1907 Map of The Forks

About this map

The Forks serves as the central focal point of this northern Maine landscape, where the convergence of waters defines the local geography. Surveyed in the early twentieth century, the map reveals a wilderness divided into large land management units like the 10000 Acre Tract, Moxie Gore, and Squaretown. These divisions reflect the state's historical timber and public land tradition. Navigation through this dense network of ponds and ridges relied on thoroughfares like the Shirley Tote Road, while early water management is evidenced by the presence of Squirtgun Dam and other unnamed dams near Black Brook Pond. From the heights of Bald Mountain and Big Squaw Mountain down to the Black Narrows of the river system, the map documents a period when the economy was deeply tied to the logging industry and the remote camps scattered throughout the hills.