St. Juste Border Crossing, Maine

The St. Juste border crossing is the only open crossing on a stretch of the international border in Maine known as the “South Line,” after two crossings north of it (Depot Road and Daaquan) have been permanently closed. It services the logging industry of the North Maine Woods, on the US side, and log yards at Daaquam, on the Canadian side. The South Line is a 20 mile long line, south of the “Southwest Line,” and north of the southwest branch of the St. John River boundary. Concerning this area, the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842, which defined most of the border between New England and Canada, reads: “[from the] outlet of the Lake Pohenagamook; thence, southwesterly, in a straight line to a point on the northwest branch of the river St. John, which point shall be ten miles distant from the main branch of the St. John, in a straight line, and in the nearest direction; but if the said point shall be found to be less than seven miles from the nearest point of the summit or crest of the highlands that divide those rivers which empty themselves into the river Saint Lawrence from those which fall into the river Saint John, then the said point shall be made to recede down the said northwest branch of the river St. John, to a point seven miles in a straight line from the said summit or crest; thence, in a straight line, in a course about south eight degrees west, to the point where the parallel of latitude of 46°25' north, intersects the southwest branch of the St. John's; thence, southerly, by the said branch…” The result is that nine miles south of here, the straight South Line intersects the channel of the Southwest Branch of the St. John River, which becomes the border line, up to the source of the river, at Little Saint John Lake.