Presumpscot River
Encyclopedia
The Presumpscot River is a 25.8 miles (41.5 km) river
located in Cumberland County
, Maine
. It is the main outlet of Sebago Lake
.
, Windham
, Gorham
, Westbrook
, Portland
, and Falmouth
before emptying into Casco Bay
at Falmouth. The river is bridged by Maine State Route 35
between Standish and Windham, near North Windham
, by the North Gorham to Windham Center road between Gorham and Windham, by the Maine Central Railroad
Mountain Division between North Windham and South Windham, and by U.S. Route 202
in South Windham. The river is bridged again by the Maine Central Mountain Division in Westbrook and by U.S. Route 302
at Riverton between Westbrook and Portland. In Falmouth the river is bridged by Interstate 495
, concurrent
Maine State Routes 26
and 100, Interstate 95
, Maine State Route 9
, the Maine Central Railroad
, Interstate 295
, the Grand Trunk Railway
, and U.S. Route 1
.
in Windham, Mill Brook in Westbrook (which is an outlet of Highland Lake in Windham), and the Piscataqua River
in Falmouth (which is an outlet of Forest Lake in Cumberland
). An East Branch Piscataqua River flows separately into the Presumpscot main stem.
Little Sebago Lake originally drained westerly into Sebago Lake through Boody Meadow and Outlet Brook. An artificial outlet was constructed through a moraine
at the south end of Little Sebago Lake as an early 19th century water power diversion to the Pleasant River via Ditch Brook. On 4 June 1814, the diversion became enlarged by erosion as the lake level dropped 50 feet (15.2 m) within a few hours, draining great quantities of water into the Pleasant River. The resulting flood swept away two mills and six bridges along the Pleasant and Presumpscot rivers as far downstream as South Windham. The erosion scar is bridged today by Maine State Route 115
east of North Windham. The level of Little Sebago Lake was partially restored by construction of a dam which failed with similar downstream damage on 7 May 1861, and has been subsequently rebuilt.
and Sebago Lake
. A series of dams and locks were completed in 1830 to form the Cumberland and Oxford Canal
. The canal operated until replaced by the Portland and Ogdensburg Railway
in 1870. The canal lock system provided elevation control of the 45 square miles (117 km²) surface area of Sebago Lake as a reservoir for water powered mills along the river. The S. D. Warren Paper Mill
in Westbrook vied with the Oriental Powder Company
in Gorham and Windham to control water flow after the canal ceased operation of the locks. The paper mill exercised control for more than half a century after the gunpowder
factory closed in 1905.
s impeding the flow of the river as it makes its way to the ocean, some of which produce hydroelectric power. These dams are the Eel Weir Dam, North Gorham Dam, Dundee Dam, Gambo Dam, Little Falls Dam, Mallison Dam, Sacarappa Dam, and Cumberland Mills Dam. Since the removal of the Smelt Hill Dam in Falmouth in 2002, the last 7 miles (11 km) of the river after the Cumberland Mills Dam now flow unimpeded to the ocean.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
located in Cumberland County
Cumberland County, Maine
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of 2010, the population was 281,674. Its county seat is Portland, and is the most populous of the sixteen Maine counties, as well as the most affluent. Cumberland County has the deepest and second largest body of water in the...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. It is the main outlet of Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake is the deepest and second largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine. The lake is deep at its deepest point, with a mean depth of , covers about in surface area, has a length of and a shoreline length of . The surface is around above sea level, so the deep bottom is below the present...
.
Course
The river flows through the communities of StandishStandish, Maine
Standish is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,874 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of Standish Corner, Sebago Lake Village and Steep Falls, and the localities known as Richville, Standish Neck and Two Trails...
, Windham
Windham, Maine
Windham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 17,001 at the 2010 census. It includes the villages of South Windham and North Windham...
, Gorham
Gorham, Maine
Gorham is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 16,381 at the 2010 census. In addition to an urban village center known as Gorham Village or simply "the Village," the town also encompasses a number of smaller, unincorporated villages and hamlets with distinct...
, Westbrook
Westbrook, Maine
Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States and a suburb of Portland. The population was 17,494 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.-History:...
, Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
, and Falmouth
Falmouth, Maine
Falmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,185 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....
before emptying into Casco Bay
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
at Falmouth. The river is bridged by Maine State Route 35
Maine State Route 35
Maine State Route 35 runs the course of western Maine, from Bethel to Kennebunk. It passes through Oxford, Cumberland and York Counties. It is known in its lower sections for both its unusually windy course as well as its notoriously poor paving, as a result of winter frost heaves. Its northern...
between Standish and Windham, near North Windham
North Windham, Maine
North Windham is a census-designated place within the town of Windham in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,568 at the 2000 census...
, by the North Gorham to Windham Center road between Gorham and Windham, by the Maine Central Railroad
Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
Mountain Division between North Windham and South Windham, and by U.S. Route 202
U.S. Route 202
U.S. Route 202 is a highway stretching from Delaware to Maine, also passing through the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire....
in South Windham. The river is bridged again by the Maine Central Mountain Division in Westbrook and by U.S. Route 302
U.S. Route 302
U.S. Route 302 is a spur of U.S. Route 2. It currently runs 171 miles north from Portland, Maine, at U.S. Route 1, to Montpelier, Vermont, at US 2...
at Riverton between Westbrook and Portland. In Falmouth the river is bridged by Interstate 495
Interstate 495 (Maine)
Interstate 495 is the unsigned designation for the Falmouth Spur, a short freeway connecting Interstate 95 with Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 1 north of Portland, Maine, United States. As part of the Maine Turnpike, the main line of which carries Interstate 95, I-495 is a toll road. The spur has...
