Devil’s Head eyed for historic register

CALAIS – An American Indian fishing site at Devil’s Head, a popular hiking trail, is believed to be more than 2,000 years old and may be considered for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Maine Historic Preservation Commission plans to nominate the 1-acre site for entry on the register.

Arthur Spiess, senior archaeologist for the commission, said a register listing “is a good attention-getter and reminder for the future that the location is regarded as important and needs due consideration in planning.”

Artifacts believed to have been left behind by the Passamaquoddy Tribe have been found on the site.

“These pieces, many being small fragments of shell, bone or pottery, would appear inconsequential to the casual observer but are most valuable to the area’s archaeological record,” Lee Sochasky, executive director of the St. Croix International Waterway Commission, said in a recent letter to the City Council.

It was Sochasky who three years ago successfully pulled together local, state and federal funding sources to acquire Devil’s Head for the city. She said the nomination would not have a financial impact on the city.

Located on U.S. Route 1, the 340-foot-high Devil’s Head is the highest headland in the state north of Acadia National Park.

It is believed the Passamaquoddy may have used the site as a fishing and occupation site at various intervals between the Early Ceramic period, more than 2,000 years ago, up to the early 1800s.

It was also in the area that the Indians had their first contact with the French, when, in 1604, French explorers Sieur de Monts and Samuel de Champlain and an expedition of 78 men settled nearby St. Croix Island. The French abandoned the site after a harsh winter killed more than half of the men.

The Passamaquoddy Tribe called Devil’s Head “Kwagustchusk,” or the dirt mountain, because of its deeply eroded frontage.

Its current name is derived from d’Orville’s Head, named after Sieur d’Orville, one of the Frenchmen who lived on the nearby island for a few months in 1604.

Today the 315-acre site is a popular hiking trail. Two years ago, the Maine Conservation Corps and volunteers built the 1.5-mile gently climbing trail there.

The interest in Devil’s Head began more than a decade ago when Calais resident Brand Livingstone hiked to the top to take pictures. While he was on the way down, he became convinced that the 340-foot promontory needed to be preserved.

He approached the St. Croix International Waterway Commission and during a 21/2-year period Sochasky pieced together the acquisition of the five parcels using funds from a wide range of local, state and federal sources.