On The History of Its History: St. Croix Island Celebrations and The Missing Indians

The following presentation was delivered at the 400th Anniversary celebration of the founding of the French Colony on St. Croix Island by explorers Sieur de Monts and Samuel de Champlain in 1604. The colony was short-lived, but its timing was auspicious. The first European settlement in Maine, it was followed in 1607 by the Popham Colony, now coming up on its own 400th anniversary. In his talk, delivered in Calais on June 25, 2004, Director Abate reflects on the previous celebrations of this founding event and, like other authors in this issue, expounds on the meaning of Native American history in the Maine experience