The Coburn Brothers Of Maine’s North Woods The Ox Railroad at Northeast Carry

The Coburn Brothers Of Maine’s North Woods

The Ox Railroad at Northeast Carry

by Charles Francis

One of the first big timber companies in northwestern Maine was the Coburn Brothers Company. The holdings of this company were immense. Their lumber camps ranged from Jackman on the Quebec border, to Holeb in the Moose River region, to Brassua Lake in the Greenville area. In fact, Moosehead was one of the company’s chief centers of operation. The Coburns even had a steamship line there, the Coburn Steamship Company, which included the famous steamship Katahdin.

Abner and Philander Coburn operated the Coburn Brothers Company. Abner is better known, as he was one of Maine’s Civil War-time governors. He was also the executive head of the company, taking care of the management end of things from the home office in Skowhegan. Philander was more the company’s man in the field, seeing to such details as to whether camps were running up to snuff, schedules were being met and so on. It was Philander who was largely responsible for the creation of one of the most unique pieces of early north woods history, the Ox Railroad at Northeast Carry at the head of Moosehead.

Philander and Abner Coburn were the sons of Eleazer Coburn, who for many years was Maine State Timber Surveyor. The elder Coburn probably knew the value of state-owned timberlands better than anyone else in Maine, and, because of this, he and his sons were able to join the ranks of Maine’s great timber barons.

In the late 1820s and early 1830s, the State of Maine found itself in dire

Our VILLAGE MARKET Pizza • Subs • Sandwiches Beer • Soda • Wine • Gas Public Restroom 10% Off Any Large Pizza! 207-652-2277 ~ Convenient to ATV’ers & Snowmobilers ~ Route 27 • New Vineyard, ME

Thomas LeMont Jr.

Mechanic / Owner

T & L Enterprises Auto & Small Engine Repair

141 Main Street • PO Box 512 Stratton, ME 04982 207-246-4276 • 207-265-6026 tlenterprises@roadrunner.com

— Open daily for Lunch & Dinner —

Thursdays: Two-fer Menu featuring our famous prime rib!

Steaks • Burgers Seafood • Spirits

www.trailsendsteakhouse.com

59 Eustis Village & ITS 89 207-246-7511

Your complete energy source for propane, kerosene, fuel oil and equipment 800-675-7443 207-265-5443

103 Main Street, Kingfi eld, ME 04947 www.valleygasandoil.com

Jackman Auto Parts

Quality Automotive Products Great Customer Service

207-668-5351

financial straits and began selling its public lands for as little as fifteen cents an acre. Eleazer Coburn, with his superior knowledge of state timber holdings, began purchasing thousands of acres of Maine timberland. At one point, the Coburns held over 200,000 acres.

At the same time that he was investing in Maine timberlands, the elder Coburn was taking his two sons into the woods. The experience was an education, one that turned the two boys into men by the time they were in their teens. In other words, they were more than ready to take over the family business by the time their father stepped down.

One of the brothers’ early north woods enterprises was the development of the Ox Railroad at Northeast Carry. This was primarily a project of Philander, who, along with several other developers, built a wooden railway connecting Moosehead Lake with the

West Branch of the Penobscot. The railroad, which was powered by oxen and horses, proved a great success, carrying supplies the two miles between the two bodies of water. It was the first of the north woods “lumbering railroads,” and served as a prototype for later ones like the Chesuncook & Chamberlain.

Henry David Thoreau used the Ox Railroad on his 1853 trip to Chesuncook. At that time, the “carry-man” was an individual named Hinckley who lived on the Penobscot end of the railroad. He was called to the Moosehead end by a blast of the whistle of the boat that carried Thoreau and his party up the lake. According to Thoreau, the railroad was made of “rude logs which followed a two to three rod wide perfectly straight cut through the forest.” The railroad’s cart, which was pulled by both a horse and an ox, was not for passenger use. Thoreau and his party had to walk to the West Branch.

While the Ox Railroad was hardly worthy of being called a railroad, it must have had a certain amount of significance to Philander Coburn, for he named his horse after it. The horse was called “Old Railroad,” and Coburn was famous for his daring rides through the woods on that spirited horse. Some people thought the beast would, in fact, prove Philander’s death. Old Railroad was extremely nervous and difficult to control. He often bolted for no reason at all, with his owner sawing frantically at the reins in a vain attempt to get him to stop. Sometimes these mad dashes occurred at night when it was pitch dark. Racing over lumpy, hard-pack tote roads, Old Railroad’s hoofbeats could be heard for a mile or more on a still night. He never, however, succeeded in harming his master.

