1935 Map of Arnold Pond

About this map

U.S. Customs stands as a lonely outpost along the international boundary in this 1930s survey of the Maine backcountry. The landscape is dominated by the complex hydrology of the Chain of Ponds and the headwaters of the Kennebago River and Magalloway River. This era of the Maine woods was defined by the transition from early logging camps to a seasonal recreation economy, yet the map retains the formal township-and-range designations such as Coburn Gore and Massachusetts Gore. Numerous small water bodies like Arnold Pond, Secret Pd, and Big Island Pond are mapped with precision, alongside the drainage systems of Gold Brook and Mountain Bk. The presence of several benchmarks, such as BM 2470 on Louise Mtn, reflects the intense surveying effort required by the International Boundary Commission to formalize the border between the United States and Canada.