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1928 Map of Dead River

Name: 1928 Topographic Map of Dead River
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1928
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1928

About this map

The Dead River basin and the surrounding plantations of Somerset County are documented here during the mid-1920s, showing a landscape defined by logging, remote camps, and small agricultural clearings. The map detail highlights the importance of the portage routes through Carrying Place Plantation, where travelers moved between Pierce Pond and the river. Settlement patterns are sparse, represented by isolated landmarks such as Joe Farm, Spring Farm, and the settlement at Dead River, which features its own Dead River School.

Infrastructure in this period includes the historic Old Canada Road and Route 144, connecting these timberlands to the larger regional economy. In Lexington Plantation and Highland Plantation, the map reveals the local social fabric through the placement of the Highland School and Mill School. From the heights of Little Bigelow Mtn to the shoreline of West Carry Pond, this survey records the specific landmarks of the Maine woods before mid-century changes altered the character of the river valley.