Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-05-14
INDIANS IN MAINE.
Historian Says There Are as Many
Now as $50 Years Ago.
lFrom INasns Woods. |

There are about as many Indians In
Maine now as there were when the last
French and Indian war ended, $50 years
ago. There were about 1000 then; there
are nearly that now. But il one were to
go back another $50 years, he would find
nearly forty times that number, for
Williamson, Names greatest historian,
gives the Indian population about 1872 as
5000
And was ii the rifle OF the early settler
that cut them down from 5000 to 1,0o07
IT was not, although nowhere in this
country in the colonial days, did the
smoke OF peace curl less frequently than in
the present State of Maine.
For this district was the "dark and
bloody ground" OF New England. The
thin settlements from Dover to the Penob-
scot, for almost 100 years lived in terror OF
the torch and tomshawk, to say nothing
OF incursions from Canada by the French.
# was an almost continuous conflict.
Between 1875 and i7eo, Maine was battle
ground in six Indian wars, each one last
ing from three to ten years. II was no
place for those who were looking for a
quie; life on the farm.
In Massachusetts, there was never one
fourth a. many Indians as in Maine; and
save during King Philips twelve months
war, they never made serious trouble
within the popuIous Bay colony.
But the Indians OF Maine more than
once destroyed nearly every settlement
clear to the New Hampshire line, and at
one time the entire population, some 1000
people, fed in terror TO Massachusetts, Bay.
Then would come a treaty OF peace, and
build his house and barn, and start life
over again.
Going back to the days before the white
man came to Maine, in general way the
Indian tribes had the same names as the
large rivers. Well up these rivers were
their villages, where they mainly lived
save when they went to the head waters
to hunt moose, deer or beaver, or to the
seashore for a summer vacation and a
change of diet to fish and clans. Those
west of the Penobscot were of the Abuaki
group, and those along that river and to
the east OF it into New Brunswick called
themselves Etechemins. ALI were OF the
Algonquin nation.
Now the peculiar thing about this vast
body OF s., 900 Indians is that they were
not in any degree killed of by the white
man. Probably there were more settlers
killed by the indians than there were
Indians killed by the settlers. These In
disns died of the plague and in inter
tribal wars.
OF the 5000 of these centuries, hum
dreds were slain in a fierce war between
the Penobscot and Sheepseot tribes; then
thousands persisted in the pestilence of
1919, and thousands more later on at the
hands OF the Mohawks, who laid waste
their towns clear to the 81. John river.
When King Philips war began in 1915,
not more than 1900 Maine Indians were
left alive, but this was twice the white
population and sufficient TO wipe cut the
settlements almost to the New Hampshire
boundary.
Then, after dozen years of peace, came
the period from 1890 to 172i. outbreak
after outbreak in which the Maine people
were most terribly sconrged by the saw
ages. The settlers were shot down in the
fields, they woke in the silent hours OF
the night TO find their buildings in flames,
and the hatchets OF the savages breaking
down the doors of their dwellings. None
could tell where or when the providing
III
families spent weeks together in the garri-
son, daring to cultivate only the nearest
fields. But in the brief intervals OF peace
the farms soon teemed with plenty, while
the ringing saws beside the dashing
cataracts turned the dense woods into
marketab BILE lumber.
Slowly the settlers learned that the best
way to cope with the savages was to at
tack them in their own villages. Expe-
ditions OF 100 or 30 men made their way
up the rivers to the headwater, and
"burned hornets nests'. And when q
heavy force from Massachusetts, Bay,
aided by q band of Mohawk Indians
brought from New York, wiped out
Norridgewock, the great village OF the
Kennebee Indians, the whole tribe largely
emigrated from Maine to the St. Francis
river in Quebec among their friends, the
French.
Loyeweli's fight in IT'S at Pequaket,
their village, broke the power Of the Saco
valley Indians, and by 175s not one of the
Sokokis was left in the region, and most
of the Androscoggins were gone.
In fact, in 1853 not more than 1000 In
dams remained in Maine. These were al
most entirely Penobscots and Passams-
quoddies, and with these enduring treaties
of pesce had been made. Though be-
sought, they would not in the Revolution
airy war aid the British, but remained
faithful to the Americans. letter from
Washington is still cherished among
them.
And when the men Of Admiral Golfers
feet of ten vessels attacked the .iittie
rebel town" of Mschias in eastern Maine,