Machias River
1771 -- Report of Commissioners on Machias, Sept. 12th, 1771.
Excerpt:
"Pursuant to your Excellency's Instructions, you will permit us to
make the following remarks.
"1st. The quality of the Land at Machias is very good, capable of making
extraordinary farms, from the produce whereof the Grantees may live very
comfortably and have a surplusage for market, and considering the great
improvements in so short a time which they have made We believe that will
soon be the case, provided they met with no obstructions.
"2ndly. We cannot by our view which was very considerable or by the
best information we could get, find that the Pine Trees growing there are
capable of making masts for his Majesty's Royal Navy, they being what is
called Saplings. There is an extraordinary Harbour with several ways of
entrance into it and a number Navigable Rivers within the bounds of Machias.
About four miles up the River called Eastern River on one of it there is
a very large Pond which they call a Lake, about twelve miles in length and
three or four miles in width with a variety of Fish in it as well as in
the River aforesaid: the Rivers abounding with Salmon and Salmon Trouts
&c. of large dimensions. The Rivers there all communicate with the main
River which empties itself into the Ocean. There are a considerable number
of Mills in said place, the people very notable, sober, peaceable, and industrious,
a few excepted, who tho' not so peaceable are very industrious."
Source: Baxter, James P., editor. 1910. Documentary History of the State
of Maine Containing the Baxter Manuscripts. Maine Historical Society. Lefavor-Tower
Company. Portland, Maine.
1826 -- An Act additional to an Act to regulate the taking of Salmon, Shad
and Alewives, in the town of Machias, passed February twenty-seventh, one
thousand eight hundred and ten. Laws of the State of Maine. Chapter CCCLXXXIX.
Text of Act:
"Sect. 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives,
in Legislature assembled, That, from and after the passing of this Act,
if any person or persons, shall, in any way or manner, take any Salmon at
the Falls on the West river of Machias, in the town of West Machias, within
four rods of the rock usually called the Oven, or at any place in said Falls,
between said rock and the Rolling Dam, so-called, or if any person or persons,
shall be directly or indirectly concerned in taking Salmon as aforesaid,
or shall knowingly accept of, receive or purchase any Salmon, so taken,
he or they, upon conviction thereof, shall severally forfeit and pay a fine
of not less than one dollar for each and every Salmon so taken, received
or purchased, for the use of the town, to be recovered on complaint before
any Justice of the Peace in said town, (or in any town adjoining,) made
by any one of the fish committee of said town of West Machias.
"Sect. 2. Be it further enacted, That if, upon trial of any such complaint,
it shall be found the defendant is not guilty, judgment shall be rendered
for the defendant, for his cost: And if the Justice, who may try the same,
shall certify that the complainant had probably cause for believing that
the defendant was guilty thereof, the said defendant's cost, and all other
cost arising on said complaint, (except the complainant's fees as a witness)
shall be refunded to the complainant by the town.
"Sect. 3. Be it further enacted, That any of the penalties, not over
twenty dollars, mentioned in the Act to which this is additional, may be
recovered in an action of debt, before any Justice of the Peace, in the
County of Washington, whether the said Justice may reside in West Machias
or not.
"Sect. 4. Be it further enacted, That at the annual meeting of the
inhabitants of the town of West Machias, for the choice of town officers,
there shall be chosen a committee of three or more persons, who shall have
the same powers, within the said town, which the fish committee of Machias
had, by virtue of the Act to which this is additional.
Approved by the Governor, Feb. 10, 1826."
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