The Republican journal., 1907-10-10
THE PICTURESQUE PASSAGASSA-
MAUktAG.

The following quotations from Will
liamson's History of Belfast may prove
interesting to those who have enjoyed
the scenery along the Passagassawau-
keag:
'The river Misrepresentation is
probably an estuary or arm of the sea,
as far as its eastern terminus above
City Point. The western or main branch
has its source from ponds in Morrill,
Knox, Waldo and Brooks"
Before the erection of the Point
bridge in 1889 scows assembled as far as
this point Marsh Creek. Below the
railroad bridge there is a sufficient
depth of water at high tide for large
schoone1s. From the wharves at City
Point to the upper bridge, a distance of
nearly d mile, the river expands to a
distance OF three hundred yards, and
has depth in the channel at mean low
water of from five to eleven feet"
The Wescott stream, which Joins
the main river opposite City Point, has
its source in Hurd's Pond in Swanville
and Ames' Pond in Waldo. A fall of
twenty-one feet at its outlet supplies
the mills of Joseph II. Kaler. Here
John Mitchell erected a saw mill in the
first year of the settlement"
"Only a few of the stone implements
used by the Indians have been found in
this vicinity. The valuable collection
made by DR.. Lewis W. Pendleton con-
tains two spear headS-probabIy for
spearing fsh-found between City Point
and the Head of the Tide. A hornblend
chisel six inches long, exhumed neal
Gurney's Mills; pipe of the same ma
terial from the same vicinity, and two
smaller chlSels, one of which was found
on the farm owned by the late Major
John Russ, at City Point
Beaver TAIL" a cape which formerly
made out into the river, just above the
Upper Bridge. Tradition says that it
was once the resort of pirates, and
about ten years ago excavations in
search of hidden treasure were made
in the night by unknown parties. When
the railroad was built the whole cape
was removed"
''City Point A projection formed by
the western branch of the river, about
two miles and half from the foot of
Main st. (Belfast). 1t was called Clary's
Point from 1898 to 1926 and Russ's Point
from 1926 to 1850 when the present name
began to be used"
Ao NOf. IOWudli JOuIildl VI 1917
contains the earliest mention of the
river Passagassawaukeag an attempt
to define this almost unpronounceable
name will now be given.
One tradition traces its derivation to
the Indians who, terrified by ignes fatui
or luminous meteors, seen in damp
night on the eastern shore, where there
existed deposit of decaying animal or
vegetable matter, exclaimed to some
old hunters "Passagassa or
'place of ghosts" or spirits" Another
account says that when the first set
tiers arrived they found the hulk of an
old vessel embedded in the sand, which
emitted similar phenomena. AS the
Indians beheld the fitting lights they
made the same exclamation, meaning
dead men walk" which is supposed to
have given the name to the river. 1t is
inferred that the Indians regarded the
lights as the departed spirits of the
crew, who had been murdered. The
hulk was visible until 1908.
Investigations into the Abenaki Ian
guage, however, afford more probable
solution. According to these investi-
cations the word means THE great
clam, clear OF shallow water place."
The sturgeon fishing place, where
there are ghosts
The last sturgeon seen in the river
was in 1869, near City Point.