Educational Use Only www.MaineMemory.net Copyright 2003

Contributed to Maine Memory Network by the Maine Historical Society (Local Code: Coll. S-850 32/14)Date: 1880

Description: Reminiscences of Edwin H. Eddy of a visit to a logging camp.

The Ancestor from whom I am directly descendedon my Fathers side and whose movements haveeffected the lives of succeeding generations wasJonathan Eddy born about 1726 in Norton Mass

Jonathan Eddy served in the ColonialWars in 1755 he served under Col. John Winslowin the expedition to Nova Scotia which expelled theAcadians and during the reduction of Canadahe was a Captain of a company of Mass. colonialswho took over Fort Cumberland Nova Scotia thusreleasing British regulars for duty before Quebec

The colonies wishing to have a loyal populationin Nova Scotia induced many of the soldiers to settle there and in 1763 Jonathan Eddy movedfrom Mass. to near Fort Cumberland and remainedthere until the outbreak of the Revolutionary War

As Canada remained loyal at that timeand as those in sympathy with the Revolutionwere not safe he and many others fl ed back toMass.

He served during the Revolution and was usedprobably mainly as an Agent to contact the IndiansHe was known as Colonel but I am not sure that he ever had an authorized commission as such

About 1783 Congress donated Grants of land to20 of these refugees from Nova Scotia and JonathanEddy received a Grant of about 300 Acres on the East side of Penobscott river Maine about 6 milesnorth of Bangor and later known as “Eddingtonplantation”Here Jonathan Eddy moved his family in 1784to develop the property

It is clearly evident service during the colonialwar and the revolutionary war – disrupted theordinary peace time pursuits and he made this movement as the best course to pursue

The above is only a brief outline of the reasonwhy my Father and my sisters and brother andself were born in Maine

My Father was born at Eddington in 1819 – the property bordered the Penobscott riverwhich drains a very large watershed its upperbranches reaching nearly to Canada and tributary to its waters there was a great forest area ofPine spruce and Hemlock timber.

When my Father was about 18 years oldhe decided he would not be a Farmer – Hisbrother Jonathan Eddy 9 years older than he hadentered the lumber business and 3 of his 4 sistersmarried men working in the lumber industry

About that time say 1837 and for the nexthalf century the lumber business was the leadingindustry in that area

There was a natural Water power at Oldtown6 miles above Eddington and there was locatedwater power saw Mills – The logs were fl oated downthe river to this point – converted into lumberthen the lumber made into rafts and fl oated downto Bangor where it was loaded into vessels for Boston New York etc and also to some extent forExport

He was told to report at Oldtown on a certaindate and on arrival was directed to a Batteauloaded with supplies – A fl eet of many batteauwas leaving that day 2 men to a boat one in the bow and one in the sternThe process was to paddle up the river untildark, make a hasty camp, cook supper and to rest. Then up in the morning, breakfast and the fl eet of batteau ready to start at day breakand so on from day to day under orders of the FormanIf they came to rapids they could not navigatethey landed, unloaded their supplies, carried

them up and around the falls, reloaded andso on until they arrived the place they were tooperate during the winter

Here they fi rst had to cut down the trees andconstruct a log camp and barn for the horses oroxenIn the meantime the Oxen or horses had come over-land with wagons sleighs and logging equipment

I think my Father was a man of unusuallystrong character- He continued to work in the woodswinter on Drives in the spring and about the logbooms of the saw mills during summer. Wages weresmall but recognizing the limits of his educationone winter he used his hard earned savings to attendan Academy at Foxcroft Maine where he improvedhis education somewhatFather was very frugal but never stingy – He didnot used intoxicants or tobacco H [sic] saved his moneyand soon became a small proprietor and increasedit as years went onHe made one important decision early. It wasthat he would not marry until he had saved $1,000and as he told me he did not marry until he hadsaved about $5,000.When I was born November 1863 Father ownedA 1/3rd interest in the very substantial partnershiprd interest in the very substantial partnershiprd

Of Cutler Thatcher + Co. they owned a larger water

power saw mill at Bradley MaineLater Mr Thatcher withdrew from the fi rmwhich was known as Cutler + Eddy – Mr Cutlermanaged the offi ce and sold the lumber whilemy Father looked after supplying the logs andthe manufacturingWe moved to Bangor early in 1870 I was 6 yearsoldAs I grew older I was frequently at the saw millwith my Father and I can recall 3 trips withhim up into the Maine woods

I will try to describe one trip when I was about 17 years old

Moose-head lake is 40 miles long and theWest branch of the Penobscott river winds aroundthe East and North sides and continues in a N.W. directionFather had a camp that winter on a tributarystream I think 15 to 20 miles North of the N.W. Carry(N.W. End) of Moose-head lake that was about 1880

