A (very) Brief History
The seat of Somerset County is Skowhegan, Maine – population 6,434 (2011 Skowhegan Demographics). The town was settled in 1733 as part of Canaan, separated from Canaan in 1823; and in 1836, it returned to its ancient name – Skowhegan. Skowhegan means “watching place” (the Abenaki, who named it, pronounced it “skoohegan”). During their annual migration to the coast, the Abenaki would stop at Skowhegan Falls where they camped on the island, while “watching” and fishing for salmon and other native fish. |
Like many Maine towns, Skowhegan was booming with industry at the turn of the 20th century. The fast moving gorge and the newly built dams supplied power to numerous mills built along the river. Large stone and granite foundations of these mills, as well as many of the structures built hundreds of years ago, can still be seen today. The log drives, which began in the early 1800's and ended in 1976, were a very large part of Skowhegan's heritage. The last log drive in the United States took place on the Kennebec River.
Today there remain but a fraction of the mills and factories that once dominated the landscape. The river, once again clean, is reserved primarily for fishing and recreation.
Skowhegan has been home to many notable people, including Margaret Chase Smith, Governor Abner Coburn, Peter Mills, and a host of other illustrious people. (Above photos taken from the Maine Memory Network: left to right: Helen Coburn, 1880; Alanson Perkins, 1885; Margaret Chase Smith, 1948)
It's fascinating to see the history and evolution of this small community, to sort of go back in time and experience a bygone fragment of "the good ol' days," to see how things have changed or in some cases, not changed.
This webpage was not created to provide in-depth, detailed historical facts; it is meant to be a fun starting point, to provide quick tidbits of information along with many historical pictures. For further research, links and a list of additional resources have been provided.
Revised December 13, 2013