Misplaced Pages

#629370

81-678: The root cause of the conflict on the Maine frontier concerned the border between Acadia and New England, which New France defined as the Kennebec River in southern Maine. Mainland Nova Scotia came under British control after the Siege of Port Royal in 1710 and the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 (not including Cape Breton Island ), but present-day New Brunswick and Maine remained contested between New England and New France. New France established Catholic missions among

162-575: A British attack from Nova Scotia. The Treaty of Utrecht ended Queen Anne's War , but it had been signed in Europe and had not involved any member of the Wabanaki Confederacy . The Abenaki signed the 1713 Treaty of Portsmouth , but none had been consulted about British ownership of Nova Scotia, and the Miꞌkmaq began to make raids against New England fishermen and settlements. The war began on two fronts as

243-631: A canoe campaign, assisted by the Miꞌkmaqs from Cape Sable Island. In just a few weeks, they had captured 22 vessels, killing 22 New Englanders and taking more prisoner. They also made an unsuccessful siege of St. George's Fort. In the second half of 1724, the New Englanders launched an aggressive campaign up the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers. On August 22, captains Jeremiah Moulton and Johnson Harmon led 200 rangers to Norridgewock to kill Father Rale and destroy

324-788: A church in the Abenaki village of Norridgewock in Madison, Maine on the Kennebec River, maintained a mission at Penobscot on the Penobscot River , and built a church in the Maliseet village of Meductic on the Saint John River . In a meeting at Arrowsic, Maine in 1717, Governor Shute and representatives of the Wabanakis attempted to reach some agreement concerning encroachment on Wabanaki lands and

405-625: A company of rangers killed two Abenakis. In February 1725, Lovewell made a second expedition to the Lake Winnipesaukee area. On February 20, his force came across wigwams at the head of the Salmon Falls River in Wakefield, New Hampshire , where ten Indians were killed. Lovewell's third expedition consisted of 46 men and left from Dunstable on April 16, 1725. They built a fort at Ossipee, New Hampshire and garrisoned it with 10 men, including

486-603: A doctor and John Goffe , while the rest left to raid the Pequawket tribe at Fryeburg, Maine . On May 9, chaplain Jonathan Frye was leading the militiamen in prayer when they spotted a lone Abenaki warrior. Lovewell and his men closed in on the warrior, leaving their packs behind in a clearing. Shortly after they left, a Pequawket war party led by Chief Paugus discovered the packs, and they set up an ambush in anticipation of their eventual return. Lovewell and his men caught up with

567-468: A large chapel (60 by 30 feet [18.3 by 9.1 m]). The village was vacant, and the soldiers burned it to the ground. The Wabanaki Confederacy of Acadia orchestrated a total of 14 raids against towns along the border of New England throughout 1723, primarily in Maine. The raids started in April and lasted until December, during which 30 people were killed or taken captive. The Indian attacks were so fierce along

648-589: A large number of tribal chiefs. The peace was reconfirmed by all except Gray Lock at a major gathering at Falmouth in the summer of 1727; other tribal envoys claimed that they were not able to locate him. Gray Lock's activity came to an end in 1727, after which he disappears from historical records. As a result of the war, the Indian population declined on the Kennebec and Penobscot Rivers, and western Maine came more strongly under British control. The terms of Dummer's Treaty were restated at every major new treaty conference for

729-542: A peace conference to be held at Casco. Joseph Dudley , governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, agreed to a conference, but chose instead to host it at Portsmouth, New Hampshire , which was protected by the guns of Fort William and Mary . For a more detailed timeline of events leading from first contact to the 1713 treaty, see references and resources. On July 11, 1713, Governor Dudley and various dignitaries from New Hampshire and Massachusetts Bay (which then included Maine) met with delegates from Abenaki tribes, including

810-604: A permanent fishing settlement at Canso which upset the local Miꞌkmaq, who then began raiding the settlement and attacking the fishermen. In response to Wabanaki hostilities, Nova Scotia Governor Richard Philipps built a fort at Canso in 1720. Massachusetts governors Joseph Dudley and Samuel Shute built forts around the mouth of the Kennebec River: Fort George at Brunswick (1715), Fort Menaskoux at Arrowsic (1717), St. George's Fort at Thomaston (1720), and Fort Richmond (1721) at Richmond . The French built

891-483: A rate of 9,111 cubic feet per second (258.0 m /s). The United States government maintains three river flow gauges on the Kennebec river. The first is at Indian Pond ( 45°30′40″N 69°48′39″W  /  45.51114°N 69.81080°W  / 45.51114; -69.81080  ( Indian Pond, Maine ) ) where the rivershed is 1,590 square miles (4,100 km ). Flow here has ranged from 161 to 32,900 cubic feet per second (4.6 to 931.6  m /s ). The second

SECTION 10

#1732852473630

972-475: A result of the expansion of New England settlements along the coast of Maine and at Canso, Nova Scotia . The New Englanders were led primarily by Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor William Dummer , Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor John Doucett , and Captain John Lovewell . The Wabanaki Confederacy and other Native tribes were led primarily by Father Sébastien Rale , Chief Gray Lock , and Chief Paugus . During

1053-801: A sawmill, a large sloop , and sundry houses, and killed many of their cattle. Five New Englanders were killed and seven were taken prisoner, while the New Englanders killed 20 Maliseet and Penobscot warriors. After the raid, Westbrook was given command of the fort. Following this raid, Brunswick was raided again and burned before the warriors returned to Norridgewock. In response to the New England attack on Father Rale at Norridgewock in March 1722, 165 Miꞌkmaq and Maliseet fighters gathered at Minas ( Grand Pre, Nova Scotia ) to lay siege to Annapolis Royal . Lieutenant Governor John Doucett took 22 Miꞌkmaqs hostage in May to prevent

1134-467: A scouting party of six men was sent out from Fort Dummer. Grey Lock and 14 others ambushed them just west of the Connecticut River , killing two and wounding and capturing three others. One man escaped, while two Indians were killed. Nova Scotia's governor launched a campaign to end the Miꞌkmaq blockade of Annapolis Royal at the end of July 1722. They retrieved over 86 New England prisoners taken by

1215-558: A secret compartment. Inside that compartment they found letters implicating Rale as an agent of the government of Canada, promising Indians enough ammunition to drive the British colonists from their settlements. Shute reiterated English claims of sovereignty over the disputed areas in letters to the Lords of Trade and to Governor General Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil of New France. Vaudreuil pointed out in response that France claimed sovereignty over

1296-606: A series of attempts to establish peace between the Wabanaki Confederacy and colonists after Queen Anne's War . During the War of the Spanish Succession , France began a conflict with England which would elongate to their colonies. Called Queen Anne's War in the New World , New France openly fought New England for domination of the region between them, with the French enlisting

1377-469: A willingness to enter peace talks with Lieutenant Governor Dummer in December 1724. They were opposed in this by French authorities, who continued to encourage the conflict, but Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Dummer announced a cessation of hostilities on July 31, 1725 following negotiations in March. Dummer and Chiefs Loron and Wenemouet negotiated the terms of this preliminary agreement, which applied only to

1458-480: A written document reasserting their sovereign claims to disputed areas, delineating the areas that they claimed, and threatening violence if their territory was violated. Shute dismissed the letter as "insolent and menacing" and sent militia forces to Arrowsic. He also asserted that the Wabanaki claims were part of a French intrigue, based on Rale's influence, to further French claims to the disputed areas. Governor Shute

1539-599: Is a 170-mile-long (270 km) river within the U.S. state of Maine . It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine . The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river flows southward. Harris Station Dam , the largest hydroelectric dam in the state, was constructed near that confluence. The river is joined at The Forks by its tributary the Dead River , also called the West Branch. It continues south past

1620-488: Is at Bingham ( 45°3′6″N 69°53′12″W  /  45.05167°N 69.88667°W  / 45.05167; -69.88667  ( Bingham, Maine ) ) where the rivershed is 2,715 square miles (7,030 km ). Flow here has ranged from 110 to 65,200 cu ft/s (3.1 to 1,846.3 m /s). The third is at North Sidney ( 44°28′21″N 69°41′09″W  /  44.47250°N 69.68583°W  / 44.47250; -69.68583  ( Bingham, Maine ) ) where

