Allagash Watershed Reversal EarthCache
Allagash Watershed Reversal
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(other)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This earthcache will takes a look at the geology in the area of the Telos Cut where loggers long ago changed the flow of the river.
Welcome to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, a 92-mile-long protected stretch of lake, shore, and river corridor established in 1966 by the Maine State Legislature and managed by the Maine Bureau of Parks and Recreation, Department of Conservation. The waterway winding its way through the heart of northern Maine's vast commercial forests, a working forest, which includes a 400- to 800- foot, state-owned, restricted zone within a privately owned forest extending one mile on either side of the watercourse. Maine has managed to conserve the Allagash's natural beauty and undeveloped character; the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in 1970 was the first state-administered component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
The rocks located here are the oldest rocks in the Baxter/Allagash area. They are sedimentary rocks, which form the bedrock in this lowlands area that surrounding area to the north of Baxter State Park. These rocks are sandstone, shale, and limestone, which range in age from Cambrian to Lower Devonian. The fossils, which occur in these rocks, are the principal evidence by which their age has been determined and because the majority of the fossils are remains of such marine organisms as brachiopods, corals, and mollusks, it must be assumed that these rocks were formed from marine sediments. For approximately 200 million years during early Paleozoic time the ocean covered nearly all of eastern North America, along with what is now northern Maine.
The record of the geologic history of the Allagash and Baxter State Park between the Devonian Period and the Pleistocene or Glacial Period is for all practical purposes blank. Probably for at least 99 percent of the approximately 350 million years between the Devonian Period and the Ice Age the area under consideration was out of water and no bedrock younger than Middle Devonian in age has been found. During this great span of time, streams and rivers slowly eroded the bedrock formed during the Lower Paleozoic Era, carrying it away to the ocean as gravel, sand, and mud. Perhaps as much as 10 thousand feet of rock was eroded. It is felt that the landscape in the area at the beginning of glaciation was approximately that of today and the results of glaciation have merely modified the preglacial landscape. In short it just smoothed the region as it travelled over the land. But one thing it did do was reducing the elevation between the Penobscot and Allagash watersheds. It was this low ridge that the loggers took advantage of in 1830’s by building two dams and diverting the waters of the Allagash that flowed into Canada down the Penobscot River on to Bangor in Maine.
The posted coordinates will bring you to the Telos Dam, which was one of two dams that were used to change the direction of the river’s flow. To log this earthcache you will have to paddle along this section of the lake and explore the area with the dam for evidence of the modifications that have been made to the river. As you walk the shore in this area you will find fossils from the time when it was under water. Remember this is an earthcache, so there is no container - just an earth science lesson at a beautiful natural feature along the waterway. To log this cache, email me through my profile the differences in elevation of the lake due to the dam, using this information you should be able to tell where the loggers have made the modifications to the river. In your email please include the name of the earthcache and the number of people in your group in your email. Please take the time to describe what you found that was special about the location so that others might have the same experience. It also would be nice if you would post a photo so others would know what they have to look forward to at this earth cache.
Telos Cut History -- In the 1830s Amos Roberts and the Strickland Brothers bought Township 6, Range 11, a piece of land that contains the drainages into two major watersheds; Webster Lake, a headwater of the East Branch of the Penobscot River, and Telos Lake which in its natural state is a headwater of the Allagash River. In order to get logs harvested from the area around Telos and Chamberlain Lakes down to the West Branch and thus into Bangor where American interests could profit, these owners needed to devise a way to move the logs from Telos over to Webster Lake.
In 1838 they engaged Shepard Boody to devise a way to get Chamberlain Lake to flow against its natural current, down into Telos Lake, then on to the West Branch basin. Boody proposed the raising of waters in Chamberlain Lake via a dam and then the digging of a canal across the space between Telos and Webster Lakes. This area included a ravine that dropped approximately 47 feet into Webster Lake. By fall 1841 the two dams were in place and a canal ten to fifteen feet wide and one to six feet deep stretched from Telos to Chamberlain Lake. It was thereafter known as the Telos Cut.
Built in 1841 for the landowners of T6-R11, the Telos Dam worked in conjunction with the canal and a dam at the outlet of Chamberlain Lake to redirect the flow of water in Chamberlain and Telos lakes south toward the Penobscot River basin where American interests could control the lumber that moved along it. This was contrary to its natural flow that took lumber north toward the St. John River basin and waters controlled by Canadian interests.
The dam enabled its owners to control the flow into the canal and thus collect a toll per 1,000 board feet of lumber from any landowner along these lakes who wanted to drive their logs to Bangor mills and markets. However, it also made them dependent on the ability of the Chamberlain Lake dam to retain enough water in Telos Lake to force the move southward against its natural northward flow. This led to a series of controversies involving owners of the Telos Dam and Cut and the owners of the Chamberlain Lake Dam and a wilderness struggle.
The dams at Telos have been repaired or rebuilt many times. The last crude log dam was replaced in 1924 by a timber crib dam. Sections of the dam have been replaced numerous times since then. Currently, it is a timber crib structure rebuilt in the 1980’s, by its then-owner the East Branch Improvement Company, with non-native materials and earthen abutments incorporating steel sheet piling cutoff walls. Telos Cut was famous not only as an engineering feat, but as the scene of a lumberman’s struggle known as the “Telos War.”
The Bureau of Parks and Lands acquired Telos and Lock Dams and their associated structures in 2000 in order to continue management of water levels consistent with the Waterway’s management objectives and to prevent changed or expanded private use of the associated buildings in a manner inconsistent with the Waterway’s management objectives. The dams are maintained and managed by BP&L as part of the Waterway. Bureau of Parks and Lands has no plans for these dams, except to improve their condition and maintain them, nor does BP&L intend to change the flow regimes from those currently in effect. It is anticipated that some of the buildings at the dam sites that are in poor repair and have no historical significance will be removed.
The Allagash Wilderness Waterway is a very special place for the people of Maine. In 1966, the citizens of Maine voted to protect the river by authorizing a $1.5 million bond that would "develop the maximum wilderness character" of the river. The State of Maine, through the Bureau of Parks and Lands within the Department of Conservation, seeks to ensure that this area will be maintained forever as a place of solace and refuge from the pressures of society by limiting access to the waterway so that people can enjoy its wilderness character. Please remember that this park is maintained primarily as a Wilderness used for recreational purposes. The park personnel strive to carry out these provisions so make sure to follow all regulations carefully and register before you begin any canoe trip. Remember that forethought and a little preparation are the key elements to a successful and enjoyable outdoor experience. Make sure to practice "Carry-in-carry out", practice low-impact camping, and show consideration for other visitors and resident wildlife to keep the Allagash Wilderness Waterway a special for the future visitors.
More information and the history of the Telos Cut can be found at:
(visit link)
If you enjoy this earthcache you may want to check the Maine Geological Survey located at (visit link)
They have developed a number of information sheets or field localities giving a great deal of information about geologic features. They also have a number of books and maps about Maine’s natural history/ geology that you might find interesting.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)