On this episode we dive into the archive for two programs on Maine’s wood harvesting and papermaking legacy. Log drives down Maine rivers were once a common sight but the last such drive in America occurred here in 1976, which is the year Maine Public produced this program, “The Last Log Drive Down The Kennebec”. It features some incredible film of the log drive, the steamer Katahdin on Moosehead Lake as well as interviews with people about what the end of this era means for the people and the community.
Then we go to 1983’s “Harvesting The Forest” for a look at the timber industry and paper making. This includes a trip inside the now abandoned Great Northern Mill in Millinocket to see how logs are turned into paper.