Acadia National Park, MDI, Maine History


  Jamie and I climbed to an advantageous spot to observe the first Jesuit settlement area and you can see across to the Northeast Harbor point that was the old Abenaki Village where Chief Asticou lay on his deathbed. He granted the land of the open grass field and natural spring to the French Jesuits in 1613. The settlement, however, lasted only four months before being destroyed by an English scoundrel with an open letter of marque from King James to make any French settlement north of Jamestown disappear. Some of the French sailors escaped in a longboat in time to hide just to the right of the island in the back right of the photo as the English sailed, guns out, around the left side of Greening just passing the native village and still others fled to Valley Cove (see next two pictures). Thus began a long and sometimes very bitter fight over control of the Downeast waters and the Gulf of Maine. (Just behind us runs 'Man O' War Brook', the fresh water supply line for British warships making ready to fight the French off 'Frenchman's Bay'.)






(Valley Cove from Sea Level looking North)











(Valley Cove from above looking across to Abenaki Village area (Manchester Pt. Northeast Harbor)

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