BANGOR DAILY NEWS • May 23, 2025
For at least a decade, I’ve led a bird walk at Leonard’s Mills in Bradley on the third Monday in May. Usually, there is little traffic. Not this time. Just as the walk got underway, a crew of volunteers for the Maine Forest and Logging Museum arrived. They were moving a Lombard Log Hauler to the museum. I was quietly thrilled. The Lombard is an iconic piece of Maine’s logging history. Leonard’s Mills is a recreation of an early pioneer settlement from the 1790s, but it was a special place long before Europeans arrived. The entire area has been culturally important to the Penobscot Nation for thousands of years. Even now, the alewives currently running up Blackman Stream are a testament to the resource richness of this location. More people should visit. ~ Bob Duchesne