1701-465: Is our own, and that we will have." Over the next several years, New England colonists continued to settle in Wabanaki lands east of the Kennebec River, and the Wabanakis responded by stealing livestock. Canso, Nova Scotia was established as a fishing settlement disputed by all three parties but fortified by Nova Scotia and primarily occupied by Massachusetts fishermen. Miꞌkmaq and French forces attacked it in 1720, further raising tensions. Shute protested

SECTION 20

#1732852473630

1782-527: The Deerfield Massacre . Houses were burned, and the inhabitants either killed or abducted to Canada . The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, however, restored peace between France and England. As part of the agreement, Acadia fell under British sovereignty. When the First Nations People realised that they could no longer depend on the French for protection, the sachems sought a truce , and proposed

1863-459: The West Indies and the southern United States for ice. In 1826, Rufus Page built the first large ice house near Gardiner, in order to supply Tudor. The ice was harvested during the winter from the river by farmers and others who were otherwise relatively inactive. They cut it by hand, floated the huge chunks to an ice house on the bank, and stored it until spring. Then, packed in sawdust, the ice

1944-529: The fall line and does not have rapids. As a consequence, ocean tides and saltwater fish species, such as the endangered Atlantic Sturgeon , can go upriver affecting the ecology as far north as Waterville, a small city located more than 35 miles inland. Tributaries of the Kennebec include the Carrabassett River , Sandy River , and Sebasticook River . Segments of the East Coast Greenway run along

2025-528: The "City of Ships". The Wyoming , one of the largest wooden schooners ever built, was constructed here. For parts of the 17th century, the Kennebec was the western boundary of Cornwall County, Province of New York . Following the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain, the US enjoyed a lengthy period of expansion of international trade, which increased the demand for shipbuilding and stimulated

2106-730: The 1600s the Abenaki village of Norridgewock was located along the Kennebec. The English founded the Popham Colony along the Kennebec in 1607. The settlers built the Virginia of Sagadahoc , the first oceangoing vessel built in the New World by English-speaking shipwrights. An English trading post, Cushnoc , was established on the Kennebec in 1628. Bath and other cities along the Kennebec were developed, and artisans founded shipyards that produced hundreds of wooden and steel vessels. Bath became known as

2187-577: The Abenaki Indian mission village at Norridgewock in August 1724 crippled the Abenaki resistance, as they killed as many as 40 inhabitants, including women and children. They also killed and scalped Fr. Sebastien Rasle, the 67-year old Jesuit priest, and scalped 26 of the dead Abenaki. Having plundered and torched the tribal village, the Yankee raiders destroyed the surrounding corn fields; they were paid bounties for

2268-527: The Abenaki village of St. Francis and Bécancour, Quebec . Captain John Lovewell made three expeditions against the Indians . On the first expedition in December 1724, he and his militia company of 30 men (often called "snowshoe men") left Dunstable, New Hampshire , trekking to the north of Lake Winnipesaukee ("Winnipiscogee Lake") into the White Mountains of New Hampshire . On December 10, 1724, they and

2349-570: The Amasacontee, Maliseet , Norridgewock , Pennacook , Penobscot and Sokoki . The agreement was read aloud by sworn interpreters to the sachems, eight of whom on July 13 signed with totemic pictographs . It is important to note that historians have found that New England politicians and translators engaged in a "policy of deception" the Wabanaki group of tribes . Consequently, Wabanakis would claim in subsequent years that several articles written into

2430-538: The Edwards Dam was built across the Kennebec River, just shy of the limit of tidal influence. Made of timber and concrete, it extended 917 feet (280 m) across the river and 25 feet (7.6 m) high. Its reservoir stretched 17 miles (27 km) upstream, and covered 1,143 acres (4.63 km ). In 1999, the dam was removed, after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) determined that

2511-555: The European powers consisted of land between the Kennebec River and the Isthmus of Chignecto (encompassing the eastern portion of Maine and all of the Canadian province of New Brunswick ). This land was occupied by a number of Algonquian-speaking Indian tribes loosely allied in the Wabanaki Confederacy , which also claimed sovereignty over most of this territory and had occupied portions of

