Lake Umbagog
1907
August 9
  I had a talk with Bennett Morse this
afternoon but got from him little information of any
real value. He married Silas Peaslee's sister and they
are living, with their daughter, in the old Peaslee house
near the lake shore in Upton. Bennett's parents moved
to this town in 1843 when he was only three years of
age. Shortly after this, as he remembers, his father saw
a Wolf not far from the lake. Bennett and his elder
brother Steve (the locally famous guide whom I used 
to know) began trapping when they were
still but boys in the early '50's, no doubt. They met
with only a very few Beaver but Otters, Sables, Fishers and Canada
Lynxes were still abundant. When the brothers had grown to manhood
they worked in the woods every winter, "logging." Nearly
all their companions were natives of the region for
that was before the time when the local gangs of
huntsmen began to include French Canadians and
Nova Scotians. For the first few years only white 
pines were cut. They occurred almost everywhere, sparingly
and locally, excepting on the higher mountains, but
most numerously by far on low land near the lake.
In hauling the logs to its shores only oxen were
used - from two to four being yoked to each load.
When the pines were exhausted the lumbermen began
to cut red spruces but their lumber did not
come into general use until after 1860.
Bennett Morse's testimony.