Dipping Alewives on the Sheepscot River, Maine 1940s

Alewives on the Sheepscot River, Part I - Dipnets and Salt

In early May, alewives, anadromous river herring, run from the sea, up the rivers of Maine. From the 1930s to the 1960s, Manley Nelson and Milton Dowe of Palermo, Maine were longtime neighbors and friends who enjoyed making home movies about hunting trips, picnics, parties, harvesting hay and the alewives fishery. Manley Nelson ran a garage and served as a Palermo town official. Milton Dowe ran the general store, which he inherited from his father (who also served as the Palermo Funeral Director for many years), and started the first Palermo Volunteer Fire Department. This clip was filmed by Milton Dowe and is part of the Palermo Historical Society Collection at Northeast Historic Film.