Messalonskee Lake is a body of water in the

Belgrade Lakes The Belgrade Lakes are a chain of lakes around Belgrade, Maine. The flow sequence is from East Pond to North Pond to Great Pond to Long Pond to Messalonskee Lake and thence via Messalonskee Stream to the Kennebec River at Waterville. The lakes h ...

region of Maine. It is bordered by the towns of

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

Sidney Sidney may refer to: People * Sidney (surname), English surname * Sidney (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Sidney (footballer, born 1972), full name Sidney da Silva Souza, Brazilian football defensive midfielder * ...

, and

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

. 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 The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, yellow perch, white perch, sunfish,

painted Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...

and snapping turtles,

loon Loons (North American English) or divers (British / Irish English) are a group of aquatic birds found in much of North America and northern Eurasia. All living species of loons are members of the genus ''Gavia'', family Gaviidae and order Gavi ...

s, and occasionally Bald Eagles can be seen soaring above the lake. The surrounding community has recently formed the Messalonskee Lake Association in the interest of its protection and preservation. Like some Maine lakes, Messalonskee Lake has seen infestations of Milfoil. Messalonskee Lake Association Milfoil Program The lake is also more commonly called "Snow Pond", a reference to Philip Snow who settled in the area in 1774. Many summer camps and related tourist accommodations are located on Messalonskee Lake, among them the

New England Music Camp The New England Music Camp (NEMC) is a summer camp for music students ages 11–18, located on in Sidney, Maine, on the eastern shore of Messalonskee Lake Messalonskee Lake is a body of water in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine. It is bordere ...

, which was founded in 1937.

References

External links

Friends of Messalonskee, formerly known as Snow Pond Messalonskee Lake Association
{{authority control Reservoirs in Maine Lakes of Kennebec County, Maine