Dummer's War - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-497: The Indians and killing another. This defense gave the inhabitants of the village time to retreat into the fort, leaving the Indians in full possession of the village. They slaughtered 50 head of cattle and set fire to 26 houses outside the fort, then assaulted the fort, killing one New Englander but otherwise making little impression. That night, Col. Walton and Capt. Harman arrived with 30 men, to which were added approximately 40 men from

2673-581: The Indians. One of these operations resulted in the Battle of Winnepang (Jeddore Harbour), in which 35 Indians and five New Englanders were killed. Only five Indian bodies were recovered from the battle, and the New Englanders decapitated the corpses and set the severed heads on pikes surrounding Canso, Nova Scotia 's new fort. During the war, a church was erected at the Catholic mission in the Miꞌkmaq village of Shubenacadie (Saint Anne's Mission). In 1723, Miꞌkmaqs raided

2754-476: The Kennebec gorge just below Harris Station Dam . Acknowledging the desire of young people for a space solely dedicated to kids, absent of adult gatherings and limiting constraints, in 1998 Northern Outdoors opened Adventure Bound - Maine's only youth focused whitewater rafting company for kids and families. In the early 21st century, Northern Outdoors and 22 other rafting companies in The Forks conduct rafting on

2835-521: The Kennebec. The name "Kennebec" comes from the Eastern Abenaki /kínipekʷ/ , meaning "large body of still water, large bay". In 1605, French explorer Samuel de Champlain navigated the coast of what is now Maine , charting the land and rivers of what was then called New France , L'Acadie , including the Kennebec as far upriver as present-day Bath , as well as the St. Croix , and Penobscot rivers. In

2916-607: The Maine frontier that Dummer ordered residents to evacuate to the blockhouses in the spring of 1724. During the spring of 1724, the Wabanaki Confederacy conducted ten raids on the Maine frontier which killed, wounded, or imprisoned more than 30 New Englanders. They took a sloop in Kennebunk harbor and slaughtered the entire crew. In the spring of 1724, Captain Josiah Winslow took command of St. George's Fort at Thomaston; he

2997-528: The Massachusetts involvement in the war, since Shute sailed for England at the end of 1722 to deal with ongoing disputes that he had with the Massachusetts colonial assembly. Between 400 and 500 St. Francis ( Odanak , Quebec) and Miꞌkmaq Indians attacked Arrowsic, Maine on September 10, in conjunction with Father Rale at Norridgewock. Captain Penhallow discharged musketry from a small guard, wounding three of

3078-489: The Miꞌkmaq hostages on the same spot where the sergeant was killed. They also burned three Acadian houses in retaliation. As a result of the raid, they built three blockhouses to protect the town. They moved the Acadian church closer to the fort so that it could be more easily monitored. In 1725, 60 Abenakis and Miꞌkmaqs launched another attack on Canso, destroying two houses and killing six people. Penobscot tribal chiefs expressed

3159-811: The Penobscots at first. They were allowed to retain Jesuit priests, but the two parties were in disagreement concerning land titles and British sovereignty over the Wabanakis. French Jesuit Etienne Lauverjat translated the written agreement into Abenaki; Chief Loron immediately repudiated it, specifically rejecting claims of British sovereignty over him. Despite his disagreement, Loron pursued peace, sending wampum belts to other tribal leaders, although his envoys were unsuccessful in reaching Gray Lock, who continued his raiding expeditions. Peace treaties were signed in Maine on December 15, 1725 and in Nova Scotia on June 15, 1726 involving

3240-589: The Pequawkets withdrew around sunset. Only 20 of the militiamen survived the battle; three died on the return journey. The Pequawket losses included Chief Paugus. The western theater of the war has also been referred to as " Grey Lock's War ". On August 13, 1723, Gray Lock entered the war by raiding Northfield, Massachusetts , where four warriors killed two citizens. The next day, they attacked Joseph Stevens and his four sons in Rutland, Massachusetts . Stevens escaped, two of

