What follows are some clippings from the pages of the RANGELEY LAKES newspaper.

(Editor’s note: Contemporary commentary in italics, otherwise copy is reprinted just as it was in in the late 1890’s).

Here in the Rangeley Lakes Region the old-timers used to say “We have 9 months of Wintah, and three months of rough sleddin”. Not everyone has the “gumption” to tough out Western Maine’s longest season, but many have and still do today, because it’s beautiful and the preparation required to “winter over” here builds one’s character. Folks in 19th century had an extra measure of pluck and perseverance to face Old Man Wintah here in Rangeley…let alone survive among the wolves and bears! Enjoy what follows from the December 31, 1896 edition of the Rangeley Lakes newspaper…

The Wonderful and Extraordinary Are Seldom Forgotten
By S. H. McCollister.

THE aged delight to tell how it used to be when they were young. The cold of winter and the heat of summer, the snows and rains, the whirlwinds and earthquakes, the thunder and lightning, the accidents and escapes, the robberies and murders, were far more remarkable than any in modern days. The stories of the sires thrill the hearts of the grandchildren as they tell how they came into the woods and settled, living in log- huts and raising their corn among the stumps and carrying it to mill on horseback far off through the forests before there were any roads save the trails whose course was marked by spotted trees. Oh! the bears and wolves that used to chase them! Oh! these wild creatures frequently would render the nights hideous! Then the snowstorms are not to be matched anymore! Why, the drifts were like mountains and often hurried camps out of sight so that the indwellers would have to dig for days before they could get the light!  The hailstorms of that old time were just terrific. The stones were often as large as hens’ eggs and would smash the glass where there was any exposed and drive all living creatures under shelter or destroy them. The great frosts of 1813-14 were described not long since by a veteran who said that the “cold was so intense as to freeze up ever thing here at the north, even the voices of men, the report of guns, and the blasts of trumpets, which did not thaw out for a long while.”

The year of 1833 is memorable for its marvelous display of shooting stars. Luring its winter several nights were tendered brilliant by meteors flying in all directions, as though the heavens were “Aging fearful battles. Many were frightened and felt that surely the world ‘s fast coming to an end. The red snow of the same year, occasioned by the Northern lights streaming to the zenith from all points of the compass, will long be remembered and described as startling boys and girls did not care to be out upon the ice, or sliding down hill, while the “lumanae borealis” was staining apparently the snow scarlet, as if the very elements were shedding blood.

(During the winter of 2020, the Northern Lights viewing was typical for a solar minimum year. In other words, not quite visible enough to turn the snow red and properly scare young children. However, from winter 2021 onwards, there will be a slow ramp-up in solar activity, and auroras should increase in frequency, peaking in 2024/2025 with the Solar Maximum. This holds great promises for scaring the bejabbers out of the little ones).  The article continues…

The blizzard of 1888 is already being spoken of as the most remarkable winter occurrence that ever-visited New England. As I read of it in India, it seemed that a good share of our land was so deeply buried in snow the people would not be able to discover themselves again for the longest while, and it was a question if the suns of summer would give forth sufficient heat to bare the meadows.

The comet of 1861 and the April meteors of that year are already being recounted as phenomenal, and the snows of the same month covered the fences out of sight; and a crust in places was formed so strong that heavy teams could go across lots.

When we have a mild winter it is natural to infer that our climate is becoming warmer; and we attempt to account for the change by the cutting off of the forests, tilling the soil, and the probable nearer approach of the Gulf Stream to our shores. But let a winter like the present come upon us and our logic is prone to an entirely different conclusion. If the Pilgrim Fathers did nearly freeze to death the first winter they spent on Cape Cod, we are not ready to admit from any changes since, that Plymouth Rock can be a very hot place the present season. The old people of the next generation will no doubt have wonderful stories to relate to the young people about natural phenomena.
Rangeley Lakes December 31, 1896

Many  a hard man earned a living working from dawn to dusk in the lumber camps each winter. There were three such camps employing between 50-100 men each along just the Bemis Branch of the Rumford Falls and Rangeley Lakes Railroad. What follows is a telling snippet that shares the incredible amount of wood being cut along these lines for shipment to the mill in Rumford.

Business here is good although we have not had snow as the lumbermen wanted, yet the logs have been steadily moving down the line:15 to 20 carloads per day from the Bemis branch, so-called, 12 to 15 from the Houghton branch and about 15 from East branch.
Rangeley Lakes February 6, 1896

At up to 20 cord per flatcar, that’s 90 cord per day. All being harvested by bucksaw and axe and then twitched to the rail line by horse teams and loaded on railcars every day of the week but Sunday! This makes occasionally shoveling the roof today, seem like a vacation by comparison. To learn more about Rangeley’s fantastic logging history, please visit our friends at the Maine Forestry Museum.

And this being Rangeley, a short fish story…

Here is a winter fish story, and a true one. The question is still open, however, as to whether there has been a violation of the law’. Last Saturday evening, Harry Churchill went to the well, which was formerly in the old Barden House yard, for a pail of water. He drew up a bucketful, emptied it into his pail, carried it to the kitchen and filled the teakettle from it. A few moments later, Mrs. Hoyt heard a commotion in the kettle which frightened her so that she went for the young man to investigate. Judge their surprise at finding a trout, over nine inches in length, attempting to get out of his warm bath. He was removed and shown in several of the nearby stores after which he was returned to his former home in the well. It was nearly dark at the time, which accounts for the trout not being seen by the young man.
Rangeley Lakes February 6, 1896

Have a great winter and be sure to come and see all the new exhibits and newly acquired artifacts at our Outdoor Heritage Museum in Oquossoc. We plan to open for the season on Memorial Day Weekend

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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