Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)/Maine (State)

MAINE, a State of the North Atlantic Division of the North American Union; bounded by Quebec, New Brunswick, the Atlantic Ocean, Bay of Fundy, and New Hampshire; admitted to the Union, March 15, 1820; counties, 16; area, 29,395 square miles; pop. (1890) 661,086; (1900) 694,466; (1910) 742,371; (1920) 768,014; capital, Augusta.

Topography.—The surface of the State is as a rule hilly and mountainous, excepting along the coast, where it is flat and sometimes marshy. The main mountain system crosses the State in a N. E. direction from the White Mountains, past Mount Katahdin and Mount Abraham to Mars Hill near St. John river. The highest elevation is Mount Katahdin, in the center of the State, 5,383 feet. The coast line is very irregular, and, with its numerous indentations, presents a length of over 2,000 miles. The sea coast E. of the Kennebec rises abruptly to a height of from 1,000 to 2,800 feet, while the W. portion consists of swamps and sand flats, extending 10 to 20 miles inland. The rivers rise in the mountains at the N. of the State and in Canada and New Hampshire, and flow rapidly and with numerous falls and rapids to the sea, affording excellent water power. The principal ones are the St. John, forming most of the Canadian boundary; the Penobscot, Kennebec and Androscoggin, rising in the N. and central portions of the State, and flowing into the Atlantic. Maine has over 1,500 lakes. Moosehead Lake, the largest, is 35 miles long, 10 miles wide, and 1,023 feet above sea-level. Rangeley and Richardson Lakes, in the E., have an altitude of 1,500 feet.

Geology.—The rocks of Maine are largely of igneous and palæozoic origin. The Upper Silurian limestones appear in the N. W., and fossiliferous limestone and argillaceous schists of the Lower Silurian are found in the central portion of the State. The old red sandstone appears in the N., and strata of post-Tertiary, Miocene, and Pliocene formations exist in the S. E. Much of the sea-coast formations are of recent origin.

Mineralogy.—The State abounds in minerals of many kinds, some of them rare, but the chief production is in stone products, especially of granite. The annual production of granite is valued at nearly $2,000,000. Clay products to the value of $1,000,000 are produced. The total mineral production is valued at about $5,000,000 per year.

Soil.—The State presents a great variety of soil. That on the sea-coast and mountain lands is sterile and does not repay cultivation. The soil in the river valleys between the Penobscot and Kennebec is of alluvial formation and exceedingly valuable for cereals. The great valley of the Aroostook contains the most fertile lands E. of the Mississippi valley, producing excellent wheat, potatoes, barley, rye and other grains in great abundance. The upland is the best for grazing and the clay loam for hay. The forests of the State are of great value. In the N. the trees are principally pine, fir, spruce, hemlock, and other evergreens, with cedars in the N. E. In the central portion of the State the white and red oak, maple, beech, birch, and ash are abundant, while further S. the poplar, elm, basswood, dogwood, sassafras, juniper, butterwood, butternut, chestnut, alder, and willow abound.

Agriculture.—Maine has agricultural interests of great importance. The N. E. part, embracing Aroostook county, produces the largest and best potato crops in the world. The potatoes are used largely for seed in other parts of the United States and foreign countries. Garden fruits and vegetables are also produced in large quantities. The principal farm crops in 1919, with their value, was as follows: Corn, 1,100,000 bushels, valued at $2,145,000; oats, 5,746,000 bushels, valued at $5,286,000; wheat, 228,000 bushels, valued at $502,000; hay, 1,146,000 tons, valued at $27,227,000; potatoes, 24,480,000 bushels, valued at $34,272,000.

The live stock statistics are as follows: Horses, about 115,000, valued at $17,000,000; milch cows, about 160,000, valued at about $9,000,000; other cattle, about 100,000, valued at about $2,600,000; sheep, about 165,000, valued at about $800,000; swine, about 100,000, valued at about $1,500,000. About 1,000,000 pounds of wool are produced annually in the State. Maine ranks second among the New England States in the value of its fisheries.

