J. T. O'Reilly Record of West Branch Drive, North Twin

Collection

Identifier: SpC MS 0727-sc

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Daily record of a log drive on the West Branch of the Penobscot River from April 13 to August 5, 1905.

Dates

Creation: April 13-August 5, 1905

Creator

O'Reilly, J. T. (Person)

Restrictions on Access

No restrictions on access.

Restrictions on Use

Information on literary rights available in the repository.

Historical Note

The first lumbering operation on the West Branch of the Penobscot River was started on July 5, 1828. In the years after 1900 the Great Northern Paper Company held back its logs at the newly constructed Millinocket mill on the Penobscot River. Logs coming out of the West Branch of the Penobscot had to be boomed in and towed down more than twelve miles of lakes (Ambajejus, Pemadumcook, North Twin, and Elbow). They had to be sluiced through a dam at the foot of North Twin, where they were given a primary sorting. The North Twin Dam was built on the river for the purpose of raising a sufficient head of water to float the logs and timber down the Penobscot River.