Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-05-27
Monday, May 81, 1907.
The Red Grapes of cushnoc Island.

NENt~"AA"''-''0-
of the Inflated Popham colony in 1907,
brings out the highly interesting fact
that in all probability this year is also
the 300th anniversary Of the first visit
Of white men to the place where the
city Of Augusta now stands. In "The
Relation of Sagadahoc," from which
We have frequently quoted Of late in
commenting upon the POpham settle
mcnt, the building of the Virginia, ETC.,
there is an account of an exploring ex-
petition up the Kennebec in which 20
Of the party engaged about a month
after the colony was established at the
mouth Of the river. Let us quote from
the original journal, preserving intact
the quaint old phraseOlOgy, orthogra-
ply and capitalization which the Eng
lish sailor-chronicler employed 300
years ago. The journal states that
on Wednesday, September %, 1907,
(this, it is to be remembered, was old
style reckoning and would be October
as we now reckon time) the little eX-
petition started up the river from the
fort Here are the words Of the
chrolicler:
1.-The 18th beinge Wensdaye Capt
Gilbert accompanied with 10 others my
Settle on OF them depted from the fort
to go for the head of the RIVER of
Sagadehock we Sailed all this day 50
did we the Lyke the oath until the
cvcnynge then we Landed thear to re-
main that Night hear we found a
gallant Champion Land & eXcecdingc
fertill SO hear we remayned all night
the 25th beinge frydaye early in the
mornynge we depted from hence &
sailed up the RIVER about eight LeagS
farther until we Cam unto an Hand
being LO Land G fiatt att this Hand
Us great down Fall Of wattr the
web runcth by both Sydes Of this
Hand very swyftn & shallow in this
Hand we found great store Of grapes
cXccedinge good and sweet of to Sorts
both red butt the on of them vs. a mer-
vellous dccpe red. by both the sydS Of
this RIVER the grapes grow in abound
ancc d also very good Hopes & also
ChcEo!lS q garlcck. and for the good
neSSc of the Land ytt doth SO far
abound that | Cannott almost espresso
the Sam hear we all went ashore &
with strongc Rope made fast to our
bolt e on man in her to gydc her
Against the Swyfte stream we pluckt
her up throWc ytt pforce after we had
past this down Fall we all went into
our bolt again * rOWcd near Il Loagc
farther up into the RIVER & night be
inge att hand we hear stayed all
night
Those who have studied this ancient
chronicle are agreed 5na the place
described above was the low, fiat island
which existed in the river at this point
before the building of tae dam in lS11
The distance described in the narrGt;v we
would just about bring the party this
far up the river nor rouli they have
met any downfall If water before
reaching this point. There is Swan
Island to be sure, which IS just above
Merrymceting Bay, some % miles from
the mouth of the river. but that island
is not low nor fiat nor are there any
The former island just above the Au-
gusta dam, which was termed CushnOc
island in the first survey Of the river,
mad" in 1861. precisely meets the re-
puiremcnts and discloses beyond ques-
tion the place reached and described
by the Ponham explorers in the early
fan of 1907.
And this. we have every reason to
believe. was the first time that white
man hal ever assembled the Kcnncbec
river To the head of the tide. 1t is of
course not an impossible thing that
some of the earlier explorers along
the coast of Maine may have sent ex-
petitions some distance up the river.
Their was Gosnold in 1902. Champlain
in 1904. Prng in 1903 and 1906 and Wcy
siderable time alcng the Maine coast.
exploring its islands and harbors as
well as the mouths Of the rivers. but
if any Of them, or any of the English
fishermen who frequented our coast
before this time, explored any Maine
river as far from its mouth as this is
from the mouth Of the kennebec, they
failed 10 chronicle the fact, and such
an oversight would have been eX-
tremely unlikely to occur.
There is no mention made in North's
History of Augusta of this visit to
Cushnoc by the party of explorers
from the Popham colony in 1907 but
this is not strange when we consider
that North's history was published in
1870 and the original manuscript of
1.-The Relation of Sagadahoc' was not
discovered in the Lambeth palace,
London, until 1875 and not given to the
world until 1850 when it was published
by the Massachusetts Historical So
ciety. The authenticity of the manu-
script has never been questioned al