Stroudwater Boat Basin – Cumberland and Oxford Canal

The Cumberland and Oxford Canal was built between 1827 and 1892 to connect Long Lake and Sebago Lake with the seaport of Portland in southeastern Maine and to transport mainly lumber and agricultural products by boat. The canal followed the Presumpscot River from Sebago Lake and branched off the river at Westbrook to the Fore River and the port of Portland. The navigable distance was about 61 km from Harrison at the northern end of Long Lake to Portland. Horses on the shore path pulled the boats along the canal.
After the completion of the railroad from Boston to Portland in 1842, the canal company was no longer economically competitive and went bankrupt in 1857. The canal was closed in 1870.
The canal was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.
mrlakefront.net/newsdetails.taf?date=01/21/2009&link=cumberland--oxford-canal-played-big-role-in-regions-history- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_and_Oxford_Canal