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Out of the Woods |
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The earliest method for hauling logs out of the Maine forests and into the burgeoning mill town of Stockholm made use of the area's
heavy snow. Teams of horses pulled heavily loaded sleds. River drives were not used in Stockholm because the hardwood found in the area does not float well. |
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According the Aroostook Republican (3/16/1905), "Lewis Whitten holds the record for hauling the largest load of lumber in Stockholm this
season,...made up of green birch logs scaling 1830 feet, and weighing eleven tons...hauled six miles to the Standard Veneer Co., by one pair of 2600 four-year old horses. The Sled was built especially for the work
and weighs 1200 pounds." |
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A log hauler near Stockholm. Photo by A.W. Brown |
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In the 1920s, the Lombard log hauler offered another way of transporting logs out of the forest. Resembling a
locomotive on skis, the log hauler featured treads (seen in photo at right) in back, and a pair of runners on the front. |
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A road was prepared for the log haulers by pouring water onto the snow, creating a track. On a down hill slope, sand was put on the track to slow
the massive machines. This was necessary, because they had no brakes! |
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