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1986 Map of Big Black Rapids

Name: 1986 Topographic Map of Big Black Rapids
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1986
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1986

About this map

The St John River snakes through the northern Maine wilderness in this mid-1980s record of Aroostook County, marking a remote boundary landscape where the Big Black River joins the main flow. This intersection is defined by the turbulent water of the Big Black Rapids and Basford Rtps, features that long dictated the movement of people and timber through these woods. The presence of the Immigration Service Camp near the riverbanks highlights the proximity of the international border, while several campsites scattered along the banks indicate the area's use by sportsmen and river travelers.

The topography is dominated by unnamed ridges and deep drainages carved by tributaries like Twomile Brook, Sweeney Brook, and Seminary Brook. Human infrastructure is sparse, limited to a series of private roads and an occasional Gravel Pit, reflecting the industrial timber management of the late twentieth century. This sheet captures a specific moment when the deep woods of Northern Maine remained largely inaccessible to the general public, maintained primarily for commercial forestry and border security.