Damariscotta Lake

Jetski

This is me tubing on the back of the jetski. This other picture is me and my mom kayaking.

Damariscotta Lake

Damariscotta Lake Commerce

Austen A. Fenn

The Damariscotta Lake is a famous lake that we use today for playing on our jet ski, kayaks, and inner tubes. 100 years ago, it was used for a lot more then play. The lake was a big source of money for some, and easy transportation for others.

The Trees around Damariscotta where a big factor for the lake, with tons of pine and oak trees everywhere. Which were ideal for shipbuilding and repair. The wood quickly floated downstream and became a lake-known factor. The first mills started with William Vaughn at Damariscotta Mills, and as the settlers moved north, the mills did also. Over time, water power became more expensive as the cost of dam maintenance became greater than the cost of converting to a steam or 'internal' combustion engine.

Some of the settlers were farmers, instead of loggers, but they all had to have a marketable skill to buy supplies that farming could not provide. Farmers would also be bricklayers, wheelwrights, surveyors, work at granite quarrys, or other trades. They would also work at public areas. As children grew up, more hands could be used for helping out the farm. The large employers eventually left the area and farming in this area diminished.

The logs for Vaughn's mill were transported by water, after being hauled to the waters edge by oxen. In the winter they where sledded over the ice by oxen. As the towns around the lake became more popular and organized, the state would build the main roads, and the towns and counties would build the feeder roads. In 1832 the town of Jefferson commissioned a local surveyor to draw a map of town roads. A sawmill at the north end of the lake gave lumbermen more options. Logs could be milled at the north end of the lake and delivered to market by wagon.

Lake travel improved in the middle of the 19^th century when the first and largest steamboat, the 'Jefferson', began operating. The 103 ton side-wheeler with a shallow draft, could go almost anywhere on the lake. She was used for hauling cargo, towing rafts, delivering supplies, and taking passengers to and from the ends of the lake. The enterprise lost money and was sold two years later. Moved over land, the 'Jefferson' continued to operate on salt water.

The seasonal population of Jefferson represented its biggest industry. Roughly half of the 1990 residential property tax receipts were from seasonal properties. In 1900, Frank Pratt bought two acres of land on Chimney Point, ( we have our house lot there) and built a summer house on the lake. Summer population was not only a large part of the towns taxes but also a large portion of the towns customers for local businesses and tradesmen.

Hohokam Indians

Austen Fenn.

The Hohokam Indians lived from 200 B.C. To 1450 A.D. The Hohokam Indians were known for their vast canal systems and some of the most skillful irrigation farmers the Southwest ever had. Their miles of canal systems brought water from the Salt River.

Some of their canals they had made are still in use today in the Phoenix area, which we saw as we where touring around. They were creative artists that where known for their intricate work with shells that they gathered from the Gulf of California and the Pacific coast.

They created coiled pottery that they smoothed out with a paddle and painted with red designs. It was interesting to see the ball court where they held games and other activities. I wonder what they used for a ball?

The Hohokam Indians did a lot of trading with their Neighboring Indians, the Mogollon and the Anasazi. Since they were good farmers they most likely traded a lot of crops.

Their buildings were made out of mud and sticks. I was surprised to see how much wood was used in the structure of their buildings. Where did they get the wood from? They probably used cactus ribs. A cactus Rib is the woody part of the inside of the cactus that creates the structure. They had different sized rooms for different purposes. They had cathedrals, storage rooms, and living quarters.

No one really knows what happened to them, The Indians seem to have disappeared from the archeology record between the first half of the 15^th century and the time that the Spanish first came upon their descents.

Arizona

These are pictures of when we were at Arizona, we went through desert and all we saw was cactus, sand, and sand creatures. We also saw a Indian sight where we guessed what the holes in the ground were for and what they would trade here. The roosevelt dam was huge, thats where they store all the water for flood controll and electricity. lastly there was the Arizona science center where a lady teaches about combustion.

James bond

This is me getting ready for New York City! Dad and I will be going on a field trip with the 8th grade class, spending 3 days in New York City. We'll be posting more pictures when i get back.

Compost Bin

This is a picture of me building my compost bin out behind our house. We built it out of recycled wood and fencing. Since we don't have guinea pigs we have a lot of vegetable scraps. The hardest thing is being committed to taking the food to the bin. But, we will have some good compost for our garden.