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Kennebec-Chaudiére Heritage Corridor
Take a trip down one of Maine’s most storied roads, the Kennebec-Chaudière Corridor. Running 230 miles from Québec City to Popham Beach, Maine, the corridor extends sixteen miles on either side of Route 201 (Maine) and Route 173 (Québec).
Two great river valleys form the corridor: the Kennebec in Maine and the Chaudière in Québec. Centuries ago, the rivers were passages to the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of Maine for the Abenaki. Beginning early in the seventeenth century, European traders and settlers traveled up the Kennebec to explore the interior of Maine. The Kennebec and Chaudière also served as the border between French and English colonial settlements. In 1763, the French gave up their claim to Acadia and Québec fell under English rule after nearly one hundred years of struggle for control of this important trading region. Generations later, thousands of French Canadians would travel the corridor to find work in Maine’s woods, mills, and shoe factories.
From the forested wilderness of Jackman to the coastal tidewaters of Merrymeeting Bay, the Kennebec-Chaudière Heritage Corridor is a land of many voices. Come hear the stories.
We lack the courage to be where we are. We love too much to travel on old roads.
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