3321-561: The Second Indian War), and Queen Anne's War (or the Third Indian War) from 1703 to 1711. Queen Anne's War ended with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The colonial borders of northeastern America were reshaped as a result, but the treaty did not account for Indian claims to the same area. French Acadia was ceded to Great Britain which established the province of Nova Scotia , although its borders were disputed. The area disputed by

Dummer's War - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-678: The area, while the Wabanakis maintained possession, and he suggested that Shute misunderstood the way in which European ideas of ownership differed from those of the Indians. In response to the raid on Norridgewock, the Abenakis raided Fort George on June 13 which was under the command of Captain John Gyles . They burned the homes of the village and took 60 prisoners, most of whom were later released. On July 15, Father Lauverjat from Penobscot led 500 to 600 Indians from Penobscot and Medunic ( Maliseet ) and laid siege to Fort St. George for 12 days. They burned

3483-647: The battle, while Henry David Thoreau mentioned it in his A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers . The town of Lovell, Maine is named after John Lovewell. Paugus Bay , the town of Paugus Mill (now part of Albany, New Hampshire ), and Mount Paugus in New Hampshire are named after Chief Paugus. The site of the Kennebec village of Norridgewock was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1993, now located at Old Point in Madison, Maine . Kennebec River The Kennebec River ( Abenaki : Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ )

3564-408: The boys were killed, and the other two sons were captured. On October 9, 1723, Gray Lock struck two small forts near Northfield, inflicting casualties and carrying off one captive. In response, Governor Dummer ordered the construction of Fort Dummer in what is now Brattleboro, Vermont . The fort became a major base of operations for scouting and punitive expeditions into Abenaki country. Fort Dummer

3645-429: The ecological benefits of removing it outweighed the value of the electricity it produced, and refused the renewal of the dam license. Despite several negative visual and environmental factors at first, the ecosystem is healing itself. Initially after the removal of the dam, barren riverbanks and muddy water were evident along the lower 17 miles (27 km) of the Kennebec. Introduced smallmouth bass will suffer from

3726-522: The end of Father Le Loutre's War , with the defeat of Le Loutre at Fort Beauséjour . This was the only war fought by the Wabanakis against the British on their own terms and for their own reasons, rather than in support of French interests. The final major battle of the war was the Battle of Pequawket , or "Lovewell's Fight", which was celebrated in song and story in the 19th century. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote "The Battle of Lovells Pond," and Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote " Roger Malvin's Burial " about

3807-445: The establishment of provincially operated trading posts. Kennebec sachem Wiwurna objected to colonists establishing settlements and constructing forts; he claimed sovereign control of the land, while Shute reasserted colonial rights to expand into the territory. The Wabanakis were willing to accede to existing settlements if a proper boundary was delineated, beyond which settlement would not be allowed. Shute responded, "We desire only what

3888-614: The few yards still building warships for the United States Navy . The USCGC Kennebec was named after this river. With waterways the most accessible travel routes, the Kennebec River served as an early trade corridor to interior Maine from the Atlantic coast. Ocean ships could navigate upstream as far as Augusta. The cities of Bath, Gardiner , Hallowell and Augusta, and the towns of Woolwich , Richmond and Randolph , all developed along this transportation corridor. Upstream of Augusta,

3969-422: The flatlands along the river through these towns and cities. England's 1710 conquest of Acadia brought mainland Nova Scotia under English control, but New France still claimed present-day New Brunswick and present-day Maine east of the Kennebec River. (The Kennebec River was also a border for the indigenous Native Americans and First Nations. ) To secure its claim, New France established Catholic missions in

4050-475: The flood's peak, the flow topped out at an estimated 232,000 cubic feet per second (6,600 m /s). It caused damage of about $ 100,000,000 (equivalent to about $ 268,000,000 in 2023), flooding 2,100 homes, destroying 215, and damaging 240 others. Signs of the flood can still be found in the towns and cities that line the river. In 1976 Suzanne and Wayne Hockmeyer, of Kennebec Whitewater Expeditions (now Northern Outdoors), pioneered whitewater rafting through

4131-520: The fort held. They destroyed Brunswick and other settlements near the mouth of the Kennebec. On March 9, 1723, Colonel Thomas Westbrook led 230 men to the Penobscot River and traveled approximately 32 miles (51 km) upstream to the Penobscot Village . They found a large Penobscot fort some 70 by 50 yards (64 by 46 m), with 14-foot (4.3 m) walls surrounding 23 wigwams. There was also

