Go back

    Venture Brook Logging Road, Edmunds, Maine

    Photograph
    These pictures capture scenes for the woods around Venture Brook in Edmunds. Teamsters with powerful draft horses were assisted by both horse drawn and mechanized equipment in hauling logs out of the woods in the winter of 1922-23.

    Probably the most publicized event which ever occurred during a winter woods operation took place in the winter of 1922-23 in the form of a wood hauling contest between Venture Brook and railway siding at at Great Works, a distance of two and one half miles on a regular woods road. Special sleds were built to carry oversized loads of pealed spruce and fir four foot wood. The roads were plowed and iced for easy hauling. The winning load, scaled by Andrew Mattheson of the Higgins Brothers' crew and Larry Comber of S.D. Warren Paper Company, measured around 12 cords and three feet of pulpwood, which represented 170 trees. The load was 32 feet long between the stakes and piled twelve feet high from the bottom of the sled.. The spread of the stakes accounted for the extra three feet. James Lyons, with a 3400-pound team, Dick and jerry, landed the winning 18-ton load successfully at the siding. It is believed to be the biggest load of pulpwood ever hauled on one sled by one team of horses. The other load of similar size, with Willard Jones as Teamster, unfortunately upset within 20 yards of the goal.

    Dennys River Historic PhotographsPhotos for Map

    Lumber Camps along the Dennys River

    A Big Load of Pulp Wood, Dennysville, Maine; A singles team of horses hauls a huge load of pulpwood in the early 1920's.
    Dick and Jerry, with teamster Jim Lyons and their big load; Painting of the winning team, driven by James Lyons, in the hauling contest at Venture Brook in the winter of 1922-23. The Big Load of pulpwood arriving at the Great Works railroad siding; The winning team with the biggest load of wood hauled by on pair of horses at the Higgin's Brother's siding at the Great Works, in the winter of 1922-23. Higgins Brothers Water Cart, c. 1922; Water Cart drawn by blue roans, driven by Ralph Hobart with unidentified helper, sprinkled water to ice the logging rods and create a smooth surface for the teams hauling wood. Holt 5-ton tractor, driven by IrvingTyler.; The tractor, driven by Irving Tyler, was used to break the logging roads, which were sprinkled constantly by a water cart. Venture Brook Road, Edmunds, Maine; The Venture Brook logging road used to access the lumber camps along the Dennys river in a trail map prepared by Cobscook Shores in 2022.