Monument One
 | |
| 45°56′36″N 67°46′52″W / 45.9434°N 67.7812°W | |
| Location | Monument Brook, Amity, Maine |
|---|---|
| Type | boundary marker |
| Material | cast iron obelisk, concrete base |
| Height | 14 feet (4.3 m) |
| Beginning date | 1797 |
| Completion date | 1843 |
| Restored date | 1972 |
Monument One is a boundary marker on the Maine–New Brunswick border in the town of Amity, Maine. It was erected in 1843, the first permanent marker on the Canada–United States border.
Construction
[edit]Surveyors erected the first marker in 1797, consisting of iron hoops around a yellow birch tree, with a stake in the ground nearby.
A square cedar post was installed on July 31, 1817. The permanent cast iron marker was installed in 1843, after the signing of the Webster–Ashburton Treaty. A concrete base was added in 1972. [1]
Inscriptions
[edit]The inscription on one side reads "Treaty of Washington, Boundary August 9th, 1842". On the other two sides of the marker are the names of the US and British Commissioners,[2] Lieutenant James B. B. Estcourt and Albert Smith.
Location
[edit]Monument One marks the headwaters of the St. Croix River and the south end of the "North Line", which runs straight north for 78 miles (126 km).[3] It is at the western corner of Richmond Parish and North Lake Parish and near the rural community of Monument.[4]
Access
[edit]Access is difficult, as no main roads run to the site. A logging road, accessible from Monument Road, passes nearby, but there is no path to the monument, only a trail marked by pink ribbons. Crossing a wetland area is necessary to approach the monument itself.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ Shane Fowler; Poitras, Jacques (Aug 4, 2017). "Monument One: A trek to the start of the border". CBC News. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- ^ Chip Gagnon (23 Oct 2011). "The Border Dispute: How the Maine-New Brunswick border was finalized". www.upperstjohn.com. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- ^ "On the Boundary, Part 1: Maine". The Lay of the Land. The Center for Land Use Interpretation. 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- ^ NB Survey Control Network Map
- ^ Nathan DeLong (August 4, 2017). "Tough trek in to history at the Maine-N.B. border". www.telegraphjournal.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2017 – via Google Cache.
External links
[edit]- "IBC - CFI". www.internationalboundarycommission.org. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- "UNITED DIVIDE: A LINEAR PORTRAIT OF THE USA/CANADA BORDER: CHAPTER 1: EASTERN MAINE". The Center for Land Use Interpretation. Retrieved 13 August 2017.