1930 Map of St. Francis

About this map

St John River and the St Francis River form the international boundary with Canada in this northernmost reach of Maine, where the landscape is defined by the timber-driven economy of the 1930s. Small logging outposts and mill sites like Jones Mill and Michaud Mill dot the interior, while remote camps such as Soucier Camp and Jones Camp suggest the seasonal rhythms of the forest industry. Settlement is concentrated primarily along the river valleys, where St Francis and St John serve as the principal hubs connected by the original alignment of Route 161. Education was locally distributed through a network of rural schoolhouses, including Lincoln Sch, McKinley Sch, and Cross Rock Sch. South of the main river corridors, the terrain transitions into a chain of deep-woods waters, notably the Negro Brook Lakes, including First Lake and Second Lake, accessible by primitive routes like the Tote Road.