What can you see if you travel to Maine to trace the route of the Arnold Expedition? The lower Kennebec River is beautiful and worth following north to Pittston, where Reuben Colburn’s preserved house is one of the few places to view some artifacts from the campaign and learn about the expedition. The house, however, is only open on weekends. Farther up the Kennebec is Augusta, the state capital. A reconstructed Fort Western sits on its original site downtown and is worth visiting, although the focus of its interpretation is the fort’s role in the French and Indian War. Farther up the Kennebec is the site of Fort Halifax, now located in the town of Winslow. A reproduction of a blockhouse and a faded sign mark the site.
Though the small towns along the route farther upriver likely take pride in their association with the expedition—I am sure that the schoolchildren in Skowhegan Falls and Norridgewock are aware of their region’s association with the Arnold Expedition—I have not found anything in these towns to mark the passage of more than 1,000 men on what was one of the greatest events in American military history. There is one stretch of beautiful road that parallels the Kennebec River south of Skowhegan where you can look out and see spectacular views of the river. Beyond Skowhegan Falls (there is a hydroelectric dam just above the falls) you are rewarded with lovely scenery as the land becomes more rugged and mountains appear in the distance.
Continue north along the Kennebec to the modern town of Bingham, where manmade Lake Wyman, created by damming the river, begins. About five miles north of where the lake starts was the entrance to the Great Carry (now underwater). There is a rough road from the western shoreline of the modern lake to the three ponds that were landmarks on the Great Carry. The land along the shoreline of the three ponds is mostly privately owned; access to the area is difficult and many private roads are gated and locked.
The Appalachian Trail traverses between Middle and West Carry Pond and provides some good hiking and views. There is little to see for a distance beyond the ponds, as the Dead River has been dammed to create Flagstaff Lake. The exception is the view of the 14-mile-long Bigelow Mountain Range, which probably looks exactly the same as when the members of the Arnold Expedition first saw them over 200 years ago. The range, which runs east to west, consists of five peaks (Little Bigelow Mountain, Myron Avery Peak, West Peak, The Horns, and Cranberry Peak) that collectively are called the Bigelow Mountains or simply the “Bigelows.”
A good place to begin hikes into the Bigelows is the modern town of Stratton. The Appalachian Trail traverses the summit of all five peaks, the tallest of which is West Peak at 4,150 feet above sea level. My friend Duluth (Dude) Wing lives in the region. He told me the Abenakis Indians called the Bigelows Tiaouiadicht. “We don’t know what the word meant,” Dude explained, “but it surely was something majestic. Later, farmers in the Dead River valley used the Bigelows to forecast the weather: if her peaks were capped in fog, you did not mow the hay, and if they were blue, it surely would storm.”
Beyond the Bigelow range, the next Arnold Expedition sites are near the village of Eustis, located close to the northern end of man-made Flagstaff Lake. Here the Dead River returns to its natural beauty and can be followed by road to the Chain of Ponds. This is magnificent country, and the spectacular scenery continues into Canada.
At the border, Lake Magentic is visible in the distance. As you drive toward Lake Magentic you can look back to see the Height of Land. The Arnold River passes through this region, and although much of the swampland from the Canadian border to the southern shore of Lake Magentic has been drained, enough of the old terrain remains to provide a feel for what this land looked like when Arnold and his men crossed it. In Canada, the land along the Chaudière River has changed dramatically since Arnold’s time. The forests have all been cut down and replaced with open plains covered with dairy farms. The big treat is Quebec City. The wall surrounding the city is largely intact, and historic plaques mark many of the places connected with Montgomery’s 1775 assault, including the site of the fortified house, the Sault au Matelot, and Montgomery’s original grave. Numerous historic buildings, museums, and exhibits describe the city’s rich heritage, including its role in the American Revolution.
A long history of private land ownership in Maine, the damming of the Kennebec and Dead rivers, a lack of money, and a desire to keep the remnants of the trail unmarked to discourage people from scrounging for artifacts have contributed to the difficulty of marking and preserving the route of the Arnold Expedition. As a result, if you are planning a field trip to retrace Arnold’s steps, be sure to pack your imagination.