The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1921-05-05

Moosehead Lake, the largest OF two
or three thousand lakes and ponds
with which the State of Maine is dot
ted, lies just above the west central
portion of the state. 1t Is vast reser-
voir, whose waters are used extern
siyely to float to market the yearly
timber product of the Kennebec VAL
ley, and to furnish motive power to
the many mills along the rivers
course. The lake, according to bar
ometrical computations made In 1881,
is 995 feet above mean tide, while
according to other estimates made
during the present century its alti-
tude Is variously stated to be between
$50 and 1860 feet. From Greenyille,
small village at its foot, and the
only one on Its shores, the lake ex-
tends some 36 miles to the north; and
varies in width from 1874 rods, oppo-
site Kineo Promontory where the tele-
graph-cable crosses, to about IL miles,
the distance from the east or principal
outlet to the head OF Spencer Bay
i Its outline Is remarkably irregular,
! and readily suggests the rayines and
other depressions between bits of high
! ground, up into which stream, check
ed by a barrier of natures sudden
lnterposition, might have flowed back,
turning former ponds into bays, and
making islands of hills and promon-
tories OF ridges. The area OF the lake
Is said to be 120 square miles, and its
shore line at high water about 400
miles; but these latter figures are
evidently much too large.
Fabulous stories have been told OF
its depth, principally ON the authority
of men who have towed logs over its
surface, and their measurements vary
from 500 to 1000 feet, the latter depth
being claimed between Farm Island
and the so-called Shaw place east OF
1t. Seventy-fve soundings made in
1881 and 1882 failed to disclose a
greater depth than 231 feet. The char
acter of these soundings was such as
to make 1t probable that in the middle
parts of the lake the bottom is uni
formly level.
The name by which Moosehead
Lake Is known to the Penobscot In
dams Is Xsebeni, while to that rem
nant of the Abnakis that lived at St.
Francis 1t Is Sebanook, either OF which
is freely translated by extending wa
ter" tn second form having the To-
cative ending.
The origin of the name Moosehead
Lake is probably due to one of sew
eral old Indian legends, which asso-
ciate the place with adventures in
which the moose bare have prominent
part One Of these traditions says
that "in the olden time men and ami
ais grew to an imense size. The In
dians that that the moose were too
large, and sent hunter to make
them smaller He killed a big bull,
Kineo Mountain and reduced his size
by cutting slices from his body. The
rock at the foot Of the mountain about
20 years ago looked like steak streaks
of lean and fat could be plainly seen
in 1t. The hunter cooked his meat,
and afterwards turned his kettle,
Little Kineo Mountain, on its side,
and left it to dry. So the Moose grew
smaller and smaller.
This legend, in almost the exact
words given above, came directly to
the writer from Louis Annance, then
an aged Indian, who had been edu-
Gated at Hanover, N. H. and was after
wards "Sangamon" of chief OF the st.
for ten years OF the Moosehead for
Francis tribe, and later an inhabitant
ests. He is no longer living.
Another legend says that there was
an old Indian, who was chief of the
whole nation He was capable and
could do anything. While on his way
through the forests, one day, he came
upon two moose, hurriedly dropped
his pack, and started in pursuit of
them. The smaller moose, Kineo
Mountain, was soon overtaken and
killed The chief, after boiling some
of the meat, turned his kettle upside
down, so that it should not rust. took
up the trail Of the larger moose, and
followed the latter down to Castine,
where he killed and dressed it. The
heart liver and other entrails he
threw TO his dog, and they are the
long string of rocks which are there
to this day.
These traditions show that the In
dams were endowed with great i'm
aginative powers and with no little
poetic feeling. Mount Kineo, when
seen from the southern side looks not
at all unlike an immense moose lying
or STOPPING with its head towards the
west The precipitous eastern cliff
is a very good counterpart Of the
rump, while slight elevation at the
beginning OF the western slope we'll
represents the withers, and another
near its foot the swelling of the nose
or "mouffle" Indian imagination,
however, did not stop here. The two
main arms OF the lake, which extend
north and south one on each side OF
the Moose" with their numberless
bays and coves, form the animals
antlers, with broad blades and
branching prongs. May not this be
the origin Of "Moosehead?"