SECTION 50

#1732852473630

4212-425: The fort under Captains Penhallow and Temple. The combined force of 70 men attacked the Indians, but they were overwhelmed by their numbers. The New Englanders then retreated back into the fort. The Indians eventually retired up the river, viewing further attacks on the fort as useless. During their return to Norridgewock, the Indians attacked Fort Richmond with a three-hour siege. They burned homes and killed cattle, but

4293-444: The four largest Native villages in the region: one on the Kennebec River ( Norridgewock ), one farther north on the Penobscot River ( Penobscot Indian Island Reservation ), one on the Saint John River ( Meductic Indian Village / Fort Meductic ), and one at Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia (Saint Anne's Mission). Similarly, New France established three forts along the border of New Brunswick during Father Le Loutre's War to protect it from

4374-506: The growth of maritime fleets. Many of those ships were built in Bath. In 1854, at the peak of this boom period, at least nineteen major firms were building ships in Bath. Changes in the industry since the mid-20th century have resulted in the decline in US shipbuilding, as jobs moved offshore. The sole remaining shipyard in Bath is the Bath Iron Works , owned by General Dynamics ; this is one of

4455-525: The indigenous Abenaki tribes as allies. Occasionally under French command, First Nations people attacked numerous English settlements along the Maine coast, including Casco (now Portland ), Scarborough , Saco , Wells , York and Berwick , in New Hampshire at Hampton , Dover , Oyster River Plantation (now Durham ), and Exeter , and down into Massachusetts at Haverhill , Groton and Deerfield , site of

4536-471: The land before the colonists. Massachusetts Governor Joseph Dudley organized a major peace conference at Portsmouth, New Hampshire . In negotiations there and at Casco Bay , the Wabanaki objected to British assertions that the French had ceded their territory to Britain in eastern Maine and New Brunswick , but they agreed to confirm the boundaries at the Kennebec River and to establish government-run trading posts in their territory. The Treaty of Portsmouth

4617-493: The next 30 years, but there was no major conflict in the area until King George's War in the 1740s. In New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Dummer's Treaty marked a significant shift in British relations with the Miꞌkmaqs and Maliseets, who refused to declare themselves British subjects. The French lost their footholds in Maine, while New Brunswick remained under French control for a number of years. The peace in Nova Scotia lasted for 18 years. The British took control of New Brunswick at

4698-634: The presence of the French Jesuit priest Sébastien Rale , who lived among the Kennebec tribe at Norridgewock in central Maine, and he demanded that Rale be removed. The Wabanakis refused in July 1721 and demanded that hostages be released (who had been given in surety during earlier negotiations) in exchange for a delivery of furs made in restitution for their raiding. Massachusetts made no official response. The Wabanakis then went to extraordinary lengths to produce

4779-474: The provincial capital from being attacked. In July, the Abenakis and Miꞌkmaqs blockaded Annapolis Royal with the intent of starving the capital. The Indians captured 18 fishing vessels and prisoners in raids from Cape Sable Island to Canso. They also seized prisoners and vessels working in the Bay of Fundy . On July 25, Governor Shute formally declared war on the Wabanakis. Lieutenant Governor William Dummer conducted

4860-598: The re-introduced striped bass, which tend to feed on young smallmouth bass. An increase in raptor populations, such as ospreys , bald eagles , herons , cormorants , and kingfishers , is evident. Human activities also benefited from the dam removal. The exposure of rapids and the return of native fish species allows many recreational activities, including canoeing , kayaking , whitewater rafting , and fishing . The river drains 5,869 square miles (15,200 km ), and on average discharges 5.893 billion US gallons (22,310,000 m ) per day into Merrymeeting Bay at

4941-495: The region reduced the runs of such fish. The removal of dams on the river has been a controversial local issue in recent years. The removal of the Edwards Dam in 1999 has led to increased anadromous activity on the river. The following is a list of hydroelectric power stations on the Kennebec River. The Kennebec River before the construction of Edwards Dam was extremely important as a spawning ground for Atlantic fish. In 1837,

