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States Edition
2014
Maine
The Pine Tree State
Established 1820
23rd State
Maine is the only U.S. state with a name that has just one syllable.
The leaves of dandelions (or dandelion greens) are the only item canned in a cannery in Wilton, Maine.
The first lighthouse in Maine was built in 1791 by the order of U.S. president George Washington.
Mainer Chester Greenwood invented the first pair of earmuffs.
Maine makes more wooden toothpicks than any other state.
Jonesport holds the World’s Fastest Lobster Boat Race every Fourth of July.
Freeport native Joan Samuelson was the first woman to win the Olympic gold medal in the women’s marathon.
Maine is the only state that has declared war on a foreign country. They declared war on England over a
boundary dispute.
Senator Margaret Chase Smith was the first female U.S. presidential candidate to be nominated by a major
political party.
A groaner in Maine is a foghorn that has one long tone; a grunter has two.
The tide off the coast of Maine in the Bay of Fundy can reach up to 50 feet (15 m).
Maine is the only state that borders just one other state.
Bryant Pond is home to a three-story outhouse that is still in use today!
Climate
Maine is a great place for winter sports like skiing because of the long winters. Snowfall
averages between 60 and 90 inches (152–228 cm). The average winter temperature is
22°F (-6°C), but the wind chill can make it seem even colder. Maine summers are
generally comfortable. Temperatures stay around the 70s (21–26°C) in the daytime.
Every once in a while it gets into the 90s (32–37°C). Maine’s climate is humid, with
precipitation spread evenly throughout the year.
Average Seasonal High and Low Temperatures
Spring: 51/30°F
Summer: 75/55°F
Fall: 55/36°F
Winter: 28/8°F
Geography
Maine is about as big as the other five New England states combined. Glaciers, or
mountains of ice, covered Maine during the Ice Age. When the last glaciers melted,
they left hundreds of harbors, bays, and inlets and more than two thousand islands off
the coast. The state’s jagged coastline, with its numerous inlets and bays, measures
nearly 3,500 miles (5,633 km) in length. The glaciers didn’t just change the coastline.
New lakes and waterways were formed. The glaciers also left behind a lot of boulders
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and eskers, or long skinny ridges of dirt and rocks.
Resources and Economy
The phrase turf and surf is sometimes used to describe a meal of steak and seafood. It
could also be used to describe Maine’s natural resources and economy. Because of
Maine’s many forests, wood products such as paper, toothpicks, lumber, and wood pulp
are a big part of Maine’s economy. In fact, forests cover more than 80 percent of the
land. Lobster and shellfish are another large part of how Mainers earn their living.
Millions of pounds of lobster are harvested there each year! What is less well-known is
that Maine is a leading potato producer. Much of the soil is too acidic; however, a sandy
soil (perfect for potato farming) is found in the northeast corner of the state. Maine also
produces most of the country’s blueberries.
Time Line
Thousands of years ago, Paleo-Indians are Maine’s first inhabitants
AD 1500
AD 1524
Giovanni da Verrazano is possibly the first European to explore the
coast of Maine
1600
1604
The first European settlement in Maine is on an island in the Saint
Croix River
1641
York becomes America’s first chartered city
1652
Massachusetts takes over the territory of Maine as a defense against
the French and Abenaki
1675–1763
European powers fight for control of New England in a series of wars
that ends with the Seven Years’ War; the English win
1775
British ships burn Portland
1800
1814–18
The British occupy Castine and Eastport during the War of 1812;
Mainers are upset that Massachusetts didn’t better defend them
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1820
Maine becomes the 23rd state through the Missouri Compromise
1839
Maine threatens war on England
1851
Maine is the first state to outlaw alcohol
1866
A fire destroys much of Portland
1900
1918
Acadia National Park is created
1948
Margaret Chase Smith is the first woman to be elected a U.S. senator
1974
James Longley becomes the first U.S. popularly elected independent
governor
1980
President Jimmy Carter signs the Native American Land Claims
arrangement
1994
Governor Angus S. King Jr. becomes the second popularly elected
independent governor in the United States
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1998
Maine
An ice storm hits the state, leaving thousands without power for as
long as two weeks
2000
2003
The state enacts a controversial program to provide laptops to all
seventh grade students in the state
2007
Philanthropist Harold Alfond dies, leaving his fortune in the form of
college grants to every child born in the state starting in 2009
2009
A new record low temperature for the state is recorded at -50°F in
January
2012
Maine legalizes same-sex marriage
PRESENT
Early Mainers
Some of the first inhabitants of Maine were hunters who lived thousands of years ago.
