The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1920-07-24
Colony Established on Pine
Trees Shore Before Land
ing of Pilgrims.
STATE HOLDS CELEBRATION
Coast First Visited by John Cabot in
14e8-Maine BIazed Path to Ma
tionaI Prohibition - Produced
Many Men Of Note.

Portland Me.-One hundred years
ago Maine became state of the Union,
and this year the event is to be official
ly observed with a great celebration,
the principal feature Of which will take
place at Portland from June % to July
5.
While Maine is only century old as
q state. in reality the territory was one
of the first settled sections of North
America A colony had been estab-
lished on its shores Is years before
the pilgrims landed at Plymouth,
Mass, in 1920. The Maine coast. bar
ring, Of course, possible discovery by
the early Norsemen. was first visited,
1t is believed, by John Cabot, the Eng
lish explorer, In 1893, only six years
after the discovery of the new world
BY Columbus. In 1901 the Portuguese
explorer Corte-Real, came to Maine,
and In 1924 VarraZano, an Italian, sail
ing under French commission, cruised
along the coast. In 1925 a Spaniafd,
Gomez, discovered and named the Pc
nobscot river Rio de las Gomez. or Stag
river. and In 1926 the French explorer
Thevet visited the territory and re-
turned to Europe with a story OF MO
rumbega, Names mythical city.
1t was In 1865 that the renowned son
Of Great Britain. Sir John Hawkins,
came to Maine, and two years later
three survivors of his second expedi-
ton crossed it's interior. the first wnlte
men to visit any part of the present
state away from the coast line. In
1902 CAPTAIN Bartholomew Gosnold ex-
plored its southwestern shore. ana III
1903 Capt. Martin Pring, a British
trader discovered Casco bay, on when
Is now located the city of Portland.
First Settlement.
The premier attempt at settlement
was made in 1904 by Sieur Gle Monts'
the famous French explorer, VINO es-
tablished the first colony in what is
now the United States, north OF flor'-
da within the borders of the present
state Of Maine, on Neutral isiand III
the ST. Croix river. near what ~ now
the city of Calais. The reho"heu
ChampIain was member of the party
and cruised along the Maine coast az
far east as the Kennebec river nalnlns
Mount Desert island. After a terrible
year in which the majority OF the
party died from exposure and disease
the colony was obliged to give up i'S
existence.
In 1907. the first English colony was
established at Popham, at the n'ou'i
of the Kennebec river, by George Pop
ham. This and the colony OF Jaihes
town, Va, founded the same year "ei'
the first English settlements on ny
Atlantic coast. The little group ho"
ever after the death Of its founder
was obliged to abandon the site. IN
colony, however, established one ho'
able record, for it constructed nurii'
its year of suffering. the virginia '''
first vessel to be built in North amer
lea.
In 1913. the French Jes'llts organ
tied a mission on Mount Desert ls'ah'
and in 1914 the coast of Name wa
visited by Capt. John Smith OF roc"
hontas fame. who made the hrst re
liable map of it and named many .
its principal points. including cap
Elizabeth. He was the first 10 app.
the name New England to this norm
eastern section Of the United Sta.eS
Only three years after the lahalh
of the Pilgrims Capt. christopher Ley
EFT established trading post on OF,
Of the islands now within the ii'n.'
Of Portland and in 1852 the f"unoa
lions OF the present city were es'a'
lished by George Cleeve and Richar
Tucker. Previous to this. ho"e'e'
in 1923, settlements had been iii"'