SECTION 60

#1732852473630

5022-464: The river daily from May through October. Four times per rafting season, Brookfield Power tests their generating turbines by releasing the maximum amount of water possible from Harris Station Dam. At 8000 cubic feet per second, these Kennebec River Turbine Tests are the biggest whitewater releases in Maine. Prior to the industrial era, the river contained many anadromous fish , in particular the Atlantic salmon . The exploiting of hydroelectric power in

5103-453: The river was dammed, it was navigable as far as Augusta. Treaty of Portsmouth (1713) The Treaty of Portsmouth, signed on July 13, 1713, ended hostilities between the Eastern Abenakis , a Native American tribe and First Nation and Algonquian -speaking people, with the British provinces of Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire . The agreement renewed a treaty of 1693 the natives had made with Governor Sir William Phips , two in

5184-582: The rivershed is 5,403 square miles (13,990 km ). Flow here has ranged from 1,160 to 232,000 cu ft/s (33 to 6,570 m /s). Two additional river stage gauges (no flow data) are in Augusta ( 44°19′06″N 69°46′17″W  /  44.31833°N 69.77139°W  / 44.31833; -69.77139  ( Augusta, Maine ) ) and Gardiner ( 44°13′50″N 69°46′16″W  /  44.23056°N 69.77111°W  / 44.23056; -69.77111  ( Gardiner, Maine ) ); both of these gauge heights are affected by ocean tides. Before

5265-478: The scalps. Some Abenaki survivors returned to the Upper Kennebec, but others took refuge with Penobscot allies or in Abenaki mission villages in French Canada. Some 1,110 American Revolutionary War soldiers followed the route of the Kennebec during Benedict Arnold's expedition to Quebec in 1775. During the War of 1812 , United States and British Canadian forces fought at the Battle of Hampden in Maine. In 1814, Frederic Tudor began to establish markets in

5346-455: The settlement. There were 160 Abenakis, many of whom chose to flee rather than fight. At least 31 chose to fight, and most of them were killed. Rale was killed in the opening moments of the battle, a leading chief was killed, and nearly two dozen women and children. The colonists had casualties of two militiamen and one Mohawk . Harmon destroyed the Abenaki farms, and those who had escaped were forced to abandon their village and move northward to

5427-401: The three largest native villages in the region: one on the Kennebec River ( Norridgewock ); one further north on the Penobscot River ( Penobscot ), and one on the Saint John River ( Medoctec ). Abenaki warriors along the Kennebec resisted English encroachment by armed confrontations, in what American historians sometimes refer to as Father Rale's War (1722–1725). A Yankee militia raid on

5508-435: The timber industry used the river for log driving , to transport wooden logs and pulpwood from interior forests to sawmills and paper mills built along the river to use its water power . The city of Waterville and the towns of Winslow , Skowhegan, Norridgewock , Madison, Anson , and Bingham were all related to the lumber trade. The Maine Central Railroad and U.S. Route 201 were later constructed to make use of

5589-424: The towns of Madison , Skowhegan , the city of Waterville , and the state capital Augusta . At Richmond , it flows into Merrymeeting Bay , a 16-mile-long (26 km) freshwater tidal bay into which also flow the Androscoggin River and five smaller rivers. The Kennebec runs past the shipbuilding center of Bath , and has its mouth at the Gulf of Maine in the Atlantic Ocean . The Southern Kennebec flows below

5670-492: The treaty were at odds with verbal agreements, especially regarding British claims to sovereignty over them. Others would sign the following year after a similar interpretation at another convention. "Being sensible of our great offence and folly," the Indians agreed to: At the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth were also the St John River Maliseet [Wolastoqiyik], Mi'kmaw ( Mi'kmaq ), and Abenaki [Aln8bak] nations of Acadia . The English failed to fulfil their obligations under

5751-445: The treaty. Massachusetts did not, as promised, establish official trading posts selling cheap goods at honest prices to the First Nations. Tribes were forced to continue exchanging their furs with private traders, who were notorious for cheating them. In addition, First Nations regarded as threats the British blockhouses being built on their lands, and objected to ongoing encroachment of settlers on lands they claimed. Their discontent

