A River Runs Through

Dear Diary,

This is the Saco River in Conway, New Hampshire.  It is flowing quite well with all the snow melt.  The Saco's name comes from an old Abenaki word sakohki which means "land where the river comes out."  It begins in the White Mountains and flows all the way to the sea through Maine.  It is a great kayaking river if you aren't bothered by the curse.

Back in 1675 the sachem of the Sokokis tribe, Squandro, put a curse on the river after English settlers killed his baby son and some say his wife as well.  He said three people will die on the river each year to avenge his child's death.  Many old timers would not go near the river until the requisite deaths occurred.  In 1947 there were no deaths so it was said the curse was lifted.  Squandro, who up until the tragedy, had had a good relationship with the white settlers.  Afterwards, he joined King Phillip in his war.

I have two 9X great grandfathers who fought in the King Phillip's War, both in Connecticut.  I visited the home of one, Capt. George Denison, which is now a museum.  The other, Capt. James Avery, led an army of Pequot Indian allies during the war.  They both had very good relationships with the local Native Americans and Avery was fluent in their language.  After the war he worked for fair treatment of the tribes.  I am proud of that.

It is Earth Day, a day to celebrate our planet and vow to protect it.  We would be in a much better state today if we had followed the Native American's reverence for the land instead of seeing it as something to be exploited for our own ends.  In our arrogance we are destroying our most precious gift.