It Was So Cold in Maine, the First Settlers LEFT

If you are in Maine during the winter and reading this, give yourself a HUGE pat on the back ... if your coat isn't too thick from preventing you to do so.

Did you know that the first settlers who came to Maine in 1607 were so cold and couldn't handle the Maine winter, that they said, "naw" and got back on the ship and returned to England?! It's a true story.

Here Are the Details on the First English Settlement in Maine from Europe

If you go to Popham Beach, you may find a rock that say "Popham Rock 1607."

On May 31, 1607, about 100 men and boys set sail for the northerly destination. Discharged soldiers made up most of the colonists' ranks, but shipwrights, coopers, carpenters and a smattering of "gentlemen of quality" rounded them out. About three months later, the group landed on a wooded peninsula where the Kennebec River meets the Atlantic Ocean and began building Fort St. George. In December, with winter coming and food scarce, half of the colonists returned to England. The next fall, after erecting several buildings, the remaining 45 sailed home. - smithsonianmag.com

To put things in perspective, Plymouth Rock and the Pilgrams didn't happen until 1620, 13 years after the first "Mainers" bailed because it was too cold. So, if you have lived through 1, 2, 5, 10, 30 plus winters here in Maine, you have done something explorers discovering "new land" couldn't do. You stayed. You endured.

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What has been your coldest experience in Maine? Share here and we can't wait to read your stories.

Here Are the Most Extreme Temperature Ever Recorded in Maine

This information is provided by stacker.com

- All-time highest temperature: 105° F (North Bridgton on July 10, 1911)
- All-time lowest temperature: -50° F (Big Black River (near Saint Pamphile, Pq) on Jan. 16, 2009)
- All-time highest 24-hour precipitation: 13.32 inches (Portland Jetport on Oct. 20–21, 1996)
- All-time highest 24-hour snowfall: 40 inches (Orono on Dec. 30, 1962)

The flood of Southern Maine in 1996 resulted in the state's highest rainfall or precipitation levels on Oct. 20–21, 1996, that was recorded at the Portland Jetport. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the severe flooding resulted in one death and damaged more than 2,100 homes and businesses. Most recently, on April 21, 2019, huge amounts of snow that had accumulated across Maine resulted in several minor and major floods.