Piles of logs along the Saco River, ca. 1910
McArthur Public Library
The earliest settlers lived almost entirely in the area immediately near the mouth of the river and on the large hill overlooking the harbor which would become the village of Biddeford Pool.
Most of the settlers were employed farming, fishing or both. Some traded with the native populations, and there was a carpenter and a few mechanics among the group also. Forest resources were utilized right away, and "pine boards and staves (for barrells) and clapboards" were among the first things made for trading purposes.
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
The European settlers traded with the native peoples, especially for furs, but relations with area bands were uneasy. The settlers encroached on the native hunting grounds and set nets which interfered with their fishing. The natives lived side-by-side with the settlers during those times of year when they made their homes nearer the sea, but there was a lack of understanding and respect between the two groups. The natives were "savages" and the settlers were "strangers", feelings which the two groups would never overcome.