HOME: The Story of Maine
"A Part of the Main": European Settlement of the
Mainland
Lesson 2: Mapping with Words
Place Names Chart
|
Penobscot or Passamaquoddy/Maliseet Place Name |
English Place Name |
Meaning of Penobscot, Passamaquoddy/Maliseet, Micmac or Abenaki Name |
| Katahdin | Mount Katahdin | Principal mountain or hill |
| Nicatow | Medway | Fork of a river |
| Matawamkeag | Mattawamkeag | At the mouth a gravel bar |
| Mugaleepahwangan | A small pond outside of Lincoln | The caribou trail (the pond used to be part of an old caribou route) |
| Skutahzis | Eskutassis Stream | Brook trout stream |
| Passadumkeag | Passadumkeag River | Above the gravel bar |
| Oolamon-oosuk | Olamon Island | Red paint place (natural occurrence of red hematite, used as adornment) |
| Pannawambskek | Indian Island and Old Town | Where the ledges spread out (after the many falls between Bangor and Old Town) |
| Penobscot | Penobscot River | At the descending rock (originally meant to refer to a section of the river between Old Town and Bangor) |
| Skitikuk | Stillwater River | Still water, dead water |
| Madamiscomtis | Blackman Stream, Bradley | Plenty of alewives |
| Wabenobanktuk | Veazie Falls | White-water falls |
| Mitanganessuk | First Falls at Eddington Bend | Head of the tide |
| Kenduskeag | Kenduskeag Stream | Eel-weir place |
| Edalawikekehadimuk | Hampden Narrows | Place where they made markings or writings (according to an old legend, rock-fairies would mark the rocks here to record the number of canoes that went by) |
| Edalitwakilmauk | Bald Hill Cove, Winterport | Place where you have to run up hill (according to an old custom, men and women would run up the gravel bluff here to see who was the fastest) |
| Kwikwimeswiticook | Marsh River | Black duck stream` |
| Passagassawaukeag | Belfast Bay | Place for spearing sturgeon by torchlight |
| Catawamtek | Lermond’s Cove, Rockland | Great landing place (this was used as a principal landing; from here, canoes could be carried to three different westward routes) |