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DiscoverMaineMagazine.com
The Romance Of The Old Canada Road Built upon old Native American trails by Charles Francis
T
here are a few roads in Maine that are true gateways to the past. Somewhat ironically, each more or less follows an old Indian trail, as it was those first masters of the north woods who knew best how to travel. Each also leads out of the state. In addition, each was a route used by French Canadians to immigrate to Maine. Two of the routes lead to New Brunswick and one to Quebec. The routes leading to New Brunswick are the fabled Airline and the old Military Road. The route to Quebec is the Old Canada Road leading from the general area of Bingham, through Jackman, and on to Saint Georges, Quebec and Quebec City. Today it is Route 201. The original Canada Road was nothing more than a trail used by the Indians
to travel between the St. Lawrence and the Kennebec rivers. For approximately a quarter of its length, it followed the Kennebec before moving in a westerly direction towards Parlin Pond and on to the Chaudiere River in Quebec. Today the region, which in Maine is centered at Jackman and in Quebec at Saint Georges, is a mecca for snowmobilers who travel Maine Route 201 to reach it. In the latter part of the nineteenth century, before there was any provincial or state road leading from Quebec City to the mill towns of Maine, French Canadians used the Canada Road to emigrate to cities like Lewiston and Waterville. Today there is an ongoing joint project between the Province of Quebec and the State of Maine to celebrate the history as well as the natural beauty
of the Old Canada Road. In part, the road is viewed as a potential link between the Appalachian Trail and the Trans-Canada Trail. In addition, the project has other goals, including those of economic development and increasing tourism. However, this is not the first time there has been a concentrated effort to accomplish these goals. In fact, well before French Canadians used the Old Canada Road to come to Maine, there was a project which had similar goals and objectives. The first plan for a road through the region served by the Old Canada Road dates back to the days when the French controlled Canada and eastern Maine. As early as 1670 a possible route for a road connecting Quebec City and the Penobscot Bay region was blazed out.
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(cont. on page 70)
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