Poltrack Blog

For over 15 years I've taken morning walks with friends along the Smithville Reservoir and along the West Branch of the the Souhegan River. Among the collection of photos at the New Ipswich Historical Society, I found several of mills that were located in Smithville and one taken before the Reservoir (Flood Control Dam 35) was constructed in 1965. The first photo (below) is that of Charles Taylor chair factory. I would guess that this might have been located across from his home on Taylor Road. Two photos (below) of the Charles Wheeler Sawmill. I wonder if this was located near what is now called Hildreth Place in Smithville. Two views (below) from the same vantage point, before and after the dam was constructed. In September 2006 the dam was drained for maintenance, revealing stumps of trees.

The wild temperature variations of the last two weeks have produced some interesting conditions on our rivers, lakes and ponds. We take our morning walk by the Smithville Reservoir, the flood control dam along the Souhegan River. when the water level dropped after the warm rains, the ice broke into some impressive sheets. So far we have avoided the flooding seen in other towns such as Peterborough and New Boston , but winter is not over yet. The ice ring on the tree indicates the water level at the peak of the rains Parker stands in front of one of the icebergs Blue Ice Great sounds from the ice as the sheets move It was very difficult to traverse this section, a combination of thin and thick ice. Next time I'll bring my Stabilicers. Is it Spring yet?

I went back through my photos looking for photos taken on December 23rd  which is the official date of Festivus , I was looking for images that would fit the theme of Festivus , a holiday for the rest of us . There were no images of aluminum poles, airing of grievances or feats of strength in my catalog but I did find these from Dec 23, 2011 which I took at during our morning walk at Smithville Reservoir. A lot of people walk their dogs along the path we take on our walk. Look at these blue eyes. Not so far from being a wolf is she? It was just beginning to snow on that morning  Where has all the color gone?   www.poltrack.net

Did you ever wonder about what the Smithville branch of the Souhegan River looked like before Flood Control Dam was built? These photos from 2006 show that it was a forested field. The stumps have held up well underwater. I'm not sure why they drained the dam this year. John Weber, Butch Cottery & Bud the dog on our morning walk in 2006 Drained, see the stumps More stumps (location nearest the parking area) Drained and dry I have not seen the reservoir look like this since 2006   www.poltrack.net