Messalonskee Lake is a
body of water
A body of water or waterbody (often spelled water body) is any significant accumulation of water on the surface of Earth or another planet. The term most often refers to oceans, seas, and lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such a ...
in the
Belgrade Lakes region of
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...
. It is bordered by the towns of
Oakland,
Sidney, and
Belgrade. 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
herons,
bass,
yellow perch
The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Sam ...
,
white perch
The white perch (''Morone americana'') is not a true perch but is a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America. In some places it is referred to as "Silver Bass".
The name "White per ...
,
sunfish,
painted and
snapping turtles
The Chelydridae is a family of turtles that has seven extinct and two extant genera. The extant genera are the snapping turtles, ''Chelydra'' and ''Macrochelys''. Both are endemic to the Western Hemisphere. The extinct genera are ''Acherontemys' ...
,
loons, 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, 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