At that time the railroad from Bangor cameto an end about 12 to 15 miles south of the Southend of Moose-head lakeSo one morning about the end of March we leftBangor and went to the end of the railroad linehad lunch at the station – then took the stagefor the village of Greenville at the foot of the lake

They needed an extra horse at camp so that afternoon father purchased a horse an old sleigh andsome supplies and early next morning startedto drive around the East side and on to campIt took 2 full days about 60 miles and I recallwe arrived at Camp about an hour after dark3 Days + 2 nights from Bangor

The camp made of logs was on 2 partsEntering in center of one end—one saw in thecenter of a long aisle a long wood stove—on eithersides were the beds for the men—One long bedon each side—the men slept head to the wall feet toaisle—the mattress was made of small spruce or fi rboughs covered with on long blanket and over themen who slept like so many clothes pins overthe outside blankets sewn together as one

These beds were built about 3 ft from thefl oor and in front of each bed was a longbench chair height so when the men dressed orundressed they used the benches and either saton the benches or beds during the evening

I cannot recall just how many men there were but I think between 25 and 30 andwith one or two exceptions all had been theresll winter—Many of the men were from New Brunswick CanadaThe foreman had a small place partitioned off

on one side near the front door—just room fora top and lower bunk and a chest—for shirts mittenstobacco etc—the bare necessities

The fi rst night when at 9 P.M. all were requiredto “turn in” as it was termed the foreman saidMr. Eddy I have only one extra bunk in my littleplace what about the boy? Then a man spokeand said give him to me Mr Eddy Joe and Ican make room for him between us—so off withcoat vest trousers and shoes and in I wentMen to the right of me, men to the left of me andacross the aisle another bed full the same wayMen tired with swinging axes etc all day outdoors were tired enough physically to sleepsoundly—they had no mental strain so no exhausted nerves to keep them awake and the rule was to be up early hour breakfast and walk outperhaps a mile or so to start actual work at daylight

An extension attached at the rear end of theBunk house served as dining room + kitchenand the cook + his helper had their sleeping bunksin one corner as was called the Cook houseDuring all those lumbering days in Maine andon the long drives in the spring their diet wasvery limited being so far away from thesource of supplies

In this case supplies were shipped fromBangor by rail to end of railroad then by wagonto foot of Moosehead lake then by steamer40 miles up the lake to N.W. Carry, then again by wagonsor sleigh into Camp, besides supplies for the menthere must be hay + oats for the horses all of whichrequired experience and intelligent planning

It was entirely different era from present dayMotor transportation

It was found in this industry that Beans fur-nished more muscle + resistance for their weight thanany other food. For breakfast we had beans, biscuit+ Tea no sugar or milk Outside the camp frozenwere 2 or 3 sides of beef and also some kegs of saltMackeral. The men had lunch in the woods closeto their work. The Cook helper brought it out on a sledin fi rkins—made a fi re warmed the beans and breadand made Tea—At night much the same forMolasses used in place of butter and at night usuallyginger bread or cookies

About twice a week probably on Sundaythe Cook would cut off with an Ax a larger pieceof Beef thaw it out and serve it in a stewAlso about once a week he would cook saltMackeral. to do this he would several fi sh togetherby their tails, go out to the near by streams thatserved as a Water supply, cut a hole in the ice

then drop the fi sh into the running waterand suspend them by a stick through a loopin the string extending across the hole in the ice

I recall what a treat that was even morethan the beef

We spent about a week at camp and I

vividly recall the ^sun the morning we leftJust as we fi nished breakfast Father said

Men just a minute please—I am going out todaywe will break camp in about 2 weeks—I havebrought money enough with me to give each ofyou $10 to $15 apeice as you may need—The foremanwill give your Pay slip which will be paid asyou come out Will that be satisfactory?

Father then took from his pocket containing about $300 an Envelope which he gave the Foreman in sight of all the men

The foreman took it and put it in his chestwhich he locked and they all went off to workforeman are all while Father and I were sentby sleigh out to the N.E. Carry so called andfrom which a stage was then running oncertain days over the lake ice to Greenville at thefoot of the lakeOver-night at the NE Carry 20° below zero. Theroom we slept in had no heat whatever but Iwas surprised to see way up there in the

Wilderness their back room had a fi ne set ofblack walnut furnitureNext day the 40 mile ride down the lake wassevere dispite robes Lunch at Mount Kineoand Greenville late in the afternoon. Another dayby stage and railroad back home and then to school