Madawaska, in Aroostook County, is Maine's northernmost town. Home to native Micmac people, it was also settled in the 1750's by Acadian exiles.
The town was named for the river whose Indian name has been interpreted to mean having its outlet among the reeds and worn out grass (land). A monument with a large cross marks the landing of the Acadians. Several small stones, in front of recently planted trees, commemorate individual ancestors who were among the early arrivals.
It was incorporated on March 15, 1831 as a huge town covering millions of acres of Maine and Canadian territory with the intent of asserting the State's rights to the region. Sovereignty over the area remained in dispute since after the American Revolution, finally being resolved by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842.
Madawaska's Maine Street is U.S. Route 1. Its economy is dominated by the Fraser Paper Company, whose plant straddles the border with Edmunston, New Brunswick. The international border crossing is, as a result, a busy one.
