Celebrating 50 Years of this Wild & Scenic River!

Fifty years ago today, July 17, 1970, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway was designated a National Wild and Scenic River by U.S Secretary of the Interior Walter Hickel.

The Wild and Scenic Rivers System was created by the U.S. Congress in 1968, to “preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations.”

Through the visionary leadership of the late Senator Ed Muskie, Secretaries of the Interior Stewart Udall and Walter Hickel, and former Governor Ken Curtis, among others, the Allagash Wilderness Waterway became the first State-administered river in the national system. Today, Waterway staff within Maine’s Bureau of Parks and Lands proudly steward this nationally recognized and justly famous Waterway.

“The Allagash Wilderness Waterway as described herein, is approved for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System as a wild river area to be administered by the State of Maine.” – July 17, 1970 Federal Register

See the full text of the designation in the Federal Register below: