[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13581-13582]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    MONHEGAN, MAINE QUADRICENTENNIAL

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, in 1614, 6 years before the Pilgrims 
landed at Plymouth, Captain John Smith--explorer, soldier, navigator, 
and adventurer--landed at Monhegan Island off the coast of Maine. I 
wish to commemorate the 400th anniversary of that discovery and to 
congratulate the people of a truly remarkable community as they 
celebrate their quadricentennial.
  In the very first sentence of his remarkable journal of that voyage, 
Captain Smith names the ``Isle of

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Monhegan,'' the Wabanaki Indian word for ``island of the ocean.'' In 
reference to the shared latitude with his home country, he coined the 
term ``New England.''
  As the Wabanaki had known for centuries, the fish were plentiful. In 
addition, Captain Smith used the stands of timber to make small boats 
to explore the inlets and rivers on the mainland coast. So, Monhegan 
can rightly claim to be the birthplace of three industries that built 
the State of Maine--fishing, boatbuilding, and logging.
  Certainly, there were disappointments. The whales proved elusive, and 
the gold Captain Smith sought was nonexistent. But the potential was 
everywhere.
  In addressing the question of what it would take to settle the 
untamed region, the captain's log contains these lines that define 
Monhegan today. It would take, Captain Smith wrote, ``the best parts of 
art, judgment, courage, honesty, constancy, diligence, and industry.''
  Maine's island communities are an essential part of our State's 
identity. They survive and thrive because of the qualities Captain 
Smith so wonderfully described.
  The island's lobster industry is a shining example. More than 90 
years ago, long before conservation was a watchword, Monhegan's 
lobstermen voluntarily established their own ban on harvesting small 
lobsters. To the list of Monhegan's firsts--fishing, boatbuilding, and 
logging--we can add lobster management.
  By mutual agreement, rather than government edict, Monhegan 
lobstermen set trap limits to prevent overfishing. They established 
their own management zone to ensure that this generations-old fishery 
will sustain the generations to come. Most remarkable of all is the 
tradition of Trap Day, now October 1, when all boats, captains, and 
crews wait for each other and head to their fishing grounds together at 
the crack of dawn. The ethic that ``no one goes until everyone goes'' 
is the very definition of community.
  For more than a century, Monhegan also has been a magnet for artists. 
In 1902, Samuel Triscott became the first artist to live there year-
round, and he found the subject matter enticing enough to stay the rest 
of his life, nearly one-quarter century. From Rockwell Kent to Andrew 
and Jamie Wyeth, this singular place has inspired some of the best 
artists to create their greatest work.
  There is no question that the magnificent scenery is part of the 
attraction. But as we look at the powerful works of art the island has 
inspired, it is clear that the people of Monhegan, their judgment, 
courage, honesty, constancy, diligence, and industry, enhance the 
natural beauty of the island so that it represents something more 
profound than crashing surf on rocky shores.
  Captain Smith concluded his journal of that voyage four centuries ago 
with these words: ``We are not born for ourselves, but each to help the 
other. Let us imitate the virtues of our predecessors to be worthily 
their successors.'' Those words are fitting for a celebration of the 
past that looks with confidence to the future, and I congratulate the 
people of Monhegan, Maine, on this landmark anniversary.

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