Friends of Preseumpscot River

Short by most standards, the Presumpscot rolls twenty-five miles, from Sebago Lake to Casco Bay, passing through Windham, Gorham, Westbrook, Falmouth and Portland. However, in that short distance it drops over 270 feet. It’s short but the impact is great. With a watershed of 648 square miles, the Presumpscot is the largest freshwater input into Casco Bay.

Its name, “Presumpscot”, originates from the local Abenaki word meaning “many falls” or “many rough places”, revealing its true natural identity. The river embraced vast amounts of river spawning Atlantic salmon, shad, and alewives as well as being home to land-locked salmon, brook trout, and the now extinct Presumpscot Jumper. In 1650 it was noted that, “…at certain times, the entire surface of the river for a foot deep was all fish.”

Before being drowned by dams, the Presumpscot had at least 12 falls along its length, including the following:
Wescott Falls
Great Falls
Whitney Falls
Island Falls
Dundee Falls
Leavitts Falls Gambo Falls
Little Falls
Mallison Falls
Saccarappa Falls
Ammonscongin Falls
Presumpscot Falls