West Branch Penobscot River facts for kids
Quick facts for kids West Branch Penobscot River |
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West branch at Ripogenus Gorge in the 1870s
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| Country | United States |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Main source | Maine 1,020 feet (310 m) |
| River mouth | Penobscot River 240 feet (70 m) ACoordinates: Unknown argument format |
| Length | 117 miles (188 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Basin size | 2,012 sq mi (5,210 km2) |
The West Branch Penobscot River is a long river, about 117 miles (188 km) long. It's a tributary (a smaller river that flows into a larger one) of the main Penobscot River in Maine. This river flows through a wild area called the North Maine Woods. People also know it by older names like Abocadneticook, which means "stream narrowed by mountains" in the Abenaki language, and Kettegwewick, meaning "place of the great stream."
Contents
River's Journey: Where it Flows
The West Branch Penobscot River starts its journey from Seboomook Lake in Seboomook, which is in Somerset County. Two other rivers, the North Branch and South Branch Penobscot River, feed into Seboomook Lake.
From the Seboomook Dam (located at 45°54′39″N 69°43′58″W / 45.9108°N 69.7327°W), the river flows for about 25 miles (40 km) east and northeast. It then reaches Chesuncook Lake. After passing through Chesuncook Lake, it continues for about 20 miles (32 km) southeast. This part of the river goes through the southwest corner of Baxter State Park.
Next, it flows into the Pemadumcook Chain of Lakes. Finally, it generally heads east until it meets the East Branch of the Penobscot River in Medway, Penobscot County. This meeting point is called a confluence.
A Look Back: River History
The West Branch Penobscot River drains the spruce forests in the southern part of the Maine North Woods. It drops a total of 1,174 feet (358 meters) from its starting points near the Maine-Quebec border down to Medway.
Logging and Lumber
People started logging (cutting down trees) along the west branch in 1828. Workers would load the cut logs onto sleds. These sleds were pulled to the river by draft animals like oxen or horses. When the snow and ice melted in spring, the logs would be floated downstream in "log drives" all the way to Bangor, Maine. The business of sawmills (places where logs are cut into lumber) on the west branch was busiest in 1872.
Paper Mills and Power
In the 1900s, a paper mill in Millinocket, Maine had a big impact on the west branch. The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad built a bridge over the west branch near Quakish Lake in 1894. In 1897, a company was formed to create and sell hydroelectricity (power from water) for factories. This company later became known as Great Northern Paper Company (GNP) in 1899.
A dam was built at Quakish Lake. This dam sent water through a canal to a paper mill on Millinocket Stream. The river section between Quakish Lake and Shad Pond almost dried up. The water flowing through the canal dropped 114 feet (35 meters), powering the mill. This mill was huge, making 240 tons of newsprint (paper for newspapers) every day! It used wood pulp made from groundwood and a process called sulfite pulping. When it opened in 1900, it was the largest paper mill in the world. Within a year, it made 12% of all newsprint in the United States. GNP kept this market share for 16 years by making more and more hydroelectricity from the west branch.
Building Dams
In 1903, the Maine government gave control of the west branch above Shad Pond to a GNP company. GNP built many dams to use the river's power. They built dams at Chesuncook Lake, Lower Lake, Sourdnahunk Falls, Ambejejus Falls, Canada Falls, Seboomook Lake, and Ripogenus. These dams helped them use 405 feet (123 meters) of the river's total drop from Chesuncook Lake to Medway.
A new mill project in East Millinocket in 1907 also included using the water drops at Burnt Land Rips (25 feet or 7.6 meters) and Dolby Rips (50 feet or 15 meters). The Ripogenus Dam, finished in 1916, was the largest storage dam ever built by a private company at that time. By 1933, GNP had built dams on the west branch that could store a massive 57 billion cubic feet of water!
Changing Log Transport
The west branch also carried pulpwood (wood used to make pulp for paper) to Millinocket. At first, "long logs" (20 to 24 feet or 6.1 to 7.3 meters long) were floated down the river. But starting in 1917, pulpwood was cut into shorter 4-foot (1.2 meter) lengths. The last time "long logs" were floated down the river was in 1928.
As forests near the west branch were used for pulpwood, GNP built railroads like the Eagle Lake and West Branch Railroad and the Seboomook Lake and Saint John Railroad. These railroads brought pulpwood from other river areas, like the Allagash and Saint John river basins, to be floated down the west branch.
In 1971, people became more concerned about the environment. Because of these concerns, logs stopped being transported by river. Great Northern opened the Golden Road (Maine), a private road that runs next to the river all the way to the mill in Millinocket. This road is still the main way to get to the river. The lumber industry slowly became smaller. Plans for a new dam at Big Amberjackmockamus Falls were stopped in 1986. The Millinocket paper mill closed down and parts of it were torn down in 2008.
Fun on the River: Recreation
The Appalachian Trail, a famous long hiking path, crosses the West Branch at Abol Bridge (45°50′07″N 68°58′02″W / 45.83525°N 68.96725°W). This is at the northeast end of a tough hiking area called the Hundred-Mile Wilderness. The trail then follows the river upstream for about 3 miles (4.8 km). After that, it follows Nesowadnehunk Stream into Baxter Park on its way to Mount Katahdin, which is the northern end of the trail.
The Northern Forest Canoe Trail also follows the West Branch. This trail is for canoes and kayaks. It starts with a portage (carrying a boat over land) from Moosehead Lake in North East Carry (45°53′39″N 69°36′37″W / 45.8943°N 69.6103°W). It then continues to Chesuncook Lake (46°04′12″N 69°25′10″W / 46.0700°N 69.4195°W).
Water released from Chesuncook Lake creates exciting whitewater rapids through Ripogenus Gorge. These rapids are very popular for fun activities!
Whitewater Adventures
The West Branch of the Penobscot River is well-known for its amazing Class IV and V rapids. These are very strong and challenging rapids. Many companies offer commercial trips for rafting, kayaking, and boogie boarding here. People also come for non-commercial paddling adventures.
Fishing Fun
The West Branch is also famous for its Atlantic salmon populations. These are special salmon that live in freshwater. Fishermen from all over the world come to try and catch them in this river.