, concurrent
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...
Maine State Routes 26
Maine State Route 26
State Route 26 is a 96.7 mile-long state highway in southwestern Maine. It was first commissioned in 1925, as part of the New England road marking system. Route 26 in Maine, as well as New Hampshire and the short stub in Vermont, covers the route of the old New England Interstate Route 26...
and 100, Interstate 95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
, Maine State Route 9
Maine State Route 9
State Route 9 is a numbered state highway in Maine, running from the New Hampshire border at Berwick in the west to the Canadian border with New Brunswick at Calais in the east. State Route 9 runs a total of .-Route description:...
, the Maine Central Railroad
Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. It operated a mainline between South Portland, Maine, east to the Canada-U.S...
, Interstate 295
Interstate 295 (Maine)
Interstate 295 is a -long connector in the U.S. state of Maine from I-95 in Scarborough to I-95 in West Gardiner.-Route description:...
, the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
, and U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs 2,377 miles from Fort Kent, Maine at the Canadian border south to Key West, Florida. U.S. 1 generally parallels Interstate 95, though it is significantly farther west between...
.
Sources
In addition to Sebago Lake being its primary source, three significant tributaries of the river are the Pleasant RiverPleasant River (Presumpscot River)
The Pleasant River is a tributary of the Presumpscot River in the U.S. state of Maine.The Pleasant River originates in the town of Gray and parallels U.S...
in Windham, Mill Brook in Westbrook (which is an outlet of Highland Lake in Windham), and the Piscataqua River
Piscataqua River (Presumpscot River)
The Piscataqua River is an tributary of the Presumpscot River in the U.S. state of Maine. Via the Presumpscot River, it is part of the watershed of Casco Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. It rises at the outlet of Forest Lake in the southern corner of the town of Gray, flows briefly northeast,...
in Falmouth (which is an outlet of Forest Lake in Cumberland
Cumberland, Maine
Cumberland is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,211 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
). An East Branch Piscataqua River flows separately into the Presumpscot main stem.
Little Sebago Lake originally drained westerly into Sebago Lake through Boody Meadow and Outlet Brook. An artificial outlet was constructed through a moraine
Moraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
at the south end of Little Sebago Lake as an early 19th century water power diversion to the Pleasant River via Ditch Brook. On 4 June 1814, the diversion became enlarged by erosion as the lake level dropped 50 feet (15.2 m) within a few hours, draining great quantities of water into the Pleasant River. The resulting flood swept away two mills and six bridges along the Pleasant and Presumpscot rivers as far downstream as South Windham. The erosion scar is bridged today by Maine State Route 115
Maine State Route 115
State Route 115 is a state highway in southern Maine, United States. It runs west to east for just over miles, from U.S. Route 302/State Route 35 in North Windham to State Route 88 in Yarmouth.-Route:...
east of North Windham. The level of Little Sebago Lake was partially restored by construction of a dam which failed with similar downstream damage on 7 May 1861, and has been subsequently rebuilt.
Canal
The river was an early transportation corridor between Casco BayCasco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
and Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake
Sebago Lake is the deepest and second largest lake in the U.S. state of Maine. The lake is deep at its deepest point, with a mean depth of , covers about in surface area, has a length of and a shoreline length of . The surface is around above sea level, so the deep bottom is below the present...
. A series of dams and locks were completed in 1830 to form the Cumberland and Oxford Canal
Cumberland and Oxford Canal
The Cumberland and Oxford Canal was opened in 1832 to connect the largest lakes of southern Maine with the seaport of Portland, Maine. The canal followed the Presumpscot River from Sebago Lake through the towns of Standish, Windham, Gorham, and Westbrook. The Canal diverged from the river at...
. The canal operated until replaced by the Portland and Ogdensburg Railway
Portland and Ogdensburg Railway
The Portland & Ogdensburg Railroad was a railroad planned to connect Portland, Maine to Ogdensburg, New York. The plan failed, and in 1880 the Vermont section was reorganized and leased by the Boston & Lowell Railroad. In 1886, the Maine and New Hampshire section was reorganized as the Portland &...
in 1870. The canal lock system provided elevation control of the 45 square miles (117 km²) surface area of Sebago Lake as a reservoir for water powered mills along the river. The S. D. Warren Paper Mill
S. D. Warren Paper Mill
S. D. Warren Paper Mill is a small mill built on the Presumpscot River in the 1730s in a rural and fairly unpopulated area. In 1854, that small paper mill, in the soon-to-be established town of Westbrook, Maine, was purchased for $28,000 by Samuel Dennis Warren. The mill was named Grant, Warren and...
in Westbrook vied with the Oriental Powder Company
Oriental Powder Company
Oriental Powder Company was a gunpowder manufacturer with mills located on the Presumpscot River in Gorham and Windham, Maine. The company was one of the four largest suppliers to Union forces through the American Civil War.-History:...
in Gorham and Windham to control water flow after the canal ceased operation of the locks. The paper mill exercised control for more than half a century after the gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
factory closed in 1905.
Dams
There are eight damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
s impeding the flow of the river as it makes its way to the ocean, some of which produce hydroelectric power. These dams are the Eel Weir Dam, North Gorham Dam, Dundee Dam, Gambo Dam, Little Falls Dam, Mallison Dam, Sacarappa Dam, and Cumberland Mills Dam. Since the removal of the Smelt Hill Dam in Falmouth in 2002, the last 7 miles (11 km) of the river after the Cumberland Mills Dam now flow unimpeded to the ocean.