The Carrabassett River, a tributary of the
Kennebec River
The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river within the U.S. state of Maine. It ri ...
, is located in
Franklin County and
Somerset County,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. It rises near
Sugarloaf Mountain
Sugarloaf Mountain ( pt, Pão de Açúcar, ) is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at the mouth of Guanabara Bay on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rising above the harbor, the peak is named for its resemblance to ...
, east of
Rangeley Lake
Rangeley Lake, located in Franklin County, Maine in the United States, is fed by several streams. Its waters flow out from the lake's northwestern corner via the short Rangeley River into Mooselookmeguntic Lake, then Upper and Lower Richardson ...
, and runs for ,
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed June 30, 2011 flowing southeast past
Kingfield and joining the Kennebec River in the town of
Anson Anson may refer to:
People
* Anson (name), a give name and surname
** Anson family, a British aristocratic family with the surname
Place names
;United States
* Anson, Indiana
* Anson, Kansas
* Anson, Maine
** Anson (CDP), Maine
* Anson, Missour ...
.
Course
South Branch
The
South Branch Carrabassett River
The Carrabassett River, a tributary of the Kennebec River, is located in Franklin County and Somerset County, Maine, in the United States. It rises near Sugarloaf Mountain, east of Rangeley Lake, and runs for ,U.S. Geological Survey. National ...
, long,
[ begins in Franklin County at Caribou Pond, fed by small brooks and wetlands between ]Spaulding Mountain
Spaulding Mountain is a mountain located in Franklin County, Maine. Spaulding Mountain is flanked to the northeast by Sugarloaf Mountain, and to the southeast by Mount Abraham.
The northeast and south sides of Spaulding Mountain drain into Rap ...
to the east and Mount Redington
Mount Redington is a mountain located in Franklin County, Maine. Redington is flanked to the northeast by South Crocker Mountain and to the west by Black Nubble. Redington stands just northeast of the U.S. Navy Survival Escape and Evasion Trai ...
to the west. From the outflow of Caribou Pond (), the South Branch flows north through Caribou Valley, between Crocker Mountain and Sugarloaf Mountain. The Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...
crosses the South Branch in Caribou Valley. Near the village of Bigelow, the river turns east, collecting brooks draining Sugarloaf Mountain, known for Sugarloaf
A sugarloaf was the usual form in which refined sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century, when granulated and cube sugars were introduced. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end product of a process in which dark molasses, a ri ...
ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...
. At Bigelow, the river is bridged by State Route 16 & 27. Route 16 and the narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad
The Sandy River & Rangeley Lakes Railroad (SR&RL) was a narrow gauge common carrier railroad that operated approximately of track in Franklin County, Maine. Former equipment from the SR&RL continues to operate in the present day on a revived, s ...
follow the river from Bigelow downstream to Kingfield.
Main stem
Near the villages of Records and Carrabassett, in the town of Carrabassett Valley, the South Fork Carrabassett River is joined by Huston Brook, which flows south from the Bigelow Range. Below the confluence the river is simply called the Carrabassett River (there is no North Branch, but there is a West Branch to the south). The railroad enabled logging of the aboriginal spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfami ...
forests of the west branch in 1885, and a large steam sawmill was built at Bigelow in 1899 to convert the headwater forests to lumber. The shift to internal combustion transportation began in 1924 when a Carrabassett veneer mill used surplus World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
s to move logs out of the woods. The railroad was dismantled between 1926 and 1936.[Crittenden, H. Temple ''The Maine Scenic Route'' McClain Printing 1976 pp. 182–190.]
The Carrabassett River flows southward from the confluence of the South Branch with Huston Brook, passing between Poplar Mountain to the east and Owls Head to the west, receiving Poplar Stream and Hammond Field Brook before entering the town of Kingfield. There it receives Clay Brook, Reed Brook, and Ledge Brook. This part of the Carrabassett River contains many rapids. Just before the village of Kingfield, the West Branch Carrabassett River
The West Branch Carrabassett River is a short tributary of the Carrabassett River in Franklin County, Maine. From the confluence of Quick Stream with a small stream () in Salem, the river runs U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset ...
joins the main Carrabassett River. The river is bridged by State Route 16 and impounded by a small concrete dam in the village of Kingfield. Below the dam the river receives Stanley Stream, then enters Somerset County and the town of New Portland.
After crossing the county line, the Carrabassett River receives the waters of Indian Stream, Bloodsucker Brook, and Taylor Brook, before reaching the village of New Portland. An old suspension bridge called the "Wire Bridge" crosses the river in New Portland. The river then collects Lemon Stream, Dyer Brook, and Newell Brook. In the village of East New Portland another bridge crosses the river. Then the Carrabassett River receives one of its main tributaries, Gilman Stream, followed by the smaller tributaries of Hutchins Brook, Hilton Brook, and Town Farm Brook.
The Carrabassett River passes through the North Anson Gorge in the town of Anson Anson may refer to:
People
* Anson (name), a give name and surname
** Anson family, a British aristocratic family with the surname
Place names
;United States
* Anson, Indiana
* Anson, Kansas
* Anson, Maine
** Anson (CDP), Maine
* Anson, Missour ...
. It collects Mill Stream and Gilbert Brook before reaching the village of North Anson. About a mile below North Anson, the Carrabassett River joins the Kennebec River
The Kennebec River (Abenaki language, Abenaki: ''Kinəpékʷihtəkʷ'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed June 30, 2011 river within the U.S. state of Maine. It ri ...
at an island called Savage Island. The Carrabassett is bridged by U.S. Route 201
U.S. Route 201 (US 201) is part of the nationwide system of United States Numbered Highways. It runs for entirely within the state of Maine and is a spur route of U.S. Route 1. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick at US 1 and Maine State Rou ...
and was bridged by the former Kineo Branch of the Maine Central Railroad
The Maine Central Railroad Company was a U. S. Class I railroad in central and southern Maine. It was chartered in 1856 and began operations in 1862. By 1884, Maine Central was the longest railroad in New England. Maine Central had expanded to w ...
near the confluence with the Kennebec.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
* "The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer". 29th ed. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme, 2006.
* "The Columbia Gazetteer of North America. 2000.
Carrabassett River
External links
*
{{authority control
Tributaries of the Kennebec River
Rivers of Franklin County, Maine
Rivers of Somerset County, Maine
Rivers of Maine