Preserving the Allagash Wilderness Waterway's logging history, while keeping the area wild, is one priority to come from a new report released Friday.
The report was released by the Allagash Wilderness Waterway Foundation and the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, which manages the area.
The 92-mile ribbon of water and woods in Northern Maine has been known as a scenic spot since it was added to the state parks system in the 1960s. But, says foundation president Bob McIntosh, before that, it was home to logging families who lived in remote settlements along the corridor.
"We just think it's a great story and we want that story to be available to be told into the future," McIntosh says.
Not much remains of those settlements, but McIntosh says the idea now is to preserve what does, such as a bunkhouse at Churchill Depot. In addition, he says it's important to gather and preserve log records, documents, and artifacts from the time, many of which remain where they were left.
The report also recommends the creation of exhibits, interpretive panels, and a pocket guide for visitors.
