Flagstaff is a ghost town and former plantation in Somerset County, Maine, United States, near the existing town of Eustis and approximately 20 miles north of Rangeley.
Benedict Arnold camped here on his Quebec expedition and erected a flagstaff, hence the name. [1]
The town was abandoned and dismantled (and legally disincorporated) in 1950 to allow construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Dead River, which enlarged Flagstaff Lake and submerged the site of the settlement.
The song "Below" by Slaid Cleaves on his 2004 album Wishbones refers to the destruction of the town, although it is not mentioned by name. The lyrics specifically mention the Dead River, and its general location.
Somerset County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,477. Its county seat is Skowhegan.
Leeds is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,262 at the 2020 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England City and Town Area.
Eustis is a town in Franklin County, Maine, United States. The population was 641 at the 2020 census. Eustis, which includes the village of Stratton, is a popular recreation area.
Canton is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Canton is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 1,125 at the 2020 census. Located beside Lake Anasagunticook, Canton is a summer recreational area.
The Kennebec River is a 170-mile-long (270 km) river within the U.S. state of Maine. It rises in Moosehead Lake in west-central Maine. The East and West Outlets join at Indian Pond and the river flows southward. Harris Station Dam, the largest hydroelectric dam in the state, was constructed near that confluence. The river is joined at The Forks by its tributary the Dead River, also called the West Branch.
The Androscoggin River is a river in the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire, in northern New England. It is 178 miles (286 km) long and joins the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay in Maine before its water empties into the Gulf of Maine on the Atlantic Ocean. Its drainage basin is 3,530 square miles (9,100 km2) in area. The name "Androscoggin" comes from the Eastern Abenaki term Ammoscongon, which referred to the entire portion of the river north of the Great Falls in Lewiston, Maine. The Anglicization of the Abenaki term is likely an analogical contamination with the colonial governor Edmund Andros.
The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) is a 740-mile (1,190 km) marked canoeing trail in the northeastern United States and Canada, extending from Old Forge in the Adirondacks of New York to Fort Kent, Maine. Along the way, the trail also passes through the states and provinces of Vermont, Quebec, and New Hampshire. The trail was opened on June 3, 2006.
The Dead River, sometimes called the West Branch, is a 42.6-mile-long (68.6 km) river in central Maine in the United States. Its source is Flagstaff Lake, where its two main tributaries, South Branch Dead River and North Branch Dead River, join. It flows generally east to join the Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine.
Flagstaff Lake is located in Somerset County and Franklin County, Maine, in the United States. The North Branch Dead River and South Branch Dead River join in the lake, forming the Dead River.
The Cupsuptic River is a 23.7-mile-long (38.1 km) river in Maine. It flows from its source near the Canada–United States border to Cupsuptic Lake, the northern arm of Mooselookmeguntic Lake, which drains via other lakes into the Androscoggin River. Although short, the Cupsuptic River includes three of the highest mountains of New England — Kennebago Divide, Snow Mountain, and White Cap Mountain — within its watershed. The name "Cupsuptic" derives from the Abenaki language, meaning "a closed-up stream."
The Daaquam River is a river primarily flowing in the administrative region of Chaudière-Appalaches, at South of Quebec in Canada and northern Maine, in United States. The river runs from its source, south of Sainte-Justine, northeast across the Canada–United States border to the Northwest Branch of the Saint John River in Maine.
The East Branch Cupsuptic River is a short tributary of the Cupsuptic River in Maine. It flows about 4 miles (6 km) from its source in a cirque between Snow Mountain and Twin Mountains, to its mouth on the Cupsuptic.
The East Branch Moose River is a short tributary of the South Branch Moose River in Skinner, Maine. From its source on Kibby Mountain, the river runs 3.1 miles (5.0 km) northwest to its confluence with the Moose River's South Branch.
The Moose River is an 83-mile-long (134 km) river in Maine. Its source is in Beattie, on the Canada–United States border, which runs along the height of land between the watersheds of the Kennebec River in Maine and the Chaudière River in Quebec. From there, the river runs east through Attean Pond and Wood Pond, past the town of Moose River, then through Long Pond and Brassua Lake. The Moose River empties into Moosehead Lake, the source of the Kennebec River, in Rockwood Strip. The International Railway of Maine was built along Moose River in 1889.
The North Branch Dead River is a 19.3-mile-long (31.1 km) tributary of the Dead River in Franklin County, Maine. It is paralleled by Maine State Route 27.
The South Branch Dead River is a 26.3-mile-long (42.3 km) tributary of the Dead River in Franklin County, Maine.
The South Branch Moose River is a tributary of the Moose River in Franklin County, Maine. Its source on Caribou Mountain is about 1.5 miles (2 km) from the Canada–United States border, in Skinner. From there, the river winds generally north for 11.0 miles (17.7 km) to its confluence with the main stream of the Moose River in Lowelltown.
The South Branch Penobscot River is a river in Somerset County, Maine. Its source, Penobscot lake, the north end of which at is about 1,000 feet (300 m) from the Canada–United States border in Sandy Bay. This section of the border runs along the height of land separating the watersheds of the Penobscot River and the Monument River, which feeds into the Saint Lawrence River.
The West Branch Moose River is a short tributary of the South Branch Moose River in Franklin County, Maine. Its source is on Caribou Mountain in Merrill Strip, about 2,000 feet (600 m) from the Canada–United States border, which runs along the height of land between the watersheds of the Kennebec River in Maine and the Chaudière River in Quebec. From there, the river runs 5.9 miles (9.5 km) northeast to its confluence with the Moose River's South Branch in Skinner.
Mexico, near Rumford, is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. Mexico is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 2,756 at the 2020 census. Mexico is a small mill town for the papermaking industry.