Early history of the land

In the late Pleistocene, what is now Maine was covered with ice about a mile thick. As the ice receded, rivers and shorelines changed as the sea level rose with the melting of ice. The first known inhabitants of this region can be traced to between 12,000 and 13,000 years ago. The southern part of the coast was forested with spruce, fir, birch and poplar. At the end of the ice age, vegetation changed to include more nut-bearing trees and a greater variety of species. The site where the UNE campus now stands has evidence of human habitation dating back about 3,000 years.

European exploration of the coast

When Champlain arrived at the mouth of the Saco [Chouacoët] he was greeted by a group of people whose name he recorded as Almouchiquois, who later invited him into their village. From there he made detailed observations of his visit [see illustration of his 1605 chart]. Champlain illustrated agricultural plots, which were notable in this region compared to areas he had visited farther north along the coast. The main village appears to be inland, roughly where the UNE campus stands, and along the Saco River.

Champlain notes some of the people’s agricultural practices in detail, which we would now identify as a “Three Sisters” planting of corn, beans and squash together. Indigenous agricultural technologies are now recognized as deeply sophisticated systems. We can see Champlain’s acknowledgement of that fact in his description:

“We saw their Indian corn, which they raise in gardens. Planting three or four kernels in one place, they then heap up about it a quantity of earth with shells of the signoc [horseshoe crab] before mentioned. Then three feet distant they plant as much more, and thus in succession. With this corn, they put in each hill three or four Brazilian beans, which are of different colors. When they grow up, they interlace with the corn, which reaches to the height of from five to six feet; and they keep the ground very free from weeds. We saw there many squashes, pumpkins, and tobacco, which they likewise cultivate.” (Champlain 62)