The destruction of the Saccarappa Falls Dam means that fish will ascend to traditional spawning ground unvisited for at least two centuries. This raises the question, why did fish disappear in the first place? Conventional explanations to this question are bracketed under big overarching concepts such as "colonialism" or "the industrial revolution" which tell us very little about what actually happened. This talk will cover previously unexplored people, politics, and values specific to 1700s Maine that are essential for explaining why dams replaced fish on the Presumpscot. Understanding the world of people like Thomas Westbrook and Chief Polin will help us see what restoring fish runs to the river in the 21st century says about ourselves and our own time.

A native of Falmouth, Zach Bennett earned his PhD in history from Rutgers University in 2019. His research explores rivers and their role in the environmental, political, and economic transformation of early America. He has published and presented his research on the formative role river spaces played in American society