East Branch & Lincoln Railroad, Corduroyed Roads – Have you ever come across something in the forest you know was man made, but have no idea what it is? Here is something for you to look for the next time you are exploring one of the abandoned logging railroads in New England.
Along an abandoned sled road deep in the Shoal Pond region of New Hampshire's Pemigewasset Wilderness remains an interesting artifact (above) from the East Branch & Lincoln Railroad era. Though very rotten and almost unrecognizable, it is a unique look at how 20th-century logging railroads dealt with building sled roads.
During the 20th-century logging era, woodsmen built sled roads off the railroad right-of-way to access remote regions of the White Mountains. The men responsible for cutting these roads were referred to as “swampers”.
Horse teams would use these sled roads mostly during the winter months to drag logs from the remote areas to landings along the railroad. Landings were areas along the railroad were the logs were loaded onto log cars. Once on the log cars, they were transported to the mill in Lincoln village.
Swampy areas along the sled roads were corduroyed with small logs laid crossways. The corduroyed sections acted like a bridge and made it possible for horse teams to cross the wet areas. The above images show the best preserved corduroyed section I have found along the East Branch & Lincoln Railroad.
If you are interested in any of the above images for publications, click on the image you are interested in and then follow the steps to license it. And you can view more corduroyed images here.
Happy image making..
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Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC
Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.
ScenicNH Photography LLC
Specializing in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, Erin Paul’s photography and writing focuses on the history of the White Mountains, and telling the story of abandoned places and forgotten historical sites.