| Michael Fralich |
Pineland Public Land
Anyone who lives in this area would know about Pineland and all of its resources. They would also probably know that no dogs are allowed on the Pineland Campus. What folks might not know that there is a 600-acre preserve adjacent to main campus called Pineland Public Land. The dirt parking lot is located on Depot Road approximately two miles from the intersection, with Route 231/Intervale Road on the right hand side. Dogs are allowed in this State of Maine Preserve. I had been by the entrance many times but had never taken the time to stop and explore the preserve. That changed last week.
We arrived at the parking lot in the afternoon with our two English shepherds, Mocha and Sadie, all eager to explore this new trail. Leaving the sunny parking lot, we entered a mature pine forest. It was much cooler in the forest. It was much quieter in the forest. We soon left the Depot Road noise behind and found ourselves in a hushed forest sanctuary that reminded us of our trails back on Woodman Road. We had seen two state work trucks in the parking lot. We soon encountered a crew of Bureau of Parks and Land employees working on a new walkway over a marshy stretch. We continued on. The terrain began to undulate gently with little root scattered up slopes then down again. We eventually came to a wooded overlook with a trail down to the Royal River. The water sparkled in the afternoon sun.
We continued on over ups and downs and over many wood plank walkways over soft ground. Mocha and Sadie stayed on leash. We did not want to lose them on a deer scent trail into the woods. They did their best to read the story of the trail with their noses and seemed quite happy to be out, even if on lead. It took us about another twenty minutes from where we spotted the river to get back to the parking lot, for a total hike time of about an hour. We had kept up a brisk pace and could feel the workout when we got back into the car. It was a great walk, enjoyed by all. We are eager to return and find more trails into this wonderful preserve.
When I got home I Googled Pineland Public Land. I was directed to a state website, part of the Bureau of Parks and Lands, that is dedicated to this preserve. I learned that on this land Samuel Mayall built a mill in 1791 for making bricks powered by Collyer Brook. There was also a grist mill on the site which Samuel Mayall converted to a woolen mill. At its peak, it employed twenty people and had an annual output of 30,000 yards of woolen cloth. Samuel died in 1831. His daughters took over the running of the mill. It closed for good in 1903.
