The Royal River falls to the Royal River estuary at the waterfall known as Pumgustuck. Heading up the river from the estuary, Pumgustuck is the first of four waterfalls on the Royal River in Yarmouth, Maine.
The Wabanaki place name Pumgustuck translates as "falls goes out place." It describes the place where the Royal River falls to the Royal River estuary and then toward Casco Bay. The falls goes out place is where paddlers would begin or end a portage, where fish and bears would be plentiful. In 2015, the place name Pumgustuck was recognized and celebrated by the Penobscot Nation's Penobscot Cultural & Historic Preservation Department in its published Map and Gazetteer as one of the few remembered place names in this region. While Pumgustuck has been the clear name through all recorded history, today the falls have no formal name under local, county, state, or federal protocol. From a non-native governmental perspective, the falls are only known informally as First Falls, Grist Mill Falls, Lower Falls, or Pumgustuck. Wabanaki Yarmouth residents and their town allies have come together to seek exposure and acknowledgement on this land and cultural issue in opposition to historical genocide, colonization, and cultural erasure, while recognizing indigenous Wabanaki names for certain places. This seemingly small change will help visitors align their intentions with the land, respect the land and its first inhabitants, and acknowledge the pain and oppression that we now work to repair. We hope to instill hope and positivity in the efforts of working together and look forward to living together respectfully and aware.