Backwoods Blog

RIVER WORK

Backwoods Blog;

in the woods and on the road…

A most curious object   (2024)

It’s been a busy week on the river. As part of the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians (HBMI) river restoration projects in the Wolastoq-St. John watershed, work is currently being done on the north branch of the Meduxnekeag River right in front of our cabin. The objective of the project is to enhance the fish habitat by restoring it to conditions found prior to the log-driving days of the 19th and early 20th century. This is accomplished by constructing obstructions in the river using timber and large boulders which provide shelter for spawning fish and protection from predators. The north branch supports native brook trout, brown trout, and at one time, Atlantic salmon. The long range goal of the project is restoration of the Atlantic Salmon population, a species of cultural and economic importance to the Maliseet Tribe. 

Restoration work has already been done on a section of the south branch of the Meduxnekeag River in Houlton and Littleton, and last year work commenced on the north branch just downstream from our place near the downtown bridge on US Route One. August and September are a good time of year to work on the project as water levels in the river are typically at their lowest (and the black flies aren’t as bad). Since I’m not used to having construction equipment working in the river by our place, I decided to check it out. River beds and waterways are continually shifting and altering their course and the surrounding terrain, but this is different. I’ve noticed slow and incremental changes in the river over the course of 30 years, but this is just one week! The boulder and rock placement is a real game-changer; for the fish, sportsman, the sound of the river and certainly for canoeists navigating the river in the spring.

When I was talking to the contractor and one of the engineers on the job, they asked me, “What is the most interesting thing you’ve ever pulled out of the river?” Nothing really came to mind, with the exception of a few empty beer cans, golf balls or parts from an old piece of farm machinery. Then, as I was walking away, I looked down and saw what appeared to be a black, smooth rock. Upon closer examination, I could tell that it was not a rock – I had just found a most curious object in the stream. It was a machined piece of heavy cast iron and weighed about 40 pounds. I’ve shown it to several people since trying to figure out what it might be. I continue it here. If you think you might know what this is, post it in the comments section on the blog site backwoodsblog.com or email me at dave@backwoodsblog.com   My guess is included below.

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Dave’s Theory:  I don’t know what it is, but I do believe I know where it came from. A half mile upstream at the iron trestle where the old B&A Railroad crossed the river, Great Northern Paper Company used to have a damn and mill back in the 1930s. I think this is some kind of “cap” used for industrial purposes and the divots on the edge clipped into something. Initially, I thought the location would be too far away for the object to drift that far downstream, and the object too heavy. But when I thought about the likelihood of the object getting “grabbed” by ice and carried downstream by the power of fast moving water at some point during the past 100 years, I had my hypothesis. That being said, I still don’t know what it is. 

In the woods,

Dave

September 17, 2024

work crew in the distance…

One of the engineers working on the project

Notice the divet on the lower front edge (another one on the opposite side)

drone footage of the operation