Wow, I did not know this. I raced on that river when I was 11 or 12 years old and was capsized. However, I’m still here.

I grew up in Biddeford with the Saco river as my backyard,swimming there every summer since I was like 10 years old.Its a very dangerous river.As with any body of water,caution is needed when swimming.I can remember hearing about this curse and always took care when going in the river.I know of numerous drownings over the years and there hasn’t been a year when someone did not died in that river.I knew some of the people who did.Is it because the river is cursed? Who will ever know for sure,but the story behind the curse is true,and the woman that was abducted had a child with her an that is why she fought so hard to get away Back in the summer of 1675, a group of drunken sailors, anchored off the coast of what is now southern Maine came across a young Native American mother in a canoe with her child.There had been tales circulating around that an Indian baby could swim from birth, so the sailors decided to put this to the test. They captured the canoe, took the baby from the mother and threw him right into the water, where he drowned.

This is an actual local legend. I grew up in the Twin Cities of Biddeford and Saco. I learned to swim at Rotary Park, spent summers jumping off the Black Bridge, Salmon Falls Bridge and cliffs, Pine Street bridge and the roofs of some of the old factory buildings along the river. I heard about the legend when I was a youngster and although I haven’t done research to confirm the actual number of deaths, each year people die in the Saco River it’s a long river that goes all the way to New Hampshire and many people swim and boat in it. It doesn’t surprise me that at least 3 people die in it every year and probably more than that do, there are a lot of potential dangers to the river from fast currents to large trees floating in it to thin ice, not to mention all the cliffs, bridges, and rope swings along it. And people do stupid things. Is the curse for real? Heck yea it is! considering its size and the population around it, its statistically cursed…

I **** sheep