1953 Map of Portage

About this map

Portage and the surrounding timberlands of central Aroostook County are defined by a network of logging camps and water-powered industrial relics. This 1953 revision of earlier surveys documents the remote character of the Maine woods, where the Bangor and Aroostook railroad serves the settlement at Hanford and skirts the edge of Portage Lake. The landscape is dotted with evidence of early twentieth-century activity, from the Old Shingle Mill on Goddard Brook to the Old Chain Bridge. Fire prevention infrastructure is prominent, with a Fire Tower atop Pennington Mtn and the associated Fire Tower Camp. Local genealogists will find several family-named landmarks and seasonal camps, including Guerette Camp, Sands Camp, and Hoit Camp, alongside the Buffalo Cem near the town of Buffalo.