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Cumberland and Oxford CanalThe first attempt to provide transportation by water, to the inhabitants of Northern Cumberland Co., was made by the proprietors of Bridgton. They contracted with Capt. Benjamin Kimball, the first settler of the town, in 1768, to 'build a sailboat of two tons burden' and hold himself in readiness to carry goods and passengers between the head of Long Pond and the 'carrying place' in Pearsontown, for a long term of 'six years.' The carrying place was called in later years. "Chadbourne's Landing," some two miles east of Sebago Lake Station. For his services he was to receive two shillings and six pence a trip, for the boat, six shillings per day for himself and five shillings for his helper, Stephen Gates. He also was to build a tavern for entertaining travelers and maintain a store filled with the most needed goods. The whole region was especially favored by natural facilities for inland navigation, a distance of thirty miles over Long Pond, Sebago Lake and connecting waters. As early as 1785, an act of the Massachusetts Legislature was obtained for a canal from Sebago Lake to the Presumpscott River, at Saccarappa, under the name of 'Cumberland Canal,' at an
estimated cost of $20,000. In 1804, the capital was increased to $120,000. But nothing came of it, due to the 1812 war and 'commercial restrictions'. But when Maine became a state in 1820, the plan was revised. In 1821, a charter was granted the Cumberland and Oxford Canal Corporation, to construct a canal from Thomas Pond in Waterford, in Oxford County, to the navigable waters of Fore River, Portland. The incorporators were Arthur McLellan, Alvin K. Parris, Charles Whitman, Asa Clapp, Samuel Andrews, Leander Gage, Daniel Brown. Nathaniel Howe, Enoch Perley, Josiah Whitman, Ira Crocker and their associates and successors. To further aid the project, the Legislature granted the incorporators the right to raise $50,000 by conducting a lottery. (Laws 1823, c 219). The Laws of 1832, c 46 forbid the sale of tickets beyond March 10 of that year or drawings after April 1st. As a further aid to the project, the promoters had the Canal Bank of Portland incorporated with a capital of three hundred thousand dollars, on the condition that one
quarter of the capital, should be invested in the stock of the Canal. With these aids and individual subscriptions, the work was begun in 1828; completed in 1830 and opened for business in 1832. The estimated cost by the engineer was S 1 37,343; the actual cost was $206,000. At its completion, the Bank held mortgages for money advanced to the amount of $73,500. In 1862, these mortgages were assigned to Isaac Dyer and F. 0. J. Smith. In 1874, the Dyer Heirs and later the Smith heirs assigned their interests to Gen. Chas. P. Mattocks of Baldwin and Portland. While owned by Gen. Mattocks an effort was made to convert the canal into a fish breeding station but nothing ever came of it. The excavated part of the canal was about 18 miles. It began at Sebago Falls, near White's Bridge and followed the general course of the Presumpscot River through Standish, Windham and Gorham to Westbrook, then across country - to Stroudwater, having its termination at the foot of Clark Street, Portland, later changed to Thompson's Point. The entire distance from Portland to Harrison, was about 45 miles. It never was extended to Waterford. There were 27 locks between Portland and Sebago Lake. Each lock averaging about I 0 feet tall. At one place there were 7 locks in succession. The natural level of the Lake
was 267 feet above mean-sea-level of Portland Harbor. The oldest and only lock now in operation is the Lock in Songo River, which was rebuilt by the S. D. Warren Co. in 1911,
for storage and navigation purposes, at a cost of about $60,000. The fall at the Lock is about five feet, making the level of the upper Lakes about 272 feet above mean sea level. In 1781, a joint committee of the surrounding towns made an attempt to remove the most Prominent obstruction the "Songo Ripplings' or shallows 'just below Songo Lock under the direction of Capt. Kimball, the first navigator of these waters. The names where some of the locks, single or in pairs were located and are still used, as Horse Beef, Little Falls, Gambo,, Kemp's, Dundee Falls, Sandbank, Whitney Falls, Great Falls, Middle Jam and Steep Falls. For forty years, this internal public improvement supplied a great transportation need to this region, until the era of railroad building came when, like many other canals, it began to decline. When the Portland and Ogdensburg, now the Mountain Division of the M.C.R.R. was opened to Sebago Lake, in 1870. the boats gradually began to connect with it, at Lake Station, giving a cheaper and more rapid means of transportation. Within three years lower part of the canal was entirely abandoned.
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