Casco Bay

Portland Head Light, Maine, William Aiken Walker

Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the coast of Maine in the United States. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's chart for Casco Bay marks the dividing line between the bay and the Gulf of Maine as running from Bald Head on Cape Small in Phippsburg west-southwest to Dyer Point in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland and the Port of Portland are on Casco Bay's western edge.

Geography and topography

Casco Bay spans about 229 square miles, with the shore rimming the bay stretching 578 miles. The Presumpscot River is the largest single source of non-saline water emptying directly into Casco Bay, flowing south from its headwaters at Sebago Lake, Maine's second-largest lake. According NOAA's soundings, the bay's deepest point is about 204 feet, southwest of Halfway Rock. Fuller Mountain in Phippsburg along the immediate shoreline has the bay's highest elevation, estimated at 269 feet by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1980, and 277 feet on more recent topographical maps. Chebeague Island has the highest elevation of any Casco Bay island, at 176 feet.

In addition to Portland, Cape Elizabeth, and Phippsburg, municipalities with shorelines fronting Casco Bay include Brunswick, Cumberland, Falmouth, Freeport, Harpswell, South Portland, West Bath, Yarmouth, and the island municipalities of Chebeague Island and Long Island.

In Casco Bay's western reaches, a line of islands west extends from Chebeague to Cushing Island to create protected anchorages for vessels, as the case with narrow peninsulas that jut into the eastern section of Casco Bay. A number of deep-water channels lead into the bay's inner sections, including Cushing Island Reach, Hussey Sound, Luckse Sound, Broad Sound, and Merriconeag Sound.

Casco Bay's shoreline creates a number of smaller bays and tidal embayments, including Harpswell Sound, Maquoit Bay, Middle Bay, New Meadows River, and Quahog Bay.

Casco Bay's topography produces a tidal range of about nine feet on average. Seawater circulates counter-clockwise into Casco Bay via the Gulf of Maine Gyre, which is formed from cold water that passes over the Scotian Shelf off Nova Scotia, then in and out of the Bay of Fundy. Within Casco Bay, currents are stronger between island channels and in smaller bays in the eastern section. In addition to freshwater entering Casco Bay from the Presumpscot River and smaller streams along its length, freshwater that enters Penobscot Bay from the Kennebec River circulates west into Casco Bay.

Name origin

There are multiple theories about the origin of the name "Casco Bay". Aucocisco, the Abenaki name for the bay, means "place of herons", "marshy place", or "place of slimy mud". The explorer Estêvão Gomes mapped Maine's coast in 1525 and named the bay "Bahía de Cascos", translated as "Bay of Helmets", based on its shape.

Colonel Wolfgang William Römer, an English military engineer, reported in 1700 that the bay had "as many islands as there are days in the year", leading to the bay's islands being called the Calendar Islands, based on the popular myth there are 365 of them. The United States Coast Pilot lists 136 islands; former Maine state historian Robert M. York said there are "little more than two hundred".

History

Native American population and arrival of European settlers

At the time of European contact in the 16th century, Abenaki peoples inhabited the region of present-day Casco Bay, including members of the Almouchiquois or Aucocisco group in the vicinity of the Presumpscot River.

Some Casco Bay islands have archaeological evidence of Native American visits and camps extending back 4,000 years, including shell middens and harpoon points.

The first colonial settlement in Casco Bay was that of Captain Christopher Levett, an English explorer, who built a house on House Island in 1623–24. His initial settlement, called Machigonne, failed. The first permanent settlement on the bay was named Casco, which was renamed Falmouth under the governance of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Historic Falmouth was split into two municipalities in 1786, creating Portland.

King Philip's War and King William's War

Under the Wampanoag chief Metacom in what came to be known as King Philip's War, Native American warriors attacked colonial settlements along the New England coast and inland beginning in June 1675, including in the Casco Bay region. If prodded into action by Metacom's militant contemporaries drumming up support in northern New England, many local tribes followed their own counsel in planning attacks or choosing not to initiate hostilities.

The first attack in the Casco Bay area occurred on September 10, 1675, at a farm north of Falmouth, with Native American warriors killing six people and three more going missing. After another attack at Falmouth in October, heavy snow discourage further action by either side for the rest of the autumn and winter.

Despite concurrent peace talks by tribes to the east, in August 1676 Wabanaki Confederacy warriors raided several farms in Falmouth, killing or capturing 34 people. After colonial militia leader Richard Waldron laid a trap under the ruse of peace talks to capture several Wabanaki warriors who were subsequently executed or enslaved, tribes intensified attacks on settlements throughout Maine, causing most settlers to flee south to safety. After talks failed at Maquoit Bay in February 1677, Waldron again ambushed Native Americans under the ruse of parley.

