Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-05-27

| What an interesting picture we get
| of this place as it was first viewed by
the eyes Of the white men on that
| October day three centuries ago-the
| great store of grapes on the island
| that were "exceedinge good and
| SWEET and the sight of which 50 i'm
pressed the English pilot that he la
| buriously recorded the color of the two
kinds, both red but the on of them
| is marvellous deepe red" On the
shores also was an abundance Of very
good hops and wild onions, and the
chronicler was so impressed by the
luxuriance of the vegetation and the
richness of the wild fruits that he de-
clared that the goodness Of the land
was beyond his power of expression.
Plainly in that early day this was a
region of plenty and of many charms
which deeply impressed the first
visitors.
The island in the river at this point,
whose description makes it certain that
this vas the spot reached by the party,
was in existence until the dam was
built in 1893. In NOrth's history there
is an interesting description of the
island as it was in the early days of
the last century, and for that matter
as it probably was when the party
hn ha vic
was located about half a mile above
the present bridge, was about quarter
Of a mile long and from 100 to 200 feet
broad. II was low and gravelly and
was near the eastern shore of the
river hetwen which and the island the
water was shallow. North says that
few low bushes and wild grapes grew
on the shore Of the island. which de-
scriptiOn strikinsly corresponds with
that Of the >Popham chronicler over
two centuries earlier. But although
North was ignorant Of the existence of
this document, as we have pointed out,
he was of course familiar with other
accounts Of the Popham settlement.
The current was very rapid on either
side If this island and on the western
side, Il short distance from the shore,
was a great rock around which the
water roared and boiled in n way to be
heard at n great distance. This rock
was know a century ago as "Coon's
Rock" or "Old Coon" from the name of
person said to have been drowned in
the whirl Of its eddy. Navigation past
this rock was difficult and dangerous
ana several boats which used to ply on
the river We're sunk in attempting its
pa ssaGc. In 1920 an attempt was made
to remove the rock with the help of 100
pair of oxen which pulled their hardest
upon chains fastened upon it. me
chains broke. however, and the big
rock did not stir Nor did it disap-
pear below the surface until the dam
was built when the flOwage covered
The first suggestion of the dam which
removed Cushnoc Island from the map
and proved the beginning of Augustus
industrial prosperity was made as]
early as 17S5 but it was not until 1925
that public attention was first serious
~ turned to the project by an editorial
in the kennebec Journal written by|
Luther Severcnce and after many de-
lays ana much debate the dam was
built in 1888.
All this has nothing to do with the
first visit to this place by white men in
1907. but it explains the disappearance
of the island and the rapids in the
river which they described when they
stopped here to eat the sweet red
grapes that grew upon the shore.
Plymouth Trading Company estab-
lished post at this point which was
abandoned in 1860 and on whose site
Fort Western was built in 1884. Less
than 40 years after this Popham party
lin 1646-Father Druillettes estab-
lishei his Jesuit mission and built his
little chapel near the Indian village on
the east bank Of the river above the
Cushnoc trading post.
These things are set forth at length
by the Journal. not with the intention
of urging any celebration of the ter
centennial which Augusta has a right
to observe this year. but for the sake
of making the people of our city some
what better acquainted with the be-
einnings of civilization in this part of
Maine The tercentennial of the Pop
ham colony will be duly celebrated by
the Maine Historical Society late in
August. and earlier in the same month
Bath will celebrate the 300th ami
versary of the building Of the first ship
upon the banks Ct the kenncbec. The
knowledge of the fact that the men
who built the fort at Popham and con-