NORWAY — Dr. Bruce F. Rueger, of Colby College, will present a talk entitled “Geologic Influences on Benedict Arnold’s March to Quebec, 1775” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, at the Norway Memorial Library.

Regarded as one of the greatest military logistical operations in history, Benedict Arnold’s march to Quebec passed through Maine in the fall of 1775. The intent of
the expedition was to secretly travel up the Kennebec, Dead and Chaudière rivers and
capture the city of Quebec from the British. If successful, expedition leaders hoped to
convince the populace of Quebec to throw in with the American cause. 

The expedition sailed up the Kennebec to Gardiner, where sailing vessels were exchanged for bateaux, which were used to travel the rest of the journey. In 1775, the natural
vegetation and geology of the region significantly impeded the progress of the
expedition. What was thought would take three weeks ended up taking two months and
covered a distance more than twice what was anticipated. 

The geology and related
topography of the Kennebec and the Dead Rivers played a significant role in the event. This, and the changes to the river system in the Maine portion of the expedition in the last 234 years, will be the focus of Rueger’s talk.

When asked if he has traveled Arnold’s route, Rueger said, “In Maine I have covered the entire route except over the Great Carrying Place. It is on the list. I have done most of the route in Quebec and visited the significant locations in Quebec City.”

Rueger currently serves as visiting assistant professor of geology at Colby College in Waterville. His professional interests include
reconstruction of vegetation in Maine and Bermuda based on pollen contained in peat bogs
and marshes. He is also interested in the impact of geology on historical events. 

Rueger earned a bachelor of science in earth sciences from Salem State College in Salem, Mass., a master of science in geological
sciences and a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo. He has been
teaching at Colby since 1984. He lives in Waterville with his wife and has two children,
a daughter, Blair, who is a junior at Waterville Senior High School, and a son, Andrew, a
senior at Endicott College in Beverly, Mass.

The program is free and open to the public. For more information, call 743-5309, visit the library’s Web site at www.norway.lib.me.us or stop by the library’s Information Desk.