Dead River (Kennebec River)

For the Androscoggin River tributary in Maine, see Dead River (Androscoggin River).

Dead River
Dead River showing East Kennebago Mountain
Country	United States
Basin
Main source	Maine 1,145 feet (350 m)
River mouth	Kennebec River 570 feet (170 m) 45°20′0″N 69°58′11″W / 45.33333°N 69.96972°W / 45.33333; -69.96972Coordinates: 45°20′0″N 69°58′11″W / 45.33333°N 69.96972°W / 45.33333; -69.96972
Physical characteristics
Length	43 miles (69 km)
Features
Tributaries	Left: North Branch Dead River Right: South Branch Dead River

The Dead River, sometimes called the West Branch, is a 42.6-mile-long (68.6 km)^[1] river in central Maine in the United States. Its source is Flagstaff Lake, where its two main tributaries, South Branch Dead River and North Branch Dead River, join (45°09′41″N 70°25′55″W / 45.1615°N 70.4320°W / 45.1615; -70.4320 (Dead River source)). It flows generally east to join the Kennebec River at The Forks, Maine.

The Dead River played a role in the American Revolution. In the fall of 1775 then newly commissioned Colonel Benedict Arnold led a force of over 1000 men on a grueling trip through Maine, as part of the invasion of Canada. Ascending the Kennebec in bateaux, they avoided the rapids of the lower Dead River via a portage of about 12 miles (20 km) at the "Great Carrying Place" (Carrying Place–Carrying Place Town, Maine Townships 1–2, Range 3, BKP WKR) to a position above Long Falls (now drowned in Flagstaff Lake). They proceeded up the North Branch of the Dead River, through the Chain of Ponds to Arnold Pond in Coburn Gore (T.2/3 R.6 WBKP), and across the height of land into the watershed of Quebec's Chaudière River.

The logging industry is prominent in the area. Flagstaff Lake was formed by Long Falls Dam in 1950,^[2] to regulate the flow of the Dead River into the Kennebec River. At the time, the river drive was still a primary means of delivering timber to the pulp mills downstream. Although improved highways and the trucking industry have replaced the river drive, water releases continue to serve hydroelectric power-generating plants downstream.

Recreation

The majestic Bigelow Mountain Range looks down from Flagstaff Lake's southern shore, making the Dead River region a scenic favorite for outdoor enthusiasts.

It is a popular river with whitewater boaters and rafters. The whitewater releases are controlled from Flagstaff Lake, which has been dammed and made into a reservoir, and range from 1200 to 7000 ft³/s (35–200 m³/s) and range in difficulty from easy class 2 to class 4+. The length of the run is 15 miles (24 km) from the put-in at Spencer Stream to the take-out at West Forks with no easy access by road. Boaters must be prepared for at least 5 hours of paddling of varying difficulty.^[3]

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) is a 740-mile (1,190 km) marked canoeing route extending from Old Forge, New York, to Fort Kent, Maine. From a four-mile portage between Wrangler on Wrangler Lake and Dallas Plantation on the South Branch, the trail runs about 35 miles (60 km) down the Dead River, to the mouth of Spencer Stream below Grand Falls.

References

↑ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map, accessed June 30, 2011
↑ Patrick, Ruth (1994). Rivers of the United States: The eastern and southeastern states; Volume 3 of Rivers of the United States. John Wiley and Sons. p. 74. ISBN 978-0-471-30346-6.
↑ "Dead — Spencer Falls to West Forks". American Whitewater. 2009-11-06. Retrieved 2010-11-18.

External links

"Dead River". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 30 September 1980. Retrieved 2010-11-18.

Kennebec River Watershed

Tributaries	Abagadasset River Carrabassett River Dead River East Branch Eastern River East Branch Moose River East Branch Sebasticook River Eastern River Lemon Stream Little River Moose River Moxie Falls North Branch Dead River Roach River Sandy River Sebasticook River South Branch Dead River South Branch Moose River South Branch Sandy River West Branch Carrabassett River West Branch Eastern River West Branch Moose River

Lakes	Annabessacook Lake Attean Pond Brassua Lake China Lake Cobbosseecontee Lake East Pond Embden Pond Enchanted Pond First Roach Pond Flagstaff Lake Great Moose Lake Great Pond Indian Pond Long Pond (Belgrade Lakes) Long Pond (Moose River) Maranacook Lake Messalonskee Lake Moosehead Lake Moxie Pond Narrows Pond North Pond Pleasant Pond Sebasticook Lake Spencer Lake Staples Pond Unity Pond Wood Pond Wyman Dam

Towns	Albion Anson Athens Augusta Bath Belgrade Benton Bingham Burnham Caratunk Chesterville China Clinton Corinna Detroit Dexter Embden Fairfield Farmingdale Farmington Gardiner Greenville Hallowell Harmony Hartland Jackman Kingfield Madison Manchester Monmouth Moscow New Portland New Sharon New Vineyard Newport Norridgewock Oakland Phillips Pittsfield Readfield Richmond Rockwood Rome Saint Albans Sidney Skowhegan Solon Smithfield Stratton Strong Unity Vassalboro Vienna Waterville Wilton Winslow Winthrop Woolwich

Landmarks	Mount Abraham Arnold Trail Augusta Memorial Bridge Bath Iron Works Bigelow Preserve Mount Bigelow Carlton Bridge Crocker Mountain Fort Halifax Harris Station Dam International Railway of Maine Kennebec Central Railroad Maine Kennebec Bridge Major Reuben Colburn House Pearl Harbor Remembrance Bridge Mount Redington Sagadahoc Bridge Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad Somerset and Kennebec Railroad Somerset Railroad Spaulding Mountain Sugarloaf Mountain Togus

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