boundary between the United States and Canada . This status , as well as being located at the easternmost edge of the continental United States , makes Downeast Maine the place where the sun , moon , and stars rise first in the nation . One of the two Passamaquoddy villages in the region is called Sipayik , which translates to “ along the edge ” in Passamaquoddy . The Tribal name “ Wabanaki ” means “ people of the dawn land ” in the Passamaquoddy tribal language .
Historic villages and ornate homes built in the nation ’ s infancy remain intact on coves and rivers where timber , shipbuilding , and fisheries industries boomed . Our granite and timber industries helped build the infrastructure of these small towns and many early eastern cities . Canning of wild blueberries and seafood thrived in most Downeast communities , feeding citizens and soldiers across the nation . Forest products , fisheries , and wild blueberries continue to drive the local economy across Downeast Maine .
St . Croix paper Mill Woodland , 1910 - Sprague ’ s Falls on the St . Croix River was identified as an ideal location for a dam and a paper mill by a consortium of businessmen , who formed the St . Croix Paper Company . The St . Croix River enabled the region ’ s forestry economy to prosper since early settlers cleared the seemingly endless stretches of towering white pines . Thousands of men and horses hauled logs from inland forests and drove them downstream to nearly 140 mills in the St . Croix valley . Remnants of wharves are still visible along the river . A forest products manufacturing facility continues to operate in Woodland , supporting many Bold Coast families in the Calais area . Image courtesy of Penobscot Marine Museum .
Downeast Maine remains one of the last places in this country to be highly developed .
The region ’ s unparalleled natural beauty and outdoor recreation assets remain a primary draw to residents and visitors of all walks of life . Franklin Delano and Eleanor Roosevelt summered on Campobello Island , where conversations took place that fueled national and international policy . The Wabanaki summered in Bar Harbor for thousands of years . When the region became well-known by artists , socialites , and outdoor enthusiasts , they sold baskets and other art and crafts to tourists .
The land that makes up much of Acadia , the first National Park east of the Mississippi , and now one of the most popular in the nation , was donated to the public by visionary private citizens
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