Searching for the indigenous petroglyphs of the Passamaquoddy people

August 9, 2024, 9:00 AM - Jenkin's Beach, Dedham, Maine with destination of Machiasport, Maine by Charles Rankin

Introduction

Aurora Trails had learned about 3,000-year-old indigenous petroglyphs one morning while at Green Lake. It was going to be a rainy day at camp so perfect for a Jeep adventure to Machiasport in search of the petroglyphs and to explore far Eastern Maine.

We learned that the petroglyphs were sacred among the Passamaquoddy people and also may be hidden from the tides. The petroglyphs are of humans, animals, and symbols and along rocks and stones in Machiasport.

When we started, we only knew that they were in the Machiasport area, so we started the hour and forty-five-minute drive after some good coffee in Ellsworth. The trip was going to go down US-1 along the coast through Hancock and Sullivan and then ME-92 S to Machiasport. US-1 is a good ride through small New England towns with country stores, antique shops, and incredible views of the Maine coast.

We finally arrived in Machiasport a few hours later and drove through the old New England town. Machiasport was established in the 1760s and The First Naval Battle of the American Revolution with has a lot of historical significance in the area. The Machias Bay area was originally inhabited by the Passamaquoddy people, part of the Wabanaki Confederacy.

The trip changed as we needed more information so we decided to see if we could find more information at the Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point Reservation, also known as Sipayik. The Passamaquoddy people, known as the "People of the Dawn," live on a peninsula near the Passamaquoddy Bay. As a rainy day and on a Sunday the museum was closed for the Passamaquoddy Days festival. As we could not find any information, we decided to head to Holmes Point which we read also had petroglyphs.

The trusty Jeep made its way along the curvy road following the bay to Holmes Point. Again, we could not find the petroglyphs and the tide was coming in. My travel companion suggested we call it but as we were already in eastern Maine, we decided to head to Eastport.

Eastport is this incredible old fishing and boat building New England town established around 1800 along the water with cobbled streets and old pubs. We decided to get out of the rain for a while and enjoyed some drinks at the local brewery in Eastport.

The last stop on our adventure was to see the West Quoddy Head Lighthouse in Lubec, Maine. An iconic lighthouse built in 1808. The lighthouse is still in use we learned and has a really nice museum of the lighthouse throughout the years.

On the way back we came across a blueberry building which was a Blueberry Museum with blueberry raking equipment and history and also had natural information about local animals and the native americans of the area. Jamie and I spent many years every summer raking blueberries so we knew the blueberry rakes very well.

We finally decided to head back to Green Lake after a great day adventuring.

Itinerary

Total time: From waking up to walking back into the camp at Jenkin's Beach about 9 hours

Gear

iPhone13 Pro Max

iPhone mount on a tripod

2020 Jeep Renegade

Media

Information

The Sipayik people, the People of the Dawn

Merchandise

Hoodies, T-Shirts, Canvas prints and stickers for personal and others who have enjoyed the post