Messalonskee Lake

Messalonskee Lake is a body of water in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine. It is bordered by the towns of Oakland, Sidney, and Belgrade. The lake is a 9 miles (14 km) long, narrow, natural creation, resulting from continental collision and glacial scouring. A dam originally built in the town of Oakland in 1905 increased the lake's size.

Messalonskee Lake
Snow Pond
Postcard view
Messalonskee Lake Show map of Maine Messalonskee Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Belgrade Lakes Region, Maine
Coordinates	44°29′N 69°47′W
Type	Dimictic, marginally eutrophic
Primary inflows	Belgrade Stream
Primary outflows	Messalonskee Stream
Catchment area	177 sq mi (460 km2)
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	8.3 mi (13.4 km)
Max. width	1.4 mi (2.3 km)
Surface area	3,510 acres (1,419 ha)
Average depth	33 ft (10 m)
Max. depth	113 ft (34 m)
Water volume	110,427 acre⋅ft (136,210,000 m3)
Residence time	0.63 years
Shore length1	30 mi (48 km)
Surface elevation	234 ft (71 m)
Frozen	Ice-Out Earliest: Mar 31, 1985 Latest: May 7, 1940
Islands	Blake Napa Greeley Midway
Settlements	Belgrade, Maine Oakland, Maine Sidney, Maine
References	[1][2][3]
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

In the first part of the 20th century, Messalonskee Stream provided waterpower for Oakland's Cascade Woolen Mill, as well as for a number of factories responsible for Oakland's long-defunct title as "axehead capital of the world."

Messalonskee Lake is home to a great variety of wildlife, including great blue herons, bass, yellow perch, white perch, sunfish, painted and snapping turtles, loons, and occasionally Bald Eagles can be seen soaring above the lake. The surrounding community has recently formed the Messalonskee Lake Association in the interest of its protection and preservation.

Like some Maine lakes, Messalonskee Lake has seen infestations of Milfoil.^[4]

The lake is also more commonly called "Snow Pond", a reference to Philip Snow who settled in the area in 1774.^[5]

Many summer camps and related tourist accommodations are located on Messalonskee Lake, among them the New England Music Camp, which was founded in 1937.

References

1. "Historical Ice-Out Dates for 29 Lakes in New England" (PDF). Retrieved 26 April 2014.
2. "Maine Lakes: Geographic & Morphometric Information". Maine Dept. Environmental Protection, Maine Dept. Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Maine Office of GIS, Augusta, Maine. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
3. "Land Use Patterns in Relation to Lake Water Quality in the Messalonskee Lake Watershed" (PDF). Retrieved 26 April 2014.
4. "Messalonskee Lake Association". Archived from the original on 2008-05-04. Retrieved 2008-10-03. Messalonskee Lake Association Milfoil Program
5. Henry D. Kingsbury; Simeon L. Deyo (1892). Illustrated History of Kennebec County, Maine; 1625-1799-1892. H.W. Blake & Company. pp. 994–996.

External links

• Friends of Messalonskee, formerly known as Snow Pond Messalonskee Lake Association