amuel de Champlain and Sieur de Monts visited the St. Croix Valley in 1604-1605. An attempt to establish a permanent settlement failed during the first hostile winter. The first permanent settlers arrived in Calais in 1770. On June 27, 1789, the Massachusetts Gewneral Court sold the township to Waterman Thomas for 19¢ an acre. On June 16, 1809, the area was incorporated as a town. The Stste of Maine granted a City Charter on August 24, 1850. Located Down East in washington County, Calais sits across the St. Croix River from St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. Calais is the fifth busiest port of entry to the United State on the Canadian Border.

he Federal Government maintains the Moosehorn National Wildlife Refuge here as a breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife. The refuge, which is open to the public year-round, consists of 23,000 acres. National recognition of the moosehorn occurred in the spring of 1991 when a pair of bald eagles successfully nested atop a man-made platform and hatched two eaglets. This pair has since raised additional offspring from the same platform.