BREWER, Maine — For more than a decade, a group has been toiling silently in hopes of bringing more attention to one of Maine’s iconic species. Last week, that group unveiled its website, and invited others to join its effort to build the Maine Atlantic Salmon Museum.
“This was a long-term process,” said Claude Westfall, past president of the museum board, and the man who initially began floating the idea to others in the years after salmon in Maine rivers were federally listed as endangered in 1999. “There were so many things that had to be accomplished, a lot of ground work.”
Westfall said the plan calls for a museum to be built on land owned by the stockholders of the Penobscot Salmon Club in Brewer. That club is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and was once the hub of recreational salmon fishing activity on the Penobscot.
But Atlantic salmon fishing in Maine also historically took place on several Down East rivers, and the history and heritage of those rivers also will be celebrated in the museum, Westfall said.
Westfall said that after the Penobscot salmon were listed as endangered in 1999, he made a visit to the Craig Brook National Fish Hatchery in Orland, where a small salmon museum exists. He proposed a museum based in Brewer, and that museum’s board of directors subsequently supported his proposal and said it would allow some of the museum’s artifacts to be displayed.
After that initial vote of confidence, Westfall began assembling a core committee to begin exploring the possibility of forming Maine Atlantic Salmon Museum.
“It would be the only museum of its kind in the whole United States,” Westfall said. “There are other places that have exhibits, but not as extensive as what we’re planning.”
According to the museum’s mission statement, “The Maine Atlantic Salmon Museum is an education center dedicated to recording and preserving the rich history of people and their relationship with this once-wild natural resource. We place special emphasis on river stewardship and the unique aspects of the perennial return each year of the Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish species.”
Westfall, who sat down for an interview in his home study filled with salmon-related photos, gear and art, said everything in that room will end up in the museum after it’s built. And he said he’s not worried about finding others who will do the same.
“I’ve been advised, ‘Don’t worry about artifacts. They’ll keep coming in,’” he said. “What we want to do is to be able to put on a lot of educational programs and activities, for all ages. These school kids, when they come in, they’d be delighted to have a program that’s specifically designed for their age group. And these are the people who, as they grow, will be taking over.”
The museum’s website, which launched last week, includes a river history and archived photos that illustrate Atlantic salmon fishing in Maine. It also includes a link where people can sign up to become members of the museum.
Westfall said the museum could eventually cost several million dollars to build and maintain, but for now, he’s just looking for people to show their support for the concept.
“The only thing we’re seeking right now is memberships,” he said. “What we wanted to do was get 2,500 members signed up. There are different options. People can join for [as little as] $35, which would help with current expenses we have [including running the website and printing brochures].”
Westfall said he envisions a museum with a paid full-time director if the organization is to thrive. And he said there’s plenty of site work to be done before a building could be erected. Among the first steps: Paving the road down to the Penobscot Salmon Club and running water and sewer lines.
He said Brewer city officials were intrigued by the idea and have a long-term plan of their own to extend an existing riverside footpath farther out North Main Street to the club.
Westfall is hopeful but recognizes that many hurdles must still be cleared for the museum to be built. He said he’d love to see a museum within three years.
But at 86 years old, he said his short-term goals are pretty limited.
“I just hope I live long enough to at least see them break ground on it,” he said.
