Roughly translated from Passamaquoddy as "bad little falls" or "bad run of water", the name Machias refers to the falls in the Machias River within the town. The reference is to the fact that the falls made canoeing on this stretch of river difficult, if not impossible. The Machias River runs for 60 miles from Third Machias Lake through Washington County in the eastern part of the state. There are several other falls and cataracts along its course.
After the town was settled, beginning in 1763, the river was dammed to provide power for various mills, such as lumber, grain and carding mills. In 1926 a hydroelectric dam was erected at the site of Bad Little Falls, at which time the falls ceased to exist. In the late 1950s the site ceased to produce power and was breached in 1973, but remained in place. Considered an eyesore, the dam was (mostly) removed in 2000, thereby recreating the original Bad Little Falls. Parts of the concrete structure remain at the site, with the falls flowing past.
The falls themselves are a series of cataracts which fall a total of 20 to 30 feet. Prior to the construction of the dam the river was an Atlantic Salmon stream and, with the removal of the dam it has once again become accessible to salmon heading upstream to their spawning grounds.
The East Machias Dam, located near head-of-tide on one of Maine's eight "wild" salmon rivers was constructed in 1926 to produce power. The dam has not produced power since the late 1950's and in the late 1960's, the Town of East Machias purchased the dam and associated lands. The dam was breached in 1973 but remained a community eyesore and safety hazard for local residents. In addition, the dam was only passable for fish at high water. The waters immediately downstream of the dam served as a holding pen for adult Atlantic salmon and other sea run fish waiting to move upstream, providing harbor seals and cormorants with easy feeding opportunities. Moreover, the dam required annual maintenance to clear away debris jams and maintain access for migrating fish, even at high water.
In the summer of 2000, dam removal provided free passage during all water levels, and has minimized predation and eliminated the need for annual maintenance.
Searun fish, including Atlantic salmon, alewives, shad, blueback herring and rainbow smelt, were provided access to 296 river miles from the removal of East Machias Dam.
From U.S. Fish & Wildlife