During the summer months, the boat traffic on Maine's lakes and streams grows to an incredible number. Sebago Lake, the send largest lake in the state, sees a large part of this traffic.

For many, simply speeding over or drifting on the lake itself is enough. For others though the Songo River and it's connection to Brandy Pond and Long Lake offer an invitation to see much more of the state with out ever leaving the boat. Those who do choose this route are travelling along a river through time.
The Songo River is claimed to be the most winding river in the country. While this may not be true, the Songo does indeed cut a torturous path. Although the distance from the lake to the lock is less than a mile "as the crow flies", the old course of the river covered a little over 2 miles. With the raising of the level of Sebago Lake in the 1880s this problem was mitigated. With a certain amount of conjecture, here is a look at what the old route might have looked like. The box marked "channel" marks the area of a plank walled channel cut into Sebago Lake to give the boats enough depth when entering the lake.According to Ernest Knight, the channel extended a half a mile into the lake.