Joseph Treat
Photo: Maine State Archives.
In September 1820, Maine’s first Governor William King sent Major Joseph Treat to survey the lands adjoining the Saint John and Penobscot rivers. The rivers were natural features that Treat could use to define and describe the northern reach of the new State of Maine. The border with British North America (Canada) had yet to be agreed upon. The area had been visited by French explorers and colonists, and it remains the homeland of the Wabanaki peoples, the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Mi’kmaq. Relying heavily upon the knowledge of his guide, Penobscot Lieutenant Governor John Neptune, Treat, also joined by his cousin Jacob Holyoke, created detailed maps and wrote journal notes to describe Maine’s wilderness.
Treat’s official function, as assigned by Governor King, was to report on the forests and soils and to describe the landscape’s rich timber resources, noting evidence of illegal logging operations. Treat also recorded Wabanaki names of rivers and mountains, interviewed settlers he met, and described, in sometimes painful detail, the journey's difficulties brought by supply shortages and bad weather. After 56 days of travel, covering over 500 miles, the small party concluded their journey on November 20, 1820.
