I found this story and decided to put this on my Blog for all to see. This is a piece of history.
History of Lumbering in Maine
Logging began in the 1600’s when English explorers cut trees on Monhegan Island. In 1634 the first sawmill, powered by water,was built in South Berwick. By 1832, Bangor had become the largest shipping port for lumber in the world. During this period, Patten, Situated 100 miles north of Bangor, became a center for logging operations. Each spring, logs harvested in the Patten area during the preceding winter were floated down the Penobscot River in massive drives to the mills in Bangor.
The early logging camp came into use in 1820 and consisted of a main camp built around a fire pit. Many camps were inhabited by a crew of 12 to 14 men and a team of oxen. All men slept in the same bed under one long blanket using their boots for pillows. The men ate four meals a day consisting of flap jacks, pickled beef, boiled codfish, beans,sourdough biscuits and strong tea.
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