Old Point," which was the sacred home of the ancient Norridgewogs, and upon this historic spot we will tarry; and, while refreshing our mem- ory with reminiscences of the past, we can re pose amid the quietude of nature, and in a measure realize the wonderful change that a century has wrought in this sacred vale. The section lying between "Old Point and Carratunk Falls at Solon is noted for it great fertility. The river as it flows through this region is studded with fertile islands, while rich intervals line its shores. The Kennebec valley has been styled "the garden of Maine," this section of the valley is de- cuddly the garden of the Kennebec valley. As we advance up the river from Solon, the scene changes; the surface of the land AP- pears more broken than it was in the lower part of the valley; and as the river traces its way among the hills, dashing down swift rapids, and curling beneath rocky shores, it seems to the traveller that at some remote part of Kennebec valley has been visited by some terrific shock. The whole region north of the falls at Solon was called by the Indian Carratunk, a word meaning something very rough or broken. As we pass through this region it seems to us that we are completely set in by the lofty hills around us; upon our left, as we ascend the river, stands "Old Bluff," lifting its craggy peaks up into the clear air, while its base is bathed by the foam ing waters of the river. Upon our right ap- pears a small village nestled among the hills, and towering above them all is seen the mossy summit of Baker Mountain. As we pass along the valley north of Bing- ham, occasional farm-houses dot the vales and cheer the loneliness of the hour. At last we reach "The Great Carrying Place of the Kennebeck, and, as we approach the historic spot, our mind goes back over the period of a century, and we see the brave Arnold, with a band of worn-out men, halting upon the river bank and preparing to transport their equipment through the wilderness to Dead River. The Kennebec River is formed by two large streams uniting together and thus form- ing the great river of Maine. These two branches unite about fourteen miles above the carrying place; the West Branch or Dead River bows around so that it may be reached by leaving the main river at the "Carry Place Rips," so called, and carrying across a point of land which is formed by the bend of Dead River. Benedict Arnold carried his munitions of war through this pathless wilderness when on his journey to Quebec. But a short distance above the rapids at the carrying place, the angry water of Pierce Pond Stream unite with the Kennebec; and as you turn to notice the roughest stream in this region, the eye first rests upon Pierce Pond Mountain, ris- ing to the height of five thousand feet above the river's bosom. Close at had is Otter Pond Mountain, while in the distance may between Old Spot and Old Squill lifting up their proud head, and in the background, towering far above them all, appears Mt. Bigelow in all her grandeur; and as the weary traveller stops to rest in this historic vale he can but admire the ruggedness of the scenery around him. If a course we continue north for a few miles, we pass through a wild country, broken and mountainous; occasionally may be seen the smoke arising from some lonely dwelling; now and then will appear a small interval, till at last we arrive at the "Forks or junction of the two branches of the Ken- nebec. The "East Branch" or the outlet of Moose Head Lake comes from the east and the other branch comes from the west. Hav- ing a desire to explore the territory which is drained by the western branch of the river, we turn to enter the unbroken and uninhab- ited wilderness of the Northern Kennebec valley. As we leave the habitation of man and enter the forest, to trace the river of the Dead to its source, there is a stillness pre- vailing which is broken only by the soft ripple of the wavelets and the sweet notes of the winged songsters who dwell in the wav- ing branches of the lofty pines around us. Carefully working our way along the banks of the river, we arrive at "Arnold's Parade Ground," which will be described in another chapter; soon we reach "Arnold's Falls." Passing them, the stream begins to grow smaller till at last it seems to be nothing but a small brook or the overflow of some spring. As we approach the great barrier of moun- tains that we saw when we entered the mouth of the river from Casco Bay, we feel it is impossible for us to pass them, and halting for a moment to survey the territory around us, we notice a few rods to the south of us a small pond the waters of which reach the Atlantic by way of the Androscoggin River, which unites with the Kennebec waters in Merry-meeting Bay. Wishing to find the most northerly waters of the Kennebec, we take a course toward the north along the base of the highlands that lie between the valleys of the St. Lawrence and Kennebec. As we pick our way through this dense wilderness, we pass several small streams which flow into the western branch of the Kennebec River. After a wearisome journey over trackless mountains and through deep ravines, we discover a small stream that flows in a easterly direction and as we trace this rivulet in it downward course, it be- comes broader and deeper until its waters unite with the dark waters of Attean Pond. At the foot of this pond the stream appears again, much larger than it was when we bade adieu to it as it entered the pond. Passing through the forests that line those shores, we find three bodies of water connected by the little stream that we found amid the mountains, that mark the terminus of the Kennebec valley. They ponds are all called "Wood Pond," and are separately named thus: "Wood Pond," "Little Wood Pond," and "Little Big Wood Pond." We do not know the origin of the names as given above, but it is safe to say that these ponds are in the midst of the forests of the northern part of Somerset County. We next reach a small settlement, which we will call Tadmor in the Wilderness; this little hamlet is not surrounded as was Pal- myra, by palm trees, but it is sheltered by forests of pine trees and the soil is much more productive that was the soil of the an- cient "Tadmor," as it was called in the Syriac language. But a few miles below this vil- lage is Long Pond, which is a beautiful sheet of water ten miles in length and about two miles wide. From the foot of this pond we trace its outlet until we arrive at the never failing fountain of the Kennebec River called Moose Head Lake. This lake is the largest body of fresh water in New England, and as we stand upon its shores and survey the beautiful land- scape that is spread out before us it is delight- ful, picturesque and enchanting. Paradise at its creation could look no fairer than the picture before us. Perhaps a brief description of this locality would be of interest to the reader. As we stand upon the western shore of the lake at the mouth of Moose River, the little stream that has guided us to this point, and look toward the east you can see spread out before you the crystal waters of the lake; upon the eastern shore, directly in front of you, looms up the brown, hornstone precipice of Mt. Kineo, and still further eastward towers the granite block of Katahdin. As you turn to the right you observe the moss-covered sum- mit of Old Squaw, the mother of Kineo. There is a legend which runs thus: A noted sachem of the Kennebec tribe, when driven from his home upon Swan Island, fled to this region and built his wigwam upon the summit of Mt. Kineo, and that de died upon this barren rock, and thus ended the family of Kennebis, from whom the river was named. Also, that the mother of the last Bashaba or ruler of the tribe had dwelt for over a century upon the lofty summit of Squaw Mountain, and upon learning the fact of her son being driven from his home upon Swan Island, quietly folded her arms in death. And that for many years after the death of this great chieftain and his aged mother, their campfires might be seen upon the rock crag of Kineo. Although this but a fable, yet, it is true that the last remaining few of the Kennebec tribe wandered about the shores of Moose Head Lake until they became extinct. We find the outlet of the lake, or the east branch of the Kennebec, soon we arrive at Indian Pond; further down Cold Stream unites with this branch of the river; and as the river flows through this region it affords many pleasing views to the lover of natural beauty. At last we arrive at "The Forks" again, or the junction of the two great arms of the Kennebec River. We have made a circuit through the northern portion of the Kennebec valley; and not wishing to take another trip through the wilderness, we retrace our steps toward the sea; and as we pass down the valley villages appear, and the smoke ascends from many quiet homesteads grouped peace- fully together, and as the river broadens and deepens, our frail canoe give place to the swift steam boat, and as we reach the ocean and look out upon the white-capped waves, there goes up a silent prayer of gratitude to Him who holds the waters in his hand. (c) 1998 Courtesy of the Me GenWeb Kennebec County Site ************************************************* * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. ************************************************* * * * * The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification.