Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-10-16

SOOu w uts N4Css OCl. 4O.-\opCCI0D
At the dedicatOry exercises Of the me-
mortal tablet which took place We'd
nesday afternoon on Bowdoin trail.
Good Will, John Francis Sprague,
Names well known historian, author
of Sprague's Journal of Maine History.
gave an address which he called Your
River in History" His reference to
Your River" was the Kennebec on the
banks of which Is situated Good viii.
He spoke as follows:
"A school unique In some ways and
great In every way. founded and pre-
sided over by one whose capacity for
training and building real manhood
has become so we'll understood and SO
highly appreciated that his talents In
this direction are recognized as those
of a genius. is situated on the westerly
banks Of the beautiful and most his
toric rivers on the North Atlantic
Coast.
within the sound of Its dancing
waters you pursue your studies and
are receiving your preparedness for
your enlistment in the ranks OF the
soldiers who fight the battle Of life.
1T is your river and you love 1t and
sweet and haliowed memories Of 1t will
ever remain with you through the full
ness Of all the years of time which
shall be yours.
Having this thought in mind l Sc
lected as the topic of my brief message
to you today, Your River in History.
Queen Elizabeth during her memoir
able reign from 1868 to 1903 had done
much as had also Henry Nv of France
TO promote and encourage the coloni-
cation of North America.
In 1903, when Elizabeth had died
and James / had assembled the throne
Of England, and when Shakespeare
was writing his plays and Bacon was
writing his great digest Of English law
and when they and Ben Johnson with
their immortal compeers were laying
the foundation Of Anglo Saxon litera
ture, Martin Pring sailed along the
coast of Maine, beheld your river and
noted it's hay.
THE whole Of North America was
then a solitary wilderness unexplored
by any but savageS.
"In 1908 de Monte and Champlain
sailed from the st. Croix in little
shallop of 10 tons with a crew of IL
men and two Indian guides to further
explore the coast Of Maine. They gave
Mount Desert it's name. They explored
the Penobacot as far as the falls of the
Kenduskeag, thence along the western
shores down past the ST. Georges
Pemaauid and Sheepscot rivers, to the
entrance of the kennebec, but did not
extensively explore your river as theil
weather
-lol. 4 i,~f<N h inns al
somewhat about it and called ii
.QuinibeQuy' While there they talked
with an Indian Chief named Anasou
and others Of his tribe and received in
formation that the Indians went by
this river across the country to Que
bee
In 1905 Captain George Weymouth
sailed from England to the coast OF
Maine and landed at the shore neal
where is now the town of Thomaston
That Is. that is where historians have
finally decided that it was. For a time
1t was In controversy whether 1t was
at the st. George or the Penobscot OF
the Kennebec. but the final word was
that II was at the former. He carried
with him a writer to make and write
down observations of the voyage. His
uame was James Roster. and 1t IL from
Mis- True Revelation that most OF the
informs ton Is derived.
when Weymouth returned to Eng
land from his voyage he had with him
Ave native Indians whom he had cap
tured or enticed aboard his ship and
exhibited them to the people at home
While his taking them was inexcus-
able and really cruel yet they were
treated kindly. Undoubtedly this act
=. on the part of Weymouth had much to
do with the red men losing faith and
confidence In the white men especially
the English. And yet two Of them fell
into the care and custody of Sill
Fernando Gorges. From them he
learned much of the country and II
stimulated and encouraged him and Sill
John Popham in their desire to found
and promote 4 colony in the new
world.
"on April 10. 1905. King James
granted his royal charter to Sill
Thomas Gates and others.
Sir John Popham's name does not
appear but hs was ono Of IL promoters
n was also Gorges. This granted
them territory between the ssth and
18th degrees of north latitude. they