As Wabanaki peoples got word of colonial authorities reaching out to leaders of the Mohawk people for assistance in Maine, they became more amenable to a truce, though significant attacks continued on Maine coastal settlements west of Casco Bay. Leaders of the Penobscot people signed the Treaty of Casco at Fort Loyal, located in present-day Portland, on April 12, 1678, binding the Wabanaki Confederacy to ending the hostilities of King Philip's War.

It was the first of multiple treaties between colonial and provincial governments and members of the Wabanaki Confederacy in the Casco Bay area, including a second Treaty of Casco in 1703 and the Treaty of Casco Bay in 1727.

The latter treaty was the result of a conference between the British and the Abenaki in August 1727, at which the parties agreed to uphold the terms of the 1725 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which ended Dummer's War, and to cooperate in keeping the peace. Chief Loron Sagouarram, who had signed the Treaty of 1725, addressed the gathering in 1727, giving his understanding of the treaty relationship.

During King William's War, Louis de Buade de Frontenac, the Governor General of New France, launched a campaign to drive the English from the settlements east of Falmouth, Maine. On 16 May 1690, the fortified settlement on Casco Bay was attacked by a war party of 50 French-Canadian soldiers led by Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin, about 50 Abenaki warriors from Canada, a contingent of French militia led by Joseph-François Hertel de la Fresnière, and 300-400 additional natives from Maine, including some Penobscots under the leadership of Madockawando. Fort Loyal was attacked at the same time. About 75 men in the Casco settlement fought for four days before surrendering on 20 May, on condition of safe passage. Instead, most of the men, including John Swarton, were killed, and the surviving settlers were taken captive, including Hannah Swarton and her children. Swarton was ransomed in 1695 and her story published by Cotton Mather.

War of 1812

Casco Bay is also home to abandoned military fortifications dating from the War of 1812 through World War II; during World War II, Casco Bay served as an anchorage for US Navy ships.

Civil War

Fort Gorges, on Hog Island Ledge in the middle of Portland Harbor, dates to the American Civil War.

World War II

Since Casco Bay was the nearest American anchorage to the Atlantic Lend-Lease convoy routes to Britain until the U.S. entered World War II, Admiral King ordered a large pool of destroyers to be stationed there for convoy escort duty in August 1941.

New England Shipbuilding Corporation in South Portland was one of 18 major shipyards that received contracts to build Liberty-class cargo and transport ships for transatlantic duty.

The State Historic Site of Eagle Island was the summer home of Arctic explorer Robert Peary.

In popular culture

• The Whales of August, one of Bette Davis's last films, was shot here in 1987.
• In 2008, composers Peter J. McLaughlin and Akiva G. Zamcheck wrote a piece in four movements paying homage to the wreck of the Don, lost near Ragged Island on June 29, 1941. The piece received critical acclaim from the Portland Press Herald and from fellow Maine composers.

Marine economy

Portland has a substantial fleet of deep-sea fishing vessels that offload their catch primarily at the Portland Fish Exchange. Numerous towns and islands serve as ports for lobster boats. Recreational fishing boats can also be chartered.

Marinas include:

• Chebeague Island Boat Yard on Great Chebeague Island;
• Diamond Marine Service Inc. on Great Diamond Island;
• Dolphin Marina and Great Island Boat Yard in Harpswell;
• Handy Boat Service Inc. in Falmouth;
• DiMillo's Old Port Marina, Maine Yacht Center and Portland Yacht Services in Portland;
• Paul's Marina on Mere Point in Brunswick;
• Peaks Island Marina on Peaks Island;
• Port Harbor Marina, South Port Marine, Spring Point Marina and Sunset Marina in South Portland;
• Brewer's and Strouts Point Wharf Co. in South Freeport;
• Royal River Boat Yard, Yankee Marina and Boatyard, and Yarmouth Boat Yard in Yarmouth Harbor.

During the 1980s and 1990s, Bath Iron Works operated a dry dock in Portland Harbor to repair U.S. Navy vessels.

Ecology

Predominant fish in the bay include mackerel, striped bass, and bluefish. Shellfish include lobsters, crabs, mussels, clams, and snails. Harbor seals congregate on certain exposed ledges, and whales on occasion swim into the bay, and in a few instances into Portland Harbor. Seagulls, cormorants and varying species of duck are the most common birds; more rarely osprey, eagles and herons have been sighted. Casco Bay contains bay mud bottoms and banks in some locations, providing important substrates for biota.

Transportation

A Casco Bay Lines ferry returning to Portland after its journey out into the bay

The bay's major islands are served by the Casco Bay Lines ferry service at the Maine State Pier in Portland. Peaks Island is served by a car ferry and sees 16 ferries a day during the summer. The other islands see fewer ferries and no car transport. Great and Little Diamond islands and Long Island are primarily served by the Diamond Pass run, which is popular with tourists in the summer. Other services Casco Bay Lines offers include a daily mailboat run, a cruise to Bailey Island, and a sunset run.

Other services such as water taxis are popular alternatives to ferries, but are limited to six passengers per boat.

Notable cities and towns

From south to north:

• Cape Elizabeth
• South Portland
• Portland
• Falmouth
• Cumberland
• Yarmouth
• Freeport
• Brunswick
• Harpswell
• West Bath
• Phippsburg

Islands

Major islands

• Bailey Island
• Bustins Island
• Cliff Island
• Cousins Island
• Cushing Island
• Great Chebeague Island
• Great Diamond Island
• Long Island
• Mackworth Island
• Orr's Island
• Peaks Island
• Sebascodegan Island

Minor islands

• Bangs Island
• Basket Island
• Barnes Island
• Bartol Island
• Basin Island
• Bates Island
• Bear Island
• Ben Island
• Big Hen Island
• Birch Island
• Bombazine Island
• Bowman Island
• Bragdon Island
• Burnt Coat Island
• Bush Island
• Center Island
• Clapboard Island
• College Island
• Coombs Islands
• Cow Island
• Crab Island
• Crow Island
• Dingley Island
• Eagle Island
• East Brown Cow Island
• Elm Islands
• French Island
• Frye Island
• George Island
• Gooseberry Island
• Goose Nest Island
• Great Mark Island
• Halfway Rock
• Harbor Island
• Haskell Island
• Hog Island
• Hope Island
• Horse Island
• Home Island
• House Island
• Inner Green Island
• Irony Island
• Jacquish Island
• Jenny Island
• Jewell Island
• Junk of Pork
• Lanes Island
• Little Bustins Island
• Little Chebeague Island
• Little Birch Island
• Little Diamond Island
• Little French Island
• Littlejohn Island
• Little Mark Island
• Little Moshier Island
• Little Snow Island
• Little Whaleboat Island
• Little Wood Island
• Lower Goose Island
• Malaga Island
• Mark Island
• Ministerial Island
• Moshier Island
• Mouse Island
• Outer Green Island
• Overset Island
• Pettingill Island
• Pinkham Island
• Pole Island
• Pound of Tea
• Pumpkin Nob
• Ragged Island
• Ram Island
• Raspberry Island
• Rogue Island
• Sand Island
• Scrag Island
• Sheep Island
• Shelter Island
• Snow Island
• Stave Island (home to Survivor: Gabon winner Bob Crowley)
• Stockman Island
• Sister Island
• Sow and Pigs
• Sturdivant Island
• Turnip Island
• Two Bush Island
• Upper Flag Island
• Upper Goose Island
• Upper Green Island
• The Brothers
• The Goslings
• The Nubbin
• Vail Island
• Whaleboat Island
• White Island
• White Bull Island
• Williams Island
• Wood Island
• Yarmouth Island

Lighthouses

Casco Bay is home to 6 lighthouses:

• Cape Elizabeth Lights
• Portland Head Light
• Ram Island Ledge Light
• Spring Point Ledge Light
• Portland Breakwater (Bug) Light
• Halfway Rock Light

Forts

Forts in Casco Bay:

Fort	Constructed	Location
Fort Gorges	1865	Hog Island Ledge, Portland, ME
Fort Levett	1898	Cushing Island, Portland, ME
Fort Lyon	1909	Cow Island, Portland, ME
Fort McKinley	1907	Great Diamond Island, Portland, ME
Fort Preble	1808	Southern Maine Community College/Spring Point Ledge Light, South Portland, ME
Fort Scammel	1808	House Island, Portland, ME
Fort Williams	1872	Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth, ME
Battery Steele	1942	Peaks Island, Portland, ME

Newspapers

The newspaper for Portland, the largest city in Casco Bay, is the Portland Press Herald (Maine Sunday Telegram on Sundays). The Island Institute publishes The Working Waterfront, a free monthly newspaper reporting "the news of Maine's coast and islands". For Southern Maine news, obituaries and sports, The Forecaster is published weekly. In the early 20th century, the Casco Bay Breeze published news of the islands from 1901 to 1917. Digitized copies of it from 1903 to 1917 appear for free on the Library of Congress website "Chronicling America".

See also

• List of islands of Maine
• Casco, Wisconsin, named after Casco Bay

References

• Caldwell, Bill (1982). The Islands of Casco Bay.
• Bibliography of Casco Bay