RIVER LIFE. 177 



The Msclioodiac, more generally known as the St. Croix, con- 

 stitutes the first link in the boundary between Maine and the 

 province of New Brunswick. 



The name by which this river is more generally known is St. 

 Croix, which is probably of French origin. The original and In- 

 dian name is Schoodiac. An intelligent Indian, belonging to the 

 Penobscot tribe, to whom I am indebted for the signification of 

 the original names which our rivers bear, informed me that the 

 signification of Msclioodiac was, " Burned land river," " Open 

 space," or "Wide prospect river," thus deriving its name from 

 some peculiarity in the country along its borders. 



Probably, at some period anterior to the white man's knowledge 

 of our Western World, a section of forest adjacent to some part of 

 the river was destroyed by fire, originating perhaps in the torch 

 of some invading tribe as they laid waste the wigwams of their 

 discomfited enemies, or from the embers of the little fire kindled 

 by the hungry hunter to cook his hurried meal. In process of 

 time, the principal part of a forest, withered and destroyed by 

 such a devastating scourge, would fall to the ground, opening 

 wide prospects where densely-compacted forest trees once com- 

 pletely circumscribed the view. But the river may have derived 

 its name from a circumstance of still earlier date, viz., the exist- 

 ence of immense fields of meadow land, which abound more or 

 less in the whole region lying about the St. Croix, often affording 

 the voyager an unobstructed view for miles up and down the 

 stream. In former years vast quantities of this wild grass were 

 cut by lumbermen for the subsistence of oxen and horses during 

 their winter operations. 



The St. Croix has two branches, the east and west ; the lat- 

 ter, at its source, is contiguous to the head-waters of the Machias 

 River in the west, while the former, being of more importance 

 and greater magnitude, stretches far to the north to the lakes, 

 whence is its source. Of these bodies of water mention may be 



