July 22, 2024.
Time to head back “Downeast.” I was ready, having spent the previous four weeks in true central and northern Maine. Those areas of the state are beautiful, but I felt like I saw more logging trucks and deer flies than people, and my mental state was getting a little squirrelly.
I have just a few more days left in Maine.
First stop in my final few days was Saint Croix Island International Historic Site. The island marks France’s first attempt to colonize the Acadian region. Samuel Champlain and 78 other Frenchmen landed on the island in 1604 and, against the advice of the friendly Passamaquoddy, wintered there. They did not understand that the tides would prevent ice from thickly forming between the island and the nearby mainland. The men became trapped on the small island, unable to traverse the ice without falling through. Half the men died before the Passamaquoddy returned to the area in the spring and gave the remaining men food, fresh water, and medicine. After the Frenchmen recovered, they abandoned the site and moved to what is now Port Royal in Nova Scotia.
Today, a visitor center in Maine offers information and a short trail with statues leading to the water’s edge. From there, one can see the island. The public may not visit the island itself.
