RANGERS & PERSONNEL
John O'Connel (caretaker, paid by Maine Forest Service) Kat. St. Roy Dudley (caretaker at Chimney, still paid by .25 fee collected). Harold J. Dyer (came on as a "reconnaissance" and served as Ranger.) Bernard Gardiner (July 22 Katahdin Stream Campground became part of the Park and August 1, Bernard was hired to collect fees of two men who also lived here, Mr. Roland Voisine and Mr. Ferguson.
Fred M. Pitman (caretaker) started work May 15. (John O'Connel who had been caretaker last year was allowed to run a small store and sell wood. He lived with Pitman, his son-in-law.) Roy Dudley still at Chimney Pond and this year went on the Park payroll. Hal J. Dyer started as Park Supervisor in May. Irwin Maker came on as patrolman at Katahdin Stream. $24.42 per week. (Late in 1941 season, Dyer escorted Gov. Sumner Sewall and Atty. General Frank Cowan on a hike up Katahdin. Sewall was the first Gov. since Owen Brewster in 1925 to climb while in office.) Russell Pond District was purchased this year. (1/2 of T4R9) The land on which Katahdin Stream Campsite is located became part of the Park this year and formal control over the operation of this site was transferred from the Forestry Dept. to Baxter Park.
William Hunt was the pioneer who made the Hunt clearing on the East Branch of the Penobscot River in 1832, by Stacyville. During the 1890's, Irvin O. Hunt and Lyman Hunt, grandsons of William Hunt, operated a sporting camp on Indian Pitch on Nesowadnehunk Stream. Here they guided a few sports in the summer and fall, and hunted and trapped in the winter. It was at this time that they cut the "Hunt Trail" up the westerly spur of Mt. Katahdin "because it presented the most direct way of approach from their camps to the top." Today the Hunt Trail is the northernmost line of the Appalachian Trail Conference. In 1902 they developed the Kidney Pond Camps and in 1903 were visited by Percival P. Baxter. In 1925 or 1926 Roy Bradeen and his wife Laura purchased Hunt's Camps. In 1937 Roy was drowned in Kidney Pond. His wife continued to run the camps until she gave up her lease in 1945. When Mrs. Bradeen gave up her lease in 1945 it was picked up by the Doxee boys, Marshall W. and Arthur T. of Meriden, Connecticut. In 1950 Donald D. Kennedy and Valle Ewing Kennedy of Newcastle bought the Doxee lease. The annual rent and lease at this time was $350. In 1950 a young waitress was shot at Kidney Pond Camps for being mistaken for a bear. In 1960 the Kennedys sold their interests to Charles Lipscomb of Easton, Maryland. They were granted a five year lease at $500 per year. In 1968, April 30, Charlie and Ruth Norris of Dixfield, Maine took over a five year lease for $2,510, .
Early in the century, about 1903, Maurice York (Jr.'s great uncle) a famous canoeman, built York's Twin Pine Camps at Daicey Pond. In 1920 his cousin Everett L. York took over. He ran them until 1932, when Everett left them to his son Earl W. York, Sr. and daughter-in-law Marabelle York. In 1956, after Earl Sr. had died, Marabelle turned them over to her son Earl W. York Jr. Frederic Hyde obtained a lease adjacent to Yorks on the pond and built himself a cabin. Later it was included in York's lease and the camp is now "HYDE". Prior to 1916 the camps were reached by boat and then trail from the railhead at Norcross on South Twin Lake. After 1916, when the road was constructed from Greenville to Nesowadnehunk Field the camps could be approached by automobile. From Nesowadnehunk Field a rough tote road led along the stream 8 ½ miles to camps.
On February 15, 1942, while tending his traplines in Stacyville, Roy Dudley was run over by a log or pulp truck and killed. No one came to Chimney Pond to take his place until after the war in 1946. Harold J. Dyer, Supervisor left for service early in the summer. Fred M. Pitman took Hall's place as Supervisor until Hal returned in February 1946 from the Service. Irwin Maker was stationed at Roaring Brook. William Tracy was stationed at Russell Pond terminated July 11.
This summer Earl York, Jr., cleared the A.T. from York's Twin Pine camps to East End of Rainbow Lake.
"In Sept. 1944 Baxter spent several days at the Warden's Camp on lower South Branch Pond with Chief Game Warden Caleb Scribner of Patten. The Grand Lake Fire Road was extended to Black Brook Farm in the summer of this year. In 1946 it was extended to McCarty Camp only 5 miles from Nesowadnehunk Lake. Abe Chase built a sawmill on the approach road above Togue Pond to cut white birch, Windy Pitch.
Harold J. Dyer Supervisor, returned from the service in February. Fred Pitman was at Katahdin Stream. Ralph Robinson was at Chimney Pond (Wiggie's brother, the first Ranger to be stationed at Chimney Pond since Roy's death). Jack Grant returned to Avalanche Field from the service with 4 pack horses. ($5 per day per horse, each packing 100 lbs. Jack was a forest warden.) Two lean-to's (Dudley's Den and the shed-roofed shelter succumbed to old age).
June 1949, at the Authority meeting Pat Steen was to be notified by Hal Dyer to remove his camp by Sept. 1 if he wanted it. Hal Dyer gave Howard and Mildred Steen a check for $00 for their camp. Dyer was ordered not to burn it by the Authority until they had time to discuss it as Nutting said one of his wardens was inquiring about using it. (Meeting of Dec. 7, 1949.) (This camp was burned in the winter of 1969 and Black Brook warden camp was burned in the fall of 1970.) (Trout Brook Farm was burned in the fall of Roaring Brook Ranger's Camp and garage were started in August 1949 and closed in before snowfall. Campground officially opened in 1950.
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