Dickey-Lincoln

Dickey Site on the St. John River

Electric power generated from Maine’s rivers provided an early source of energy for large pulp and paper companies and other sectors of the economy. Later oil fueled electric generation emerged, followed in the mid-20th century by nuclear power. Later still in that century, biomass (primarily wood) generators were added to the mix. The early 21st…

Easton

In the 1970s Easton was the site of a failed attempt to establish a sugar beet refinery to diversify dependence on the potato economy. The McCain Foods, U.S.A. facility and the J. M. Huber Corporation’s Engineered Woods plant provide local employment. Easton, in Aroostook County, incorporated in 1865.

Katahdin Iron Works

Katahdin Iron Works Chimney

National Register of Historic Places – Listings Katahdin Iron Works [Northwest of Brownville Junction at Silver Lake] Katahdin Iron Works Township, T6 R9 NWP, is an unorganized township northwest of Brownville and just east of Gulf Hagas and The Hermitage. Red iron oxide from Ore Mountain is believed to have been the source of paint…

Mining

Tourmaline from Mt. Mica Quarry

Mining has been significant part of the Maine economy at different times in different places, thanks to its geologic composition. Granite, slate, and gem extraction have been important local industries at certain points in the state’s history. The Mt. Mica mine in Paris, Maine was the site in 1820 where amateur naturalists Elijah Hamlin and…

Ripogenus Dam

Ripogenus (Abenaki for “gravel) is the name given for the dam and the lake created by it.  Ripogenus Lake is essentially a human-made extension of Chesuncook Lake.         The dam [N45° 52′ 47.64″  W69° 10′ 32.56″], completed in 1920, provides water power for McKay power station through an underground tunnel. In 1989…