Aroostook River
Aroostook River at Washburn, Maine
Aroostook River watershed
Location
Country	United States, Canada
State	Maine
Province	New Brunswick
Cities	Ashland, Maine, Washburn, Maine, Presque Isle, Maine, Caribou, Maine, Fort Farfield, Maine
Physical characteristics

Source confluence	Millinocket Stream and Munsungan Stream
• location	Maine Township 8, Range 8, WELS, Penobscot County, Maine
• coordinates	46°20′40″N 68°48′04″W / 46.3445°N 68.8011°W / 46.3445; -68.8011

Mouth	Saint John River (New Brunswick)
• location	Aroostook, NB
• coordinates	46°48′36″N 67°42′58″W / 46.810123°N 67.71620°W / 46.810123; -67.71620
• elevation	330 ft (100 m)
Length	112 mi (180 km)
Basin size	2,442.7 sq mi (6,327 km²)

Discharge
• location	Masardis, Maine
• average	1,506 cu ft/s (42.6 m³/s)
• minimum	41 cu ft/s (1.2 m³/s)
• maximum	29,500 cu ft/s (840 m³/s)


Discharge
• location	Washburn, Maine
• average	2,696 cu ft/s (76.3 m³/s)
• minimum	75 cu ft/s (2.1 m³/s)
• maximum	49,500 cu ft/s (1,400 m³/s)

Watershed data.^[1]

The Aroostook River is a 112-mile-long (180 km)^[2] tributary of the Saint John River in the U.S. state of Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick. Its basin is the largest sub-drainage of the Saint John River.^[3]

The name is derived from the Malecite name Wool-ahs-took, translated by Ganong as "good river for everything". It appears as Arassatuk (DeRozier, 1699).^[4]

History

In the late 1830s, the territory comprising the river's drainage area was the scene of the Aroostook War, a boundary dispute between the United States and the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

The river rises in northeastern Maine from the confluence of Millinocket Stream and Munsungan Stream in Maine Township 8, Range 8, WELS, in northern Penobscot County. The river winds east and northeast through Aroostook County. It runs through Ashland, and passes north of Presque Isle and east of Caribou. It joins the Saint John River in Aroostook, New Brunswick, 2 miles (3 km) after crossing the Canada–United States border.^{[citation needed]}

The United States government maintains two river flow gages on the Aroostook. The first is located near Masardis, Maine (46°31′21″N 68°22′23″W / 46.52250°N 68.37306°W / 46.52250; -68.37306 (Masardis, Maine)) where the rivershed is 892 square miles (2,310 km²). The second is at Washburn, Maine (46°46′36″N 68°09′29″W / 46.77667°N 68.15806°W / 46.77667; -68.15806 (Washburn, Maine)) where the rivershed is 1,654 square miles (4,280 km²). By Fort Fairfield, Maine the rivershed is 2,301 square miles (5,960 km²). At Masardis, the maximum recorded flow is 29,500 cubic feet per second (840 m³/s) and the minimum 41 cubic feet (1.2 m³) per second.^[5] At Washburn, the maximum recorded flow is 49,500 cubic feet (1,400 m³) per second and the minimum 75 cubic feet (2.1 m³) per second.^[6] Annual maximum flows occur during the spring snow melt and minimums in the fall. The highest flood levels at both gages occurred during ice-dam induced floods, which occur relatively often on this river. Such flooding occurred in March and April 1999, April and May 2003, and April 2004.^[7]

The International Appalachian Trail runs along the river for several miles. Hikers cross the river, pass through customs, and cross the international boundary at Fort Fairfield, Maine.^[8]

Nature

The river has a small run of Atlantic salmon. From 1998 to 2001, the number of adults returning to the river ranged from seventeen to thirty.^[9]

References

External links

Saint John River Watershed

Tributaries

Maine

New Brunswick

Lakes

Towns

Landmarks

Rivers of Maine by drainage system

Bay of Fundy

Passamaquoddy Bay

Saint John River Watershed

Casco Bay

Fore River Watershed	Fore River Long Creek Stroudwater River South Branch Stroudwater River
Presumpscot River Watershed	Bear River Chute River Crooked River East Branch Piscataqua River Little River Muddy River North Branch Little River Northwest River Piscataqua River Pleasant River Presumpscot River Songo River Sticky River Tenny River
Others	Cousins River Harraseeket River Little River New Meadows River Royal River

