Presumpscot River, looking upstream toward the Little Falls Dam
in Windham (around the corner). Like at Mallison
Falls and Saccarappa Falls (or well,
anywhere on the river), the impounding effect of one dam floods the river
to within a few hundred yards of the base of the next dam, effectively removing
all of the natural riffles and rapids of the Presumpscot and its habitat
for Atlantic salmon and other native fish species.
Historical fact: The word "Presumpscot" is derived from
the Native American name for the river, ("Pes-ompsk-ut" or "river
of many rough places" ) describing its very swift descent (260 vertical
feet in 25 miles) from Sebago Lake to Casco Bay. Today, nearly all of the
Presumpscot's rapids, falls and riffles are entombed beneath antiquated,
low-power dams. Like the rapids, the falls and the salmon, the native Americans
who lived along and named the Presumpscot are now extinct.
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