Calais, Maine: A Historic Border City on the St. Croix River

Far Downeast, where the St. Croix River divides the United States from Canada, sits the border city of Calais. For such a small, remote place, it holds a remarkable amount of history — including one of the earliest European settlement sites in North America — along with superb wildlife watching and a warm cross-border spirit. Here is a closer look at Calais, Maine.

A City on the Border

Calais lies in Washington County, in Maine’s far eastern corner, on the banks of the St. Croix River, which forms the international boundary with Canada. It is a long way from anywhere — roughly 338 miles from Portland and about 95 miles east of Bangor — and a close-knit community of around 3,000 people. First settled in 1779 and incorporated in 1809, it was named for the French port of Calais (though locals say it “CAL-iss”), and its border location once made it a lively smuggling crossroads during the War of 1812. Directly across the river lies its Canadian twin, St. Stephen, New Brunswick.

St. Croix Island: An Early French Colony

Calais’s greatest historical claim sits on a tiny island just downriver. In June 1604, the French nobleman Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons — accompanied by the cartographer Samuel de Champlain — established a settlement on St. Croix Island, one of France’s first attempts at year-round colonization in North America, years before Jamestown or Plymouth. The first winter was devastating: of 79 settlers, 35 died, likely of scurvy. The survivors moved the colony across the Bay of Fundy to Port-Royal the following year. Today the St. Croix Island International Historic Site, about eight miles south of Calais on U.S. Route 1, tells this story with mainland trails and exhibits — and it holds the unique distinction of being the only “International Historic Site” in the U.S. National Park System, interpreted jointly with Parks Canada. The river itself has long been central to the Passamaquoddy people of the Wabanaki.

Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge

Nature lovers make Calais a base for exploring the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge, more than 28,000 acres of forest, wetland, and lake just outside town. It is the easternmost national wildlife refuge on the Atlantic Flyway, an important stop for migrating birds, and home to moose, black bear, and more than 200 bird species — including the American woodcock, for which the refuge is well known. With over 50 miles of roads and trails open to hiking, biking, and skiing, plus a celebrated bald-eagle viewing platform off the Charlotte Road, it is one of the best wildlife-watching spots in the state.

The St. Croix River and Whitlock’s Mill Light

The river is the city’s lifeblood and playground, offering fishing, boating, and birdwatching along a scenic international waterway. A few miles from downtown stands Whitlock’s Mill Lighthouse, one of the last lighthouses built along the Maine coast, its small white tower overlooking the St. Croix. Together the river and its shores give Calais a peaceful, watery beauty in every season.

Two Countries, One Community

What truly sets Calais apart is its friendship with St. Stephen just across the water. Known as “Canada’s Chocolate Town,” St. Stephen is the home of the historic Ganong chocolate company, and the two towns celebrate their bond each August with the International Homecoming Festival — complete with a cross-border parade and a fireworks display enjoyed from both banks of the river. Few places embody the neighborly spirit of the U.S.–Canada border quite like Calais and St. Stephen.

Exploring the Region

Calais makes a fine gateway to Downeast Maine. Upstream along the St. Croix lies the little border town of Vanceboro, while to the south the wild coast and rivers around Machias beckon. Travelers venturing this far east from central Maine often start out from the Kennebec Valley; our own town of Winslow, with its colonial-era Fort Halifax on the Kennebec, shares in the long history of life along Maine’s great rivers.

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