Manufactures.—Maine is an important manufacturing State. It has excellent water power, and this is used to develop power for many large textile, paper, and other mills. In 1914 there were 5,378 manufacturing establishments, employing 82,140 wage earners. The capital invested was $233,844,000; the amount paid in wages, $43,254,000; the value of the materials used was $117,655,000; and the value of the completed products was $200,450,000.

Banking.—On Oct. 31, 1919, there were 64 National banks in operation, having $6,915,000 in capital; $5,846,506 in outstanding circulation and $5,355,750 in United States bonds. There were also 44 mutual and stock savings banks with $97,253,000 in deposits; and 53 trust and loan associations, with $4,599,000 capital. The exchanges at the United States clearing house at Portland during the year ending Sept. 30, 1919, aggregated $129,199,000.

Education.—The school population of the State in 1919 was 228,489. The average daily attendance in elementary schools was 97,638; in secondary schools, 15,247. The total school enrollment in elementary schools was 131,313; in secondary schools, 17,956. There were 4,848 teachers in the elementary schools and 849 in the secondary schools. The average yearly salary in the elementary schools was $462.46, and in the secondary schools, $857.73. The total expenditure in 1919 for elementary schools was $3,892,279, and for secondary schools $1,257,114. The State is well supplied with public high schools and private schools. There are four colleges: Bowdoin College at Brunswick, Bates College at Lewiston, University of Maine at Orono, and Colby College at Waterville.

Churches.—The strongest denominations in the State are the Roman Catholic, Congregational, Methodist Episcopal, Regular Baptist, Freewill Baptist, Advent Christians, Protestant Episcopal, and Universalist.

Finance.—The total expenditures for the year ending Jan. 1, 1919, amounted to $8,199,235, and the receipts to $8,323,521. There was a balance on hand at that date of $1,986,494. The trust funds of the State amount to about $1,600,000.

Transportation.—The total railway mileage in the State in 1919 was 2,304 miles. The Maine Central and the Bangor and Aroostook railroads have the longest mileage. The former is 995 miles long and the latter 630 miles. The Canadian Pacific railroad has 177 miles of track within the State, and the Boston and Maine about 140 miles.

Charities and Corrections.—There are State hospitals at Augusta and Bangor, the Maine School for Feeble-minded, and the Bath Military and Naval Asylum, located at Bath. In addition to these are the Maine Industrial School for Girls at Hallowell, the State School for Boys at South Portland, and the Maine State Prison at Thomaston.

State Government.—The governor is elected for a term of two years and receives a salary of $5,000 per annum. Legislative sessions are held biennially, beginning on the first Wednesday in January, and have no time limit. The Legislature has 31 members in the Senate and 151 in the House. There are four representatives in Congress. The State government in 1920 was Republican.

History.—The first attempt to settle on the territory was made by the French under De Monts, who, having received a patent from the French king, planted a large colony on Neutral Island in the St. Croix river. In 1613, French Jesuits established a mission on Mount Desert Island, which was expelled by the English the next year. In 1616, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, a leading promoter of colonization in Maine, sent his agent, Richard Vines, with a small company to Saco to remain during the winter, explore the country, and test the climate. Capt. John Smith visited and explored the coast in 1614, examining it as far S. as Cape Cod. In 1620 the King of Great Britain made a division of the grand charter of 1606, and granted to the Plymouth Company in England the whole country lying between lat. 40° and 48° N., and to the Virginia Company the S. portion of the original patent. From 1630 to 1632 settlements were commenced in Saco, Biddeford, Scarboro, Cape Elizabeth, and Portland, all of which continued to prosper till the Indian War of 1625, when they were all overthrown. The territory between the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers was granted by Charles II., in 1664, to his brother, the Duke of York, who had the year before established a seat of government there at the city of Pemaquid, where a strong fort was built. This country was surrendered to Massachusetts in 1686, which took possession, exercised government over it as far E. as Penobscot, which, with all the territory E. to the St. Croix and Nova Scotia, was confirmed to her by the provisional charter of 1691. She afterward relinquished Nova Scotia, but all the remainder was secured to her by the treaty of 1783, which established the independence of the United States, and she retained possession and jurisdiction till the separation of 1820 took place, which constituted Maine a separate and independent member of the Federal Union.

Copyright, L. L. Poates Eng. Co., 1921