Lumberjacks were always partial to working for the Coburns. Their camps, especially at Brassua Lake and Holeb, (cont. on page 12)

NORTHLAND HOTEL ROOMS & LOUNGE

An International Bar Where Good Friends Meet

Enjoy “The Hot Spot in the Valley” where everyone has fun 10 SPORTS TVS - POOL TABLES - ATM - DARTS - 5 LIGHTED HORSESHOE PITS A different DJ or Band every Saturday night The best rates in Somerset County - 14 clean private rooms with common baths 406 Main St., Jackman, ME 04945 ~ northlandhotel@myfairpoint.net www.northlandhotel.net ~ Reservations, call 207-668-4446 or 207-668-4111 See You Soon at the Northland!

Todd West welcomes you to JIMMY’S SHOP ‘N SAVE Convenient to ITS 87 Ready-To-Go Chicken Baskets & Hamburgers Brick Oven Pizza

• Custom Fresh Cut Meats • Fresh Produce • All Your Grocery And Snack Needs • Agency Liquor Store MAIN STREET • BINGHAM 24 Hour Gas 672-5528

Lovell’s Guilford

We offer building materials, roofi ng, plumbing and electrical supplies — wood pellets and livestock feed 66 Water Street • Guilford

lovellsguilfordhardware.com

(cont. from page 11) were considered the best camps to work at. One reason for this was that these camps had the best cooks, who turned out the best pies, cakes and freshly baked bread. Another reason was that the Coburns paid better wages than most of the other timber companies, as much as forty dollars a month.

Another of the Coburn enterprises in the Moosehead region was the Coburn Steamship Company, which had Stillman Sawyer of Greenville as general manager. At its peak, the company operated a dozen or so vessels on Maine’s largest body of water. These vessels carried summer visitors and sportsmen all over the lake to cottages and sporting camps. In the spring, Coburn steamships like the Governor Coburn and the Katahdin or “Big Kate,” as she was affectionately known, towed vast log booms down Moosehead to the Kennebec, where they were floated in great drives to mills at Madison and Skowhegan.

Today, the Coburn name is largely forgotten. At one time, however, the Coburn Brothers Company owned over seven hundred square miles of Maine timberland. Of these holdings, around a hundred thousand acres in the Jackman area are still managed by the Coburn Land Trust, which is controlled by the descendants of Philander Coburn. Abner Coburn never married. While the days of the Ox Railroad are long gone, the Katahdin still graces Moosehead waters, recalling a time long past when the Coburns were dominant figures in the north woods, and the hoofbeats of Philander Coburn’s horse, Old Railroad, echoed on the shores of Moosehead Lake.

Pass on a tradition that will last a lifetime.

mefi shwildlife.com

KIMBALL INSURANCE, L.L.C.

AUTO - HOME - COMMERCIAL FINANCIAL SERVICES LIFE & HEALTH INSURANCE Variable Annuities • Retirement Planning Mutual Funds • IRA’s • 401K • LTC

PERSONAL IN-HOUSE SERVICE (207) 876-9777 • (877) 844-3388 91 Main St. • Sangerville, ME www.kimballinsuranceagency.com

*Securities offered through United Planners’ Financial Services of America, a Limited Partnership. Member FINRA, SIPC. Preparing America’s Taxes Since 1955

~ Open Year Round ~

Individual • Partnerships • Corporate Returns Business Services & Payroll

Registered Tax Return Preparers Enrolled Agents • Senior Tax Advisors

1073 W. Main St., Suite 3 • Dover-Foxcroft 207-564-2363 │ kurt.fortier@hrblock.com

Tools & Equipment Tents & Party Supplies Snow Plowing - Residential/Commercial Gravel • Sand • Loam • Stone

207-564-2476

1123 West Main Street • Dover-Foxcroft, ME

To Heat or Cool & Propane too! call 207-696-3040

Heating Oil, Kerosene & Propane Delivery With 24 Hour Repair Service

Certified Natural Gas & Geothermal Heating and Cooling Installation Available www.bobscashfuel.com