Gulf of Maine

Blue Hill Bay (Union River Watershed)	Bog River East Branch Union River Little Bog River Middle Branch Union River Union River West Branch Union River
Chandler Bay	Sandy River
Dennys Bay	Dennys River Hardscrabble River Orange River
Englishman Bay	Chandler River East Branch Chandler River Englishman River
Frenchman Bay	Jordan Stream Skillings River
Harrington Bay	Harrington River Mill River
Little River Watershed	Little River (Drakes Island) Merriland River
Machias Bay (Machias River Watershed)	Crooked River East Machias River Machias River Maine River Middle River West Branch Machias River
Mousam River Watershed	Littlefield River Middle Branch Mousam River Mousam River
Narraguagus Bay (Narraguagus River Watershed)	Little Narraguagus River Narraguagus River Spring River West Branch Narraguagus River (Cherryfield) West Branch Narraguagus River (Hancock County)
Pleasant Bay (Pleasant River Watershed)	Little River Pleasant River West Branch Pleasant River Western Little River
Piscataqua River Watershed	Great Works River Little River Neoutaquet River Piscataqua River Salmon Falls River
Sheepscot River Watershed	Back River Cross River Dyer River Marsh River Sasanoa River Sheepscot River West Branch Sheepscot River
Wohoa Bay	Indian River Southwest Branch Indian River West River
Others	Batson River Benjamin River Cape Neddick River Damariscotta River Johns River Jordan River Josias River Kennebunk River Little River (Boothbay) Little River (Georgetown) Little River (Goosefare Bay) Little River (York) Morse River Ogunquit River Pemaquid River Sprague River Webhannet River York River

Merrymeeting Bay

Androscoggin River Watershed

Kennebec River Watershed

Muscongus Bay

Saint George River Watershed	Back River Dead River East Branch Oyster River Mill River Oyster River Saint George River West Branch Oyster River
Others	Back River (Medomak) Back River (Meduncook) Goose River Medomak River Meduncook River

Penobscot Bay

Penobscot River Watershed

Others

Saco Bay

Saco River Watershed	Charles River Cold River Hancock Brook Kezar River Little Cold River Little Ossipee River Little River Little Saco River Mad River Middle Branch Mad River Old Course Saco River Ossipee River Saco River Shepards River South Branch Mad River South River Tenmile River West Branch Tenmile River
Others	Dunstan River Libby River Nonesuch River Scarborough River Spurwink River

Rivers of New Brunswick by drainage system

Bay of Fundy

Cumberland Basin	Missaguash River
Chignecto Bay	Upper Salmon River
Passamaquoddy Bay	Magaguadavic River St. Croix River
Watershed of Saint John River	Aroostook River Becaguimec Stream Canaan River Hammond River Iroquois River Jemseg River Kennebecasis River Keswick River Little Iroquois River Madawaska River Meduxnekeag River Nashwaak River Nerepis River North Branch Meduxnekeag River Oromocto River River De Chute Saint Francis River Saint John River Tobique River Wolastoq
Shepody Bay (Watershed of Petitcodiac River )	Jonathan Creek Memramcook River Petitcodiac River Turtle Creek
Others	Big Salmon River Quiddy River

Gulf of
Saint Lawrence

Chaleur Bay ( Watershed of Restigouche River )	Belle Kedgwick River Gounamitz River Kedgwick River Little Main Restigouche River Little Southeast Upsalquitch River North Branch Gounamitz River Northwest Upsalquitch River Patapédia River Popelogan River Restigouche River South Branch Kedgwick River Southeast Upsalquitch River Upsalquitch River West Branch Gounamitz River
Miramichi Bay ( Watershed of Miramichi River)	Barnaby River Bartholomew River Bartibog River Cains River Dungarvon River Little Southwest Miramichi River Miramichi River Napan River North Pole Stream Northwest Miramichi River Oyster River Renous River Sevogle River Southwest Miramichi River Tuadook River
Northumberland Strait	Buctouche River Kouchibouguac River Kouchibouguacis River Molus River Richibucto River
Watershed of Saint Lawrence River	Rimouski River
Others	Black River Caraquet River Nepisiguit River Pokemouche River Rivière du Nord

Authority control databases: National

History

Geography

Nature

See also

References

External links