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| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - August 06 2011 : 08:29:22 AM
I just got back from a trip to Maine for a 17th century event. I was really impressed with the beauty of that area. First time I have ever been there. Now French and Indian? That's where it all began. They were fighting with the Brits a long time before Hawkeye and company were born.
That last of four forts built at Pemaquid.
The rock, now inside the fort, that the Indians used for cover to fire on the original fort.
What the fort is all about.
Some of the view from the top of the fort.
The cemetery near the fort.
The view behind the cemetery looking across another one of the many inlets.
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| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - August 08 2011 : 11:14:09 AM
My best guess would be that the French imported it from France and the British imported it from England. Salt was produced in many European countries, as well as India, Russia, etc. Pretty universal, but I'm not sure when production got started in the American colonies. It may have been as early as the 17th century, or it may have not been until the 18th. |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - August 07 2011 : 11:16:00 PM
For those who may not know, the fort shown in the first picture is Fort William Henry. Built and named in 1692. |
| Monadnock Guide |
Posted - August 07 2011 : 7:14:05 PM
I'll see if I can find anything on the salt Fitz, - but I'd say the cod were dried on the racks, not really sure about being salted afterward. Stiff as a board type of thing. - Stop and think about it, - all this was going on years before the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth. Not to mention the Abenaki & the Brits weren't exactly close friends either. Understandably sided with the French at Fort William Henry, kinda like holding a grudge for a LONG, LONG time. Somewhat like a well kept secret, ... |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - August 07 2011 : 6:34:54 PM
I knew that salt was a valuable commodity in the colonies and salt production was sometimes as profitable as the deer hide trade. So I wondered where all the salt came from. Maybe that hadn't been asked before, but there was a silence, and then someone said Portugal. So I am not really convinced. It takes a LOT of salt for all that cod, so I would still like to know where it all came from. |
| Monadnock Guide |
Posted - August 07 2011 : 5:18:28 PM
There's an island off Boothbay Harbor, Damariscove Island (just south of Pemaquid) that back in the "early times" was a place where the fishermen landed large amounts of cod. There was a "fishing settlement" there with huge "cod racks" where the fish were cut & dried before being shipped back to Europe. - It was closed down due to the belief that the cod had been over-fished, not worth the effort. - Seems the average cod had dropped to less than 30 lbs. in weight. ... ;)
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The earliest residents of the island were the Abenaki, who called the island Aquahega or "place of landing."[1] As early as 1604, the island was settled as a commercial fishing enterprise. Captain John Smith charted the island as "Damerils Iles" after a visit in 1614, with the name traditionally attributed to Humphrey Damarill, allegedly one of the early fishermen there.[2] By 1622, the island was home to 13 year-round fishermen, with 2 shallops in the winter[1] and up to 30 sailing ships fishing the waters in the spring.[3] When the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony were facing starvation in the spring of 1622, they sent a boat to Damariscove to beg for assistance. The fishermen responded by filling the colonists boat with cod which helped ensure the Pilgrim's survival.[1] |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - August 07 2011 : 3:10:08 PM
Just think of the scale of the cod fishing dating to before Columbus' time. And the amount of salt necessary to process those fish. Really amazing. The guy with the long blond hair is actually a fisherman. The other one was just learning. |
| Wilderness Woman |
Posted - August 07 2011 : 10:34:07 AM
Very neat stuff! And a very beautiful place. Love the guys salting fish. |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - August 06 2011 : 11:52:53 PM
We got a heavy gale on Friday night, but the rest of the weekend was perfect. A lot of us are still struggling with our 17th century clothing and supplies. It is very different from the 18th century in that documentation is not readily available, and there are not a lot of people making things for that period of time. In the pictures you see people with not a lot on. That is somewhat because they don't have the correct things, so they wear only what they have that is documented. A number of others simply wore what they used for the 18th century. I had to borrow some things and "make do" in a few areas, but I was satisfied with how things turned out. We will get better. But it was a fun weekend and I am really glad I went. By the way, notice the lobster? That was for dinner on Saturday night. There was a wedding reception in the state-owned restaurant that was on site. I am sure we made it a memorable one for them! |
| Monadnock Guide |
Posted - August 06 2011 : 3:43:03 PM
Glad you had good weather Fitz, - some really great pics. I assume the the event went well, - certainly looks it. Brings back a lot of memories, sometimes like living in a post card - but a tough place to make a living, year 'round. Ahh yes, - the Abenaki, the "People Of The Dawn", quite a history, and have never signed a formal agreement or surrender with the U.S. Government - I think the only tribe that still hasn't.
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http://www.tolatsga.org/aben.html
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The Abenaki had already paid a terrible price for European contact, but the French had discovered a much better source of fur in the St. Lawrence Valley. Since Maine and the Canadian Maritimes were exposed to English raids, they had little reason to stay and began to abandon most of their posts in 1610. By 1616 only Port Royal and a small trading post at the mouth of Penobscot River were all that remained to trade with the Abenaki and Micmac. Even this limited presence was disputed by Great Britain which claimed the region by virtue of Cabot's voyage (1497) and Sir Humphrey Gilbert "discoveries" (1578). The first Abenaki experience with English settlement occurred during an abortive attempt by the Plymouth Company to establish a colony on the Kennebec River in 1607. Seven years later Captain James Smith met Abenaki when he explored and mapped the coast of northern New England. By 1620 the Abenaki were familiar enough with the English that Samoset, a Pemaquid sachem from Maine hunting in Massachusetts, could walk into the Plymouth colony in February, 1621 and greet them in perfect English with "Hello Englishmen."
During the next 50 years, as the Abenaki probably watched in amazement, English and French fought several wars over who owned the Abenaki homeland. |
| richfed |
Posted - August 06 2011 : 11:39:08 AM
Those really are beautiful photos, Fitz. You know, I think Eric H. was just up there, too. Maine is one of the 48 I've never beeen to - North Dakota the other. |
| IWLFNDU |
Posted - August 06 2011 : 11:03:24 AM
Great pics, Fitz. Looks like you guys enjoyed awesome weather, and an even better venue!  |
| Fitzhugh Williams |
Posted - August 06 2011 : 08:57:24 AM
Some other views of the event.
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