Out at the very tip of Bailey Island in a place known as “Land’s End” stands this monument. The plaque reads: “A memorial to all Maine fishermen who have devoted their lives to the sea.” Some fishermen here in Maine still do devote their lives to the sea, although nowadays it is becoming a “quaint” idea. Now we have large commercial operations, but there was a time when fishing was a typical way to make a living.
Even before the Plymouth Colony was settled in the 1600s,
European ships were visiting Maine and
partaking of the massive amount of fish available in the Gulf of Maine. It’s hard for people to think of that. Usually we think of the discovery of America in
1492, a few misguided interactions here and there, and then the Pilgrims. The Pilgrim settlements are the point where
many people begin American history in earnest, but so much was happening here
before they even arrived. The fisheries
along the coast of Maine
were a vital part of the economy to the first settlers. The huge amount of cod available in the Gulf of Maine
fed not only colonial America
but was also sent to the West Indies to feed
slaves.
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| Memorial to Maine fisherman on Bailey Island, Maine. |
The fish could be sent as far as the West
Indies due to a new development of preserving fish by sun-drying
them with periodic applications of salt.
The desiccated fish took longer to prepare than traditional barrels of
brined fish, but once done, they were durable and could withstand tropical
temperatures. They also could be easily
carried by an army. Because all of this
was done on land instead of at sea as brining was done, the fishermen began
staying in Maine instead of returning back to Europe.
Then eventually the Pilgrims came. They came after several failed attempts and
botched relationships with the natives. The
English were not exactly diplomatic in their dealings with the Native
Americans, but when they had finally secured the area from the French and
Spanish (who also coveted this land), the situation became safe enough for the
Pilgrims to arrive.
You know the rest of the story from your history books, but
if it hadn’t been for the fisheries initially set up all along the coast,
American history might have been drastically different. Settlements may have occurred later and
perhaps not by the English. So here’s to
all the Maine fishermen--then and now--who
have devoted their lives to the sea and to the early formation of America as we
know it.
