Can anyone identify this object?

[maplemeister]

My wife and I have had a deer camp in Maine for many years now and often
come across remanents of logging from the earlier days. The attached picture shows an item we discovered in the remains of a camp that dated from about 1952. There were at least three log structures in this camp that we can see the remains of along with three cook stoves that were left behind. , and lots of bottles and cans. One of the soda bottles had a date of 1952 so that is how I got that date. While poking around, we found the object displayed in the attached pictures. As best I can describe it, it appears to be about a 30 gal barrel that someone took a great deal of time to bury into the bank and lined the top with stone to either secure it or maybe insulate it? Just a guess on my part. There is a rectangular opening cut in the exposed end of this barrel which is smaller in reality than it appears in the photograph. I didn't have a tape measure with me at the time I found this but would guess the opening to be about 4 or 5 inches tall and maybe 7 or 8 inches wide. The opening is quite small to access the interior of the drum and I can't for the life of me figure out just what it was that these early timbermen used this thing for. I tried reaching in this thing to see if there was something in there that would give me a clue as to what it was used for but
found it difficult to reach much beyond my elbow. I'm guessing it was storage of some sort but what? Would love to have someone on this list be able to identify this object as it has been driving me and my campmates nuts every since we discovered it a couple years ago. Hoping that maybe someone here actually worked in the woods in those days or maybe has a dad that did, and might have seen something like this before. I have found many old hand forged hooks left over from the early days in these woods but this thing is a mystery to me. Any ideas out there?
Maplemeister

 

[gink595]

I'm going to guess it is either a root cellar or the place to leave the wolf bait(septic)

 

[Rookie1]

We live in wifes grandfathers house built in 1922. Built on side of hill. Backyard is uphill and has a large clay tile buried vertically. I couldnt figure it out at all. Then aunt came over and said Grandfather used it to store apples in it.Im guessing its for cool storage.

 

[maplemeister]

Cold storage was my initial thought as well but the small size of the opening is the thing that is throwing me off. As I mentioned earlier, I could not extend my arm past the elbow when I tried to reach into this thing so I'm really scratching my head wondering just what it is they put in there.

Maplemeister

 

[Moss Man]

Where in Maine? I wouldn't mind taking a look at that.

 

[Kydan]

My wife and I have had a deer camp in Maine for many years now and often
come across remanents of logging from the earlier days. The attached picture shows an item we discovered in the remains of a camp that dated from about 1952. There were at least three log structures in this camp that we can see the remains of along with three cook stoves that were left behind. , and lots of bottles and cans. One of the soda bottles had a date of 1952 so that is how I got that date. While poking around, we found the object displayed in the attached pictures. As best I can describe it, it appears to be about a 30 gal barrel that someone took a great deal of time to bury into the bank and lined the top with stone to either secure it or maybe insulate it? Just a guess on my part. There is a rectangular opening cut in the exposed end of this barrel which is smaller in reality than it appears in the photograph. I didn't have a tape measure with me at the time I found this but would guess the opening to be about 4 or 5 inches tall and maybe 7 or 8 inches wide. The opening is quite small to access the interior of the drum and I can't for the life of me figure out just what it was that these early timbermen used this thing for. I tried reaching in this thing to see if there was something in there that would give me a clue as to what it was used for but
found it difficult to reach much beyond my elbow. I'm guessing it was storage of some sort but what? Would love to have someone on this list be able to identify this object as it has been driving me and my campmates nuts every since we discovered it a couple years ago. Hoping that maybe someone here actually worked in the woods in those days or maybe has a dad that did, and might have seen something like this before. I have found many old hand forged hooks left over from the early days in these woods but this thing is a mystery to me. Any ideas out there?
Maplemeister

By the basket on your back, you are a trapper? The two pictures are some what different. The rock settings don't look the same visually in the two Pics ... It's A trap ?.. I'm confounded Too. Hmmm.

 

[cjcocn]

My guess is cold storage as well. The small opening may have been used to thwart foragers (bears, wolves, etc). Tie a rope to your goods and you can fish them out with a stick that has a cut off branch at the bottom of it.

 

[toddstreeservic]

Thats where they kept the payroll!

 

[MJR]

Old dead fall location? Is it in a funnel location?

 

[mga]

maybe it was a toilet.

or, maybe ssomeone was hiding their hooch in there.

 

[maplemeister]

Where in Maine? I wouldn't mind taking a look at that.

The location is on the North East side of Fletcher Mountain. Being a Mainer, I know you will have a copy of the Maine Atlas and Gazatteer. Open that up to grid nr. 30 and you will see Fletcher Mountain. My camp is in Concord Twp. about 5 minutes out of Bingham, Maine. It takes around 30 minutes or so to drive out to Fletcher and then a 20 minute hike through the woods to get to the old campsite. I am going to be at my camp the last two weeks of the Maine firearm season. If you are serious about seeing this old lumber camp I would be glad to show you where it is. I notice that Hartford Maine is not all that far away from Bingham if you want to make the drive. Send me a PM if you like and we can go from there.

In reference to the other responses, I used to trap in my younger days but don't anymore. I still find the packbasket a handy device for carrying all manner of stuff when I am messing around out in the woods. You just never know what you might find. I don't think this barrel was used for any type of
secretive application, payroll, or hooch storage, as it is located right on the edge of what I would guess to be an old twitch trail that runs alongside the old campsite. I would have been very obvious to anyone who stayed in the camp at the time. Also, definitely not a toilet MGA unless these old boys had some really unusual anatomical features. Keep those guesses coming anyway as sooner or later someone is going to come up with something that makes sense.

Maplemeister

 

[drmiller100]

does the opening face north?

 

[Wife'nHubby]

Ummmm... could it have been a collection point for a latrine placed somewhere above this location? If so, the opening could be just large enough to shovel out solid materials.......... You seem to indicate this is in the area of the camp kitchen(s).

Hubby served in the military. His least favorite job was 'cleaning' the latrines (okay, outhouses) when he was overseas stationed in a third world country. The way they cleaned them was to dump either oil or gas into the outhouse, drop in a match and get out of the way!!!! Anything that didn't dissipate had to be shoveled out.....

Shari

 

[maplemeister]

does the opening face north?

Had to get my Maine Atlas out to answer this one but no, it is aligned more in a westerly direction. What significance would a Northerly alignment have do you think?

Maplemeister

 

[maplemeister]

Ummmm... could it have been a collection point for a latrine placed somewhere above this location? If so, the opening could be just large enough to shovel out solid materials.......... You seem to indicate this is in the area of the camp kitchen(s).

Hubby served in the military. His least favorite job was 'cleaning' the latrines (okay, outhouses) when he was overseas stationed in a third world country. The way they cleaned them was to dump either oil or gas into the outhouse, drop in a match and get out of the way!!!! Anything that didn't dissipate had to be shoveled out.....

Shari

Thanks for checking in Sheri but I don't believe this thing had any connection to a latrine or