From Maine to Montreal, Circa 1827

by Tom Seymour

Boarstone Mountain about 4 miles north of Sebec Lake. The area around Boarstone Mountain remains wild today, although it has been cut a few times since Joseph Lamson lived in the area in 1827, a time when a lot of northern Maine had not yet heard the woodsman’s axe. Fishermen’s Voice photo

In 1827, few people undertook extended trips through Maine except when necessity dictated. Roads, such as they were, were unpaved, full of potholes and at times, nearly impassable. Still, one man, Joseph Lamson Jr., left Sebec, Maine on horseback on July 22, 1827 on the first leg of his, as he called it, “hasty tour through a part of Maine, lower Canada, Vermont and New Hampshire.”

From Sebec Lamson rode south to Wayne and from Wayne, north to Moscow. Heading north still, he traveled in part on the “Canada Road,” where he crossed the border into Canada. In Canada, he visited St. Marie, crossed the St. Lawrence River and landed in Beauport, where he headed south to Quebec and finally Montreal.

From Montreal, Lamson headed southeast, crossing back into the United States at Derby, Vermont and from Derby, crossed New Hampshire, riding through the White Mountains and from there made his way back home to Wayne on August 24.

This was no mean feat, given conditions of the day. Lamson’s journey took him through some wonderful scenes and he met lots of interesting people and witnessed unforgettable sights, including many now long-forgotten celebrations and traditions.

Fortunately for us, Lamson kept a journal of his travels. I have kept to the original wording and punctuation when quoting from his journal, except that I have substituted “s” for “f” (for instance, “cross) rather than (croff) where needed to make the language more easily digested by modern readers. This installment represents the first of a three-part series.

Wayne to St. Charles

Lamson’s trip from Sebec to Wayne was without incident. On the way, he visited with friends in Dexter and Fairfield, arriving in Wayne on July 25. After spending several pleasant days with his brother in Wayne, Lamson set out on July 30 for St. Charles in Canada.

Lamson began this part of his journey alone, since a hoped-for companion “relinquished his intention” of joining him. Just then, Lamson signed on with a Mr. Shaw to bring a small drove of horses to market in Canada. Also, a young man, Mr. Ames, who was headed for Detroit by way of Quebec, came along for the company, increasing the party to three.

On July 31, Lamson writes: “…arrived at night at a miserable hut in Moscow, situated at the foot of a steep mountain from a thousand to twelve hundred feet in height. There I partook of a scanty supper, and after surveying the premises for the purpose of discovering a convenient place for lodging, I persuaded Mr. Ames to take a bed with me in the barn that stood in the field at a considerable distance from the house; and if our resting place in a mow of hay was not quite so comfortable as a bed of feathers, I consoled myself with the fact that it was much more dainty and wholesome than any we could find in the house.”

From Moscow, the men continued on to Canada and on August 1, well, I’ll let Lamson tell the story: “In the township No. 1 third range, we met a man and woman from Canada, on horseback, on their way to Kennebec. The man carried in his arms their child, about fifteen months old; and on the horse of the woman was stowed all their furniture, consisting of a coverlet, a tin dipper, and two or three other small articles. She wore a blanket on her head, instead of a bonnet, and they looked most miserably poor.”

Lamson continues: “In riding through a tract of woods this day, we were overtaken by a shower of rain, accompanied with thunder and lightning, during which we reached a hut, where we found a woman, a native of Ireland, who had come through from Canada on foot. A considerable number of women have at different times, within a few years, performed this dismal journey.”

Continuing on, Lamson and his messmates crossed the Kennebec River just above the mouth of Dead River, at a ferry. After crossing and heading upstream, the men came to a small settlement of three or four families. From this point to St. Charles in Canada was, according to Lamson, about 70 miles. The entire trip was through wilderness except for at Moose River, where they spent the night at a farm owned by Mr. Holden.

Here again, available lodging was inadequate and Lamson again spent the night sleeping in the hay: “The house at which we stopped being extremely filthy, we once more had recourse to a barn for lodging, where we found only some rye straw with which to make our bed.”

Leaving Holden’s, Lamson discovered that the driving rain had made his bread moldy and he fed it to his horse. From here, the road turned muddy and this, combined with rocks and stones in the road made for difficult going. Also, bridges and causeways, now 10 years old, were beginning to decay.

Note that this road that Lamson traveled on was the Canada Road, a thoroughfare between Maine and Canada, where people could pass from one country to the other, unmolested by either government. Parts of it remain today and other parts, previously undiscovered, remain to be ferreted out. The Canada Road is of great historic importance.

In crossing one such bridge over a stream, one of the horses fell through, becoming suspended in the air by his harness. The men were able to release the animal, which fell to the rocks below and, amazingly, did not break any bones.

Lamson notes that while on the Canada Road, he found the carcasses of horses that had died the previous winter, probably of fatigue and hunger. “We saw the skeleton of one of them, and a sleigh near it, which was left there when the horse died.”

On August 3, after wallowing through the mud for twenty-five miles, the party crossed the boundary between Maine and Canada and halted at a little camp made by some men who were building a bridge over a stream. This was made of stakes and poles and was covered with hemlock bark. The structure was open in the front.

On August 4, the group rode for two hours in a driving rain and arrived at a camp of men who were clearing a tract of 40 acres for settlement. They remained here for about three hours, waiting for the rain to stop.

Finally, Lamson reached the first milepost of his trip: “At length, after a most tedious and hazardous journey we arrived without any very serious accident at St. Charles, the first settlement in Canada.”

In Canada

In St. Charles, at long last, the men availed themselves to the house of Mr. Owen, an Irishman: “The accommodations we obtained here were comfortable; their food was cleanly, and wholesome; and after having lodged several nights in the cold barns, and camps, upon hay, straw, and fir boughs; a good bed, in a comfortable room, was very grateful.”

On August 6, Lamson left St. Charles and rode for 35 miles to St. Marie: “…through one of the most beautiful countries I ever beheld. The road passes along the northeast bank of the Chaudiere, through a rich meadow, wholly under cultivation, and thickly interspersed with cottages, a large proportion of which are whitewashed, and make a very handsome appearance.

“The fields were covered with a rich coat of grass, and the Canadians have just commenced their haying. Hundreds of women and girls, as strongly formed as the Penobscot Indians, and by continual exposure to the weather, rendered nearly as swarthy; draped in their s straw hats, striped woolen petticoats, connected with brown vests without sleeves, and linen shifts, all of the very coarsest materials; were to be seen with their rakes, or wooden pitchforks, assisting the men in their labour, either in spreading the new mown grass, or in raking the dry into cocks. The sight was novel, and I was pleased with it.”

Riding on, Lamson describes the countryside as having gentle hills, fenced-in farms cultivated to the hills’ summits. The river, Chaudiere, was smooth and wide and almost continually in view of the road. The weather, for a change, was gorgeous, clear, mild and with a gentle breeze.

Soon, Lamson stopped at a private house, there being no inns near since there were few visitors to the region. The people living in the house spoke no English and Lamson spoke no French, but he managed to indicate his desire for food and he was served soup, sour curdled milk and a glass of bitters. Lamson declined the soup and curds, but accepted the bitters because it would be a breach of etiquette to do otherwise.

At that point, a local person dropped in and he spoke some English. Lamson noted the air of superiority that this man affected because of his ability to converse with the “Bostonian,” the name given by locals to all Americans.

To be continued…