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This historical journey on Maine’s West Branch of the Penobscot River and its tributaries is in two parts, logging and sporting camps. The journey starts in 1825 when the first loggers began cutting along the river and driving their logs more than 70 river miles to the Bangor sawmills. It ends 151 years later in 1976, the year of the last drive. The area includes the northern half of the Appalachian Trail’s 100-Mile Wilderness.The text moves the reader upstream beginning where the Penobscot River forks at Nicatou Island with the East Branch leading north and the West Branch heading west-northwest. The reader travels up the West Branch into the Lower
Chain Lakes (Elbow, North Twin, Pemadumcook, and Ambajejus lakes), and back into the river flowing under the shadow of Mount Katahdin to the Ripogenus Lake outlet where the journey ends. Along the way, each tributary is explored.
When did the loggers first cut a particular spot? What wastheir route to this spot? How did they move their logs? How did they supply their operations? When did they first build dams and make waterway improvements? Who were the men who cut? How did they manage the log drives? How did the operations change over time? When did they last drive logs from a particular spot to market?
Maine’s sporting camp history in this region started with enterprising loggers and teamsters who were also trappers and guides who took adventurous persons to prime fishing and hunting locations. Where were these camps? Who were the men who built them and the guides who served their guests (sports)? How did the camp evolve over time? The journey starts about 1890, and this book traces the history of each camp that opened before about 1930.
The historical journey is a compilation of information bits from three sources: printed matter, conversations, and field explorations. These are woven together to create a story of work and life.
The book is available in a chapter by chapter downloadable format on the University of Maine Fogler Library Digital Commons. Below are the direct links. Maps are included in each chapter.
Chapter 1: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/134
Chapter 2: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/141
Chapter 3: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/140
Chapter 4: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/139
Chapter 5: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/138
Chapter 6: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/137
Chapter 7: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/136
Chapter 8: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/135
Chapter 9: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/144
Chapter 10: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/143
Chapter 11: http://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mainehistory/142
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