WILLOW CREEK — A cast-aluminum historical marker was installed at Thorne’s Bend on May 12, the 12th such marker in Aroostook County and the first in Willow Creek, commemorating the Mattawamkeag River log drives that powered the region’s economy for nearly a century.
The marker, approved by the Maine Historical Society in 2022 and funded by a $4,200 community fundraising drive, stands at the river overlook near The Dry Dock. Its text describes how “river drivers” guided millions of board feet of timber downstream each spring from the 1840s through the 1970s.
Dean Moreau, whose restaurant overlooks the bend, contributed the concrete pad and contributed $1,000 to the project. “Every time I look at that bend, I think about the men who rode those logs through it,” Moreau said. “Now our guests can read about it while they eat their haddock.”
The Willow Creek Heritage Society organized the marker effort, raising money through a pancake breakfast at the library and a silent auction at the General Store.
George Fontaine, the retired logger who proposed the project, said the marker gives tourists a reason to pause and reflect. “They come for the scenery,” he said. “But they stay for the story.”
A dedication ceremony on May 20 drew 75 residents and visitors. The historical marker is included in the Maine Historical Society’s mobile app, which provides driving directions and audio narration for all official markers statewide.