Paul Keaten II image@beeline-online.net

207-474-0593

126 Lakewood Rd. • Madison, ME Maple Syrup • Candy Jams • Honey • Gifts

Open Mon-Fri 8 to 5 449 Lakewood Road, • Madison, ME

1-800-310-3803

The Margaret Chase Smith home in Skowhegan, ca. 1940. The mansion is now the site of the Redington-Fairview Hospital. item # 1425 from the collections of the Maine Historical Society and www.VintageMaineImages.com

1890 PRIMITIVES

Find us on Facebook under 1890 Primitives 207-431-2877

219 North Ave. Skowhegan, Maine 10-5, Wed.-Sat.

FREDERICK HEATING Complete Heating and Central Air Conditioning Installation & Service

Stephen Frederick 592 Mercer Road Norridgewock, ME 04957

Eat In, Takeout or Delivery

MON-WED 10am-9pm • THU-SAT 7am-9pm • SUN 7am-8pm ________________________

60 Waterville Road • Skowhegan, ME

207-474-7900 • 207-474-9099

www.herospizzaandbreakfast.com

R.F. Automotive Repair ROSS FRAZIER, OWNER/OPERATOR

31 Years of experience keeping Maine running

Complete Diagnostic Service Chassis Dyno Testing •A/C Servicing

(207) 474-9656 9 Locust Street, Skowhegan

HARDYS MOTORSPORTS • Zero Turn Mowers • WalkBehind Mowers _____________ • • • • Push Mowers Generators Snow Th ro Wood Splitters _____________ • • • • • Riding Mowers Zero Turn Mowers Push Mowers Snow Thro Rototillers _____________ • • • • • Leaf Blowers Trimmers Chain Saws Power Brooms Hedge Trimmers & * 0% Financing Available with approved Credit * *All Units full of gas ready to be used. Delivered within 20 miles* 634-3452 74 Mercer Rd., Norridgewock, ME hardysmotorsports@tds.net

The Emery Hill house in Fairfield, ca. 1900. Item # 10771 from the collections of the Maine Historical Society and www.VintageMaineImages.com

458 North Ave. Skowhegan, ME

GREG’S AUTO REPAIR

Greg Holt Owner/Operator

Foreign & Domestic Auto Repair Rocker Panels & Cab Corners • Fluid Filming 474-8912

Poor Bob’s Storage

SNOWMOBILES • BOATS • CARS • FURNITURE • ETC.

Over 385 Spaces AND 12 Different Sizes: 5x10 to 12x30

Winslow Supply, Inc.

Plumbing, Heating & Electrical Supplies

Open Monday-Friday 7am-5pm Open Saturday 7am-noon

1-800-287-5608 873-5608

567 Benton Avenue, Winslow, ME

Mark Reiland Licensed & Insured Free Estimates

Practicing fi ne arboriculture in Central Maine & beyond

Tree Removal, Pruning, and a Full Range of Arboricultural Services 207-431-6367 www.valleyarbor.com Fairfi eld, ME

Baked goods made in a real fi rehouse!

A full selection of pies, bars, cookies, whoopie pies & more

Locals husking corn in Farmington. Item # LB2007.1.100745 from the Eastern Illustrating & Publishing Co. Collection and www.PenobscotMarineMuseum.org

Phil Carter’s Garage

“Serving you since 1960” Air Conditioning Specialist Registered With International Mobile Air Conditioning Certification Association (IMACA) From Foreign & Domestic to 18-Wheelers When It Comes To Air Conditioning, Phil Carter’s Garage Is The Only Name! Tune-Ups • Exhausts • Brakes Complete Car Care Needs 453-6310

1 Pleasant Drive, Benton Station

Lots of cool stuff!

Farmington Farmers Union & Union Rental

Celebrating 100+ Years of Serving the Area’s Agricultural Needs We off er a complete line of plumbing, hardware, paint, farming supplies, and livestock needs.

TOOL RENTALS AVAILABLE Small Engine Mechanic On Duty 244 Front St., Farmington, ME • 778-4520 • 778-5674

Jon & Lois Bubier, Owners 144 Franklin and High Streets Farmington • 778-3344

WHITEWATER FARM MARKET Russ Dodge, Jr. All Natural Meats Natural and Organic Livestock Feed Hay ~ Straw ~ Shavings ~ Pet Food ~ Gift Certifi cates ~ U.S. Route 2, New Sharon, ME (207) 778-4748 Mon. - Fri. 8-6 • Sat. 8-1