These Paleo-Indians (paleo means “early”) disappeared probably because of changes
in the climate. Later Native Americans were of the Micmac and Wabanaki tribes. The
Micmac were hunters and gatherers, and the Wabanaki were fishers and farmers.
When the first Europeans began to settle New England, Maine’s harsh winters
discouraged many. However, Scottish, Irish, and Quakers from the other colonies
began to gather in Maine. Later, Germans, French, Italians, Poles, Russians, and
Africans also made Maine their home.
American Revolution
The population in Maine had divided loyalties during the American Revolution. For
people on the coast, England was an important overseas market for the colonists to sell
their products. Others were opposed to the unfair tax policies of the British and wanted
to fight for independence. Generally, the people living away from the coast supported
the Revolution. Thousands of men went off to fight the British. While no major battles
were fought in Maine, the people suffered from the war. After Mainers captured and
released a British officer, British ships bombarded Falmouth (today’s Portland).
Although no one was killed, the town and its port were almost totally destroyed. Also,
most of the American military efforts in Maine ended up as disasters.
Reforming Society
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Mainers have long been interested in improving their society. In the 1830s, they created
the Maine Antislavery Society. In 1851, the legislature (lawmaking body) passed a
prohibition law, banning the use of alcohol. It was the first such law in the country. The
law also gave police the right to go into any home or place of business to search for
illegal alcohol. Later, other states adopted laws similar to the Maine Law. But some
people were afraid that these laws gave too much power to the police. The Maine law
was later changed, though Mainers argued about alcohol for many years.
Freedom and Slavery
Before the Civil War, the United States was divided on the issue of slavery. Northern
states were free states, and no slavery was allowed. Southern states were slave states.
There was a delicate balance in government between the free states and the slave
states. Maine had never been considered its own state; it was a territory of
Massachusetts. In order to keep the balance in government, Maine was allowed to
become a separate state only if Missouri was allowed to become a state as well. Maine
was to be a free state and Missouri a slave state. This agreement was known as the
Missouri Compromise, passed in Congress in 1820.
The Growth of Industry
After the Civil War, Maine’s industries grew rapidly, and farming decreased in
importance. Mainers manufactured textiles, leather, ships, and paper products. At the
end of the 19th century, Maine began developing a valuable power source for its
industries. Hydroelectric power was generated for the first time from the state’s rivers.
Maine’s industrial growth continued into the 20th century.
Protecting the Environment
Many Mainers are concerned about the environment. During the 1960s and 1970s,
environmentalists worked to reform businesses by writing about their bad
environmental practices in the newspapers. Like other states, Maine also has to
balance protecting the environment with keeping its economy strong. But the state has
worked hard to control such problems as pollution, overfishing, overcrowding, and the
destruction of forestland. Maine’s strong environmental laws have set a standard for
other states to follow.
Population
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Initially, Maine’s population didn’t grow as fast as other states’ because of the harsh climate and repeated attacks on
the settlers by Native Americans. In the mid-1700s, the Massachusetts government offered free land to attract settlers
to Maine. The population grew by more than 10 times by the end of the century. One of the reasons people move to
Maine today is to enjoy the beauty and peace of the countryside. In fact, most Mainers live in rural (countryside) areas
instead of cities, and Maine is one of the most rural states in the United States. More than half of all Mainers live in the
southwest part of the state. The largest city is Portland, with more than 66,000 people.
Government
Capital: Augusta
State Abbreviation: ME
Governor: Paul LePage (Republican)
U.S. Senators: 2
Susan Collins (Republican)
Angus King (Independent)
U.S. Representatives: 2
Democrats: 2
State Senators: 35
State Representatives: 151
Counties: 16
Maine’s governor is elected for a term of four years. No governor may serve more
than two terms in a row.
There are more independent voters in Maine than Democratic or Republican
voters.
Famous People
L. L. Bean — Inventor and businessman
Patrick Dempsey — Actor
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Dorothea Dix
Maine
Dorothea Dix — Civil rights reformer
John Ford — Film director
Sarah Orne Jewett — Author
Anna Kendrick — Actress
Stephen King — Author
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — Poet
Edna St. Vincent Millay — Poet
Marston Morse — Mathematician
Walter Piston — Composer of orchestra and chamber music
Edwin Arlington Robinson — Poet
Margaret Chase Smith — Politician
Liv Tyler — Actress
E. B. White — Author of Charlotte’s Web
John Ford
Stephen King
Liv Tyler
Native America
After the first inhabitants of what is now Maine disappeared, later inhabitants formed
what they called the Wabanaki Confederacy. Wabanaki means “people of the dawn.”
This group was made up of the Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Abenaki, Passamaquoddy, and
Penobscot tribes. All the tribes were enemies of the powerful Iroquois, against whom
they banded together to fight. The Passamaquoddy and the Maliseet shared a common
language. The Maliseet were farmers and, along with the Passamaquoddy, spear
fished the rivers and streams in the spring and hunted moose and elk in the winter. The
tribes of the Wabanaki Confederacy lived in wigwams, conical or dome-shaped homes
made of animal skins held up with poles. Each of these tribes had a creation story
centered on a person called Gluskabe. The stories vary, but Gluskabe was always the
hero who created the earth and brought fire to humans. Family groups passed on these
stories as well as their history and traditions orally.
The Wabanaki Confederacy traded with early French settlers, but then France lost the
area to Great Britain. So many settlers poured into what is now Maine that the tribes
had a hard time maintaining their way of life. Many Abenakis and Maliseet retreated to
Canada to avoid having to confront the newcomers.
Today only about .5 percent of the population of Maine is Native American. There are,
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however, five federally recognized tribes living in the state: the Aroostook Band of
Mi’kmaqs, the Houlton Band of Maliseet, the Passamaquoddy Tribe of Indian Township,
the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, and the Penobscot Nation. Each tribe is
considered to be its own nation, separate from the United States and with its own
government. There are two Passamaquoddy reservations: Sipayik at Pleasant Point
and Motahkokmikuk at Indian Township. The Maliseet live along the Meduxnekeag
River, and the Mi’kmaq live further north at Presque Isle. The Penobscot reservation is
actually located on an island in the middle of the Penobscot River in southern Maine. In
1980, President Carter signed the groundbreaking Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act,
awarding the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, and Maliseet tribes of Maine $81.5 million to
be used to purchase back some of their land and to be invested as a trust fund for tribal
members.
Ahead of the Class
Maine was the first state in the United States to connect all its schools and libraries to
the internet. Access to the internet for all school-age children helps them to learn more
about the world around them from their own classrooms. And there are efforts by
Maine’s researchers to enhance the capabilities of computers even more. Some
students and teachers at the University of Maine are working to create a computer that
can think more like humans do.
Scary Stories
Mainer Stephen King has become one of the most famous modern American literary
icons. Carrie, King’s first published novel about a socially awkward teenage girl with
psychic powers, was sold to the Doubleday publishing house in 1974. King’s bestselling
novels, including It, The Shining, and The Stand, soon came to define the horror genre.
King, who was a huge fan of comics, is also well known for including elements of
fantasy and science fiction in his books. His seven-book series The Dark Tower is a
fantasy epic with a western flavor. Now internationally famous, King has published
more than 50 novels, hundreds of short stories, and his tales have been made into
films, TV series, and several miniseries. He has received many literary awards,
including the National Book Awards Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to
American literature.
State Symbols
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State Bird
Black-capped chickadee—Chickadee make their nests from the hair of four-legged
animals, such as cows.
State Tree
White pine—These trees were once used to create the masts for the British Royal Navy
ships.
State Flower
White pine cone and tassel—Mainers chose the pine cone as the state flower in 1894.
State Animal
Moose—Moose are good swimmers and often will wade into lakes and ponds to eat the
plants there.
Other Symbols
Berry: Wild blueberry
Cat: Maine coon cat
Fish: Landlocked salmon
Fossil: Pertica quadrifaria
Gemstone: Tourmaline
Herb: Wintergreen
Insect: Honeybee
Song: “State of Maine Song”
State Motto
Dirigo—This is Latin for “I Direct” or “I Lead.”
Pro Sports Teams
There are currently no professional sports teams in Maine.
For More Information
See www.maine.gov or contact the Maine Office of Tourism, 59 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333; phone (888)
MAINE-45; web site www.visitmaine.com.
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