Winter Fun in the Woods at the Maine Forest and Logging Museum
In the cold of mid-February, we traveled north into the Maine woods to join hundreds of visitors at the Maine Forest and Logging Museum’s annual Winter Fun in the Woods event. The Maine Forest and Logging Museum is an event based outdoor living history museum. The Maine Forest and Logging Museum’s mission is to preserve, demonstrate, and recreate Maine’s rich forestry and logging history. It is located down a logging road 10 miles north of Brewer, Maine and across the Penobscot river from Orono.
At this annual event, staff opened the museum building and hosted several wintertime logging demonstrations positioned across their extensive grounds. Staff demonstrated their gas-powered Lombard Log Hauler and their Lombard tractor truck in addition to their lag-track tractors. They compared the operations of a two-man crosscut saws and to their early chain saw. They also had a working blacksmith on site to talk about the importance of his trade.
Lombard Steam Log Hauler, ca 1914. By the 1890s, lumbermen had cut so deep into Maine’s forests, that it was difficult for horses to drag the logs miles back to the rivers for the spring log drives. In 1901, Alvin Lombard patented the first successful motorized log hauler with a continuous track system designed to move over snow and mud to carry timber to the river.
The Maine Forest and Logging Museum has on display a ca. 1914 steam Log Hauler on loan from owners Frank and Ted Crooker. The driver would sit in the front of the vehicle to steer, while the engineer would ride in the back to keep the fire burning to run the steam engine.
The Lombard Log Hauler was invented in 1901 by Alvin O. Lombard of Waterville, Maine.
The 1914 steam Lombard Log Hauler has a continuous track system.
In 1901, Alvin Lombard patented the first successful motorized log hauler with a continuous crawler track system. This predates the 1907 patent to improve crawler tracks filed by Benjamin Holt the president of the Holt Manufacturing Company of California, a predecessor to the Caterpillar Corporation.
Displays in the museum describe how a steam Lombard Log Hauler works.
Visitors were thrilled to watch the staff at the Maine Forest and Logging Museum give drive their hulking 1934 gas-powered Lombard log hauler. They showed how the sleds that Lombard specifically patented to be pulled by his machines could run smoothly through the woods. Visitors peppered staff with questions. The experts at the museum happily explained all aspects of the original machines and the process to restore and run the log haulers today.
The cab of the Maine Forest and Logging Museum’s 1934 Lombard Log Hauler provides little comfort but kept the driver dry and out of the wind.
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This 1928 Lombard Model ‘T’ Dump Truck was designed to work on road construction.
Maine Forest and Logging Museum has many lumbering tools on display with docents to engage in conversation.
Much of the grounds of the Maine Forestry and Logging Museum are taken up by an authentic reconstruction of a logging and milling community of the 1790s.
By harnessing the Blackman Stream, these gears power the up and down motion of the saw blades.
The staff built a working up and down saw that they demonstrate at events in the warm months.
Watch their website for summer events when the museum powers up their up-and-down sawmill.
Staff demonstrates this 1907 steam powered Lombard Log Hauler at their summer events. In 2024, the “Heavy Metal” event is on Saturday, July 7. The steam log hauler is a marvel to see – don’t miss this event!
Maine Forest and Logging Museum has events year-round and does an excellent job of preserving the history of logging and Maine’s rural north woods.
They hold their annual Winter Fun in the Woods event in February or March, so watch your calendars for next year!
Follow their website for upcoming events: