| Wild River | |
|---|---|
 The Wild River at Hastings, Maine | |
    | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | New Hampshire,Maine |
| Counties | Carroll, NH;Coos, NH; Oxford, ME |
| Towns and townships | Jackson, NH;Bean's Purchase, NH;Shelburne, NH;South Oxford, ME;Gilead, ME |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Black Mountain |
| • location | Jackson, NH |
| • coordinates | 44°13′51″N71°9′0″W / 44.23083°N 71.15000°W /44.23083; -71.15000 |
| • elevation | 2,810 ft (860 m) |
| Mouth | Androscoggin River |
• location | Gilead, ME |
• coordinates | 44°23′45″N70°58′45″W / 44.39583°N 70.97917°W /44.39583; -70.97917 |
• elevation | 678 ft (207 m) |
| Length | 17.2 mi (27.7 km) |
| Basin features | |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Red Brook, Spruce Brook, Cypress Brook, Moriah Brook, Bull Brook, Martins Brook |
| • right | Baldface Brook, Cedar Brook, Blue Brook, Twin Brook, Dew Drop Brook, Burnt Mill Brook, Evans Brook, Little Lary Brook, Gammon Brook |
TheWild River is a 17.2-mile-long (27.7 km)[1]river in theWhite Mountains ofNew Hampshire andMaine in theUnited States. It is a tributary of theAndroscoggin River, which flows east and south to theKennebec River near theAtlantic Ocean.
The Wild River rises on the north end of Black Mountain[2] in the northern part of the town ofJackson, New Hampshire. It flows northeast off the mountain, entering the township ofBean's Purchase, and picks up the stream outlet of No Ketchum Pond coming in from the northwest. The Wild River continues northeast through a mountain valley separating theCarter-Moriah Range to the northwest and theBaldface-Royce Range to the southeast. The river crosses the southeast corner of the town ofShelburne, New Hampshire, then enters Maine and picks up Evans Brook, flowing northerly from the height of land inEvans Notch, near the former logging company town ofHastings.Maine Highway 113 follows Evans Brook and then the east bank of the Wild River from Hastings northward to the Wild River confluence with the Androscoggin River atGilead, Maine. The Wild River is bridged byU.S. Route 2 and theSt. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad at Gilead.
Early European settlement of the watershed was northerly up theCold River valley fromFryeburg, Maine, through Evans Notch and then down Evans Brook to Gilead. Evans Notch and Evans Brook were named for Captain John Evans, who commanded European militia against theindigenous inhabitants in 1781.[3]
The town of Gilead was incorporated in 1804.[4] TheAtlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad fromPortland toMontreal followed the south bank of the Androscoggin River and reached Gilead in 1851.[5] The railroad bridge was the first river crossing durable enough to withstand runoff events from winter storms. Peak runoff events were similarly destructive to attempts to construct water-powered mills adjacent to the river. Construction of the road now known as Maine Highway 113 commenced in 1866.[6]
In 1882, Major Gideon Hastings obtained title to large tracts of timberland and commenced operations of the Hastings Lumber Company.[7]
In 1891, a railroad was built following the present Route 113 from Gilead to Hastings lumber mill on Evans Brook near its confluence with the Wild River.[8] A row of ten houses built along the Wild River for company employees at Hastings became known as "the ten commandments".[9] Rails extended 10 miles (16 km) up the Wild River from Hastings by 1896 with branch lines up tributaries Bull Brook, Blue Brook, Moriah Brook, Cypress Brook, and Spruce Brook.[10] A 1903wildfire destroyed the unharvested timber in the watershed.[11] The railroad was dismantled in 1904.[12] The lumber company land was purchased for theWhite Mountain National Forest between 1912 and 1918.[13] Passage of the New England Wilderness Act in December 2006 designated 23,700 acres (9,600 ha) of the watershed as the Wild River Wilderness.[11]
| Number | Name | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gilead | Lima Locomotive Works | 2-truck, 3-cylinderShay | 30 September 1891 | 370 | purchased new - destroyed by boiler explosion 18 April 1899[14] |
| 2 | Portland Company | 4-4-0 | 1871 | 202 | formerlyPortland and Ogdensburg Railway #4Hyde Park - replaced by # 4 and boiler used in the wood alcohol mill of the Hastings Chemical Company[15] | |
| 3 | Lima Locomotive Works | 2-truck, 3-cylinderShay | 10 November 1896 | 523 | built asSuccess Pond Railroad # 6; leased from Blanchard & Twitchell Company ofBerlin, New Hampshire to replace # 1; went to White River Railroad ofWoodstock, Vermont when Wild River Railroad was dismantled[16][17][18] | |
| 4 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 2-4-2Tank locomotive | 1900[19] | 17433 | purchased new to replace # 2 - sold to Berlin Mills Railroad in 1904[20] |
In the summer and early fall, the river has low water, although it holds nativebrook trout. The Wild River Trail follows the old railroad grade along the river.[11] Older maps may show foot bridges that no longer exist. Route 113 is not maintained in the winter and may be closed from late fall to early spring. TheAppalachian Trail follows the crest of theCarter-Moriah Range along the western boundary of the watershed.[11]
