Storied Lands & Waters (SLW)

Click Above to Download

Storied Lands & Waters of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway is an assessment of the historic and cultural resources of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

This publication presents a detailed look at the exceptional assets of the Allagash for scholars, scientists, historians, and the general public. It also advances teaching and learning opportunities for Maine’s teachers and classrooms.

The Maine State Library has created a digital archive of AWWF resources. A download of the report is available here.

What People are Saying about the Project

If the Allagash Wilderness Waterway had a voice, Storied Lands & Waters would surely be it. Never before have the heritage resources of the Allagash been so well documented and presented; nor has a blueprint for telling the story been so well conceived. — Bob McIntosh, National Park Service (retired)

Waters of the Allagash run deep. For millennia before Europeans arrived, the Wabanaki lived along its shores. In recent times, French, English, Irish, and Swedes lived and worked along its course.“Sports” hired local guides to partake in its legendary hunting and fishing. Storied Lands & Waters will connect you to the many others who have plied these waters with you. — David Putnam, Archaeologist, University of Maine at Presque Isle

When one travels by canoe, stories flow – vignettes of place by those who were here first, by those who made livings here, and by those seeking their own re-creation here. Storied Lands and Waters is a new vessel for those who travel the Allagash and wish to know more of it. — Ron Beard, Veteran Allagash traveler and Extension Professor, University of Maine

As a long-time visitor to the Allagash, I hope Storied Lands & Waters will help its wanderers discover the abiding wonders and sense of well-being the Waterway affords, and inspire their efforts to protect and maintain the Allagash for future generations. — Amanda Barker, Allagash visitor for some 35+ years and Northern Maine Educator

Senator Edmund S. Muskie believed passionately in the need to “preserve the Allagash in perpetuity.” Storied Lands & Waters offers a rich study of the several worlds known as “The Allagash,” and ways in which we and future generations may help realize the Senator’s vision. — Don Nicoll, staff to Sen. Muskie’s efforts to create the Allagash Wilderness Waterway

The rich historical and cultural resources of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway have inspired visitors and staff for generations. The vision, thematic outlines, and recommendations of Storied Lands and Waters offer a clear path to sustain this inspiration, as well as to preserve the Waterway’s enduring values. — Sheila McDonald, Deputy Director, Maine State Museum

Storied Lands & Waters marks a milestone in the history of the Allagash. It offers the best possible assessment of the Waterway’s historic and cultural resources, as well as a decade’s worth of interpretive projects to deepen understanding of its enduring importance. — Don Hudson, President Emeritus, Chewonki Foundation

Impacts 

AWWF continues to build on the recommendations from the Storied Lands and Waters report, with the following results: 

• 2019: Vintage guest records from the Jalbert Camps on Round Pond copied and stored in the Acadian Archives at the University of Maine Fort Kent
• 2020: Artist in Residence program inaugurated at Lock Dam Cabin
• 2020: Allagash Explorer, A Take-Along Companion to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway published by AWWF
• 2021: Classroom to River initiative introduced in three St. John Valley middle schools