5832-459: The village of Canso, killing five fishermen, so the New Englanders built a 12-gun blockhouse to guard the village and fishery. The worst moment of the war for Annapolis Royal came on July 4, 1724 when a group of 60 Miꞌkmaqs and Maliseets raided the capital. They killed and scalped a sergeant and a private, wounded four more soldiers, and terrorized the village. They also burned houses and took prisoners. The New Englanders responded by executing one of

5913-554: The war, Father Rale was killed by a force of New England militia at Norridgewock. The Native population retreated from the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers to St. Francis and Becancour, Quebec , and New England took over much of the Maine territory. Dummer's War is also known as the Fourth Anglo-Abenaki War. The three previous Indian Wars were King Philip's War (or the First Indian War) in 1675, King William's War (or

5994-433: The warrior and exchanged gunfire. Lovewell and one of his men were wounded in the encounter, and the Indian was killed by Ensign Seth Wyman, Lovewell's second in command. Lovewell's force then returned to their packs and the ambush was sprung. Lovewell and eight of his men were killed and two were wounded when the Pequawkets opened fire. The survivors managed to retreat to a strong position, and fended off repeated attacks until

6075-537: Was Vermont's first permanent colonial settlement, made under the command of Lieutenant Timothy Dwight. On June 18, 1724, Grey Lock attacked a group of men working in a meadow near Hatfield, Massachusetts . He then moved on and killed men at Deerfield , Northfield, and Westfield over the summer. In response to the raids, Dummer ordered more soldiers for Northfield, Brookfield , Deerfield, and Sunderland, Massachusetts . On October 11, 1724, 70 Abenakis attacked Fort Dummer and killed three or four soldiers. In September 1725,

6156-472: Was convinced that the French were behind Wabanaki claims, so he sent a military expedition under the command of Colonel Thomas Westbrook of Thomaston to capture Father Rale in January 1722. Most of the tribe was away hunting, and Westbrook's 300 soldiers surrounded Norridgewock to capture Rale, but he was forewarned and escaped into the forest. They found his strongbox among his possessions, however, which contained

6237-619: Was encouraged by Sebastien Rale and other French Jesuit priests embedded with the tribes who promoted New France's interests. In response to what they perceived as British violations of the Treaty of Portsmouth, the Abenakis resumed raids on the encroaching British settlements. Consequently, on July 25, 1722, Governor Samuel Shute declared war against the Eastern First Nations in what would be called Father Rale's War . Boundary struggles between New France and New England would continue until

6318-519: Was loaded aboard ships and sent to the South. On April 1, 1987, a combination of more than 6 feet (1.8 m) of melting snow and 4 to 6 inches (100 to 150 mm) of rain in the mountains forced the river to flood its banks. By April 2, 1987, the river had crested at the North Sidney, Maine USGS gage at 39.31 ft (11.98 m), 13.3 ft (4.1 m) higher than the previous record flood stage. At

6399-470: Was ratified on July 13, 1713 by eight representatives of the Wabanaki Confederacy, however, which asserted British sovereignty over their territory. Over the next year, other Abenaki tribal leaders also signed the treaty, but no Miꞌkmaq ever signed it or any other treaty until 1726. Following the peace, New England settlements expanded east of the Kennebec River , and significant numbers of New Englanders began fishing in Nova Scotia waters. They established

6480-524: Was the older brother of John Winslow . On 30 April 1724, Winslow and Sergeant Harvey left George's Fort with 17 men in two whale boats, and they went downriver several miles to Green Island. The following day, the two whale boats became separated and approximately 200 to 300 Abenakis descended on Harvey's boat, killing Harvey and all of his men except three Indian guides who escaped to the Georges fort. Captain Winslow

6561-474: Was then surrounded by 30 to 40 canoes which came off from both sides of the river and attacked him. After hours of fighting, Winslow and his men were killed except for three friendly Indians who escaped back to the fort. The Tarrantine Indians were reported to have lost more than 25 men. Indians killed one man and wounded another at Purpooduck on May 27. In June, Indians raided Dover, New Hampshire and took Elizabeth Hanson into captivity. They also engaged in

#629370