Messalonskee Lake and Stream
Encyclopedia
Messalonskee Lake and Stream is a body of water
in the Belgrade Lakes region of Central Maine
, USA
. It is bordered by the towns of Oakland
, Sidney
, and Belgrade
. The lake is a 9 mile long, narrow, natural creation, resulting from continental collision and glacial scouring. A dam originally built in the town of Oakland in 1905 increased the lake's size.
In the first part of the 20th century, Messalonskee Stream provided waterpower for Oakland's Cascade Woolen Mill, as well as for a number of factories responsible for Oakland's long-defunct title as "axehead capital of the world."
Messalonskee Lake is home to a great variety of wildlife, including great blue heron
s, bass
, yellow perch
, white perch
, sunfish
, painted
and snapping turtles, loon
s, and now the lake has recently have Bald Eagles come to the lake. The surrounding community has recently formed the Messalonskee Lake Association in the interest of its protection and preservation.
Like many Maine lakes, Messalonskee Lake has seen infestations of Milfoil
.
The lake is also more commonly called Snow Pond.
Many summer camps and related tourist accommodations are located on Messalonskee Lake, among them the New England Music Camp
, which was founded in 1937.
Body of water
A body of water or waterbody is any significant accumulation of water, usually covering the Earth or another planet. The term body of water most often refers to large accumulations of water, such as oceans, seas, and lakes, but it may also include smaller pools of water such as ponds, puddles or...
in the Belgrade Lakes region of Central Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is bordered by the towns of Oakland
Oakland, Maine
Oakland is a town in Kennebec County in the U.S. state of Maine. The population was 6,240 at the 2010 census. . Gateway to the Belgrade Lakes region, Oakland is 4 miles west of Waterville and approximately 18 miles north of Augusta, the state capital.-History:It was first settled about 1780 by...
, Sidney
Sidney
Sidney may refer to:-United States:* Sidney, Arkansas* Sidney, Illinois* Sidney, Indiana* Sidney, Iowa* Sidney, Kentucky* Sidney, Maine* Sidney, Montana* Sidney, Nebraska* Sidney , New York** Sidney , New York* Sidney, Ohio...
, and Belgrade
Belgrade, Maine
Belgrade is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,978 at the 2000 census. Belgrade's population, however, approximately doubles during the summer months as part-year residents return to seasonal camps located on the shores of Great Pond, Long Pond and Messalonskee...
. The lake is a 9 mile long, narrow, natural creation, resulting from continental collision and glacial scouring. A dam originally built in the town of Oakland in 1905 increased the lake's size.
In the first part of the 20th century, Messalonskee Stream provided waterpower for Oakland's Cascade Woolen Mill, as well as for a number of factories responsible for Oakland's long-defunct title as "axehead capital of the world."
Messalonskee Lake is home to a great variety of wildlife, including great blue heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s, bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
, yellow perch
Yellow perch
The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...
, white perch
White perch
The white perch, Morone americana, is not a true perch but is, rather, a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America.The name "white perch" is sometimes erroneously applied to the white crappie....
, sunfish
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...
, painted
Painted Turtle
The painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to Louisiana and northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The turtle is the only species of the genus Chrysemys, which is part of the pond turtle...
and snapping turtles, loon
Loon
The loons or divers are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia...
s, and now the lake has recently have Bald Eagles come to the lake. The surrounding community has recently formed the Messalonskee Lake Association in the interest of its protection and preservation.
Like many Maine lakes, Messalonskee Lake has seen infestations of Milfoil
Myriophyllum
Myriophyllum is a genus of about 69 species of freshwater aquatic plants, with a cosmopolitan distribution. The center of diversity for Myriophyllum is Australia with 43 recognized species...
.
The lake is also more commonly called Snow Pond.
Many summer camps and related tourist accommodations are located on Messalonskee Lake, among them the New England Music Camp
New England Music Camp
The New England Music Camp is a summer camp for music students ages 11–18, located on in Sidney, Maine, on the eastern shore of Messalonskee Lake in the Belgrade Lakes region. It was founded in 1937 on the site of the defunct Eastern Music Camp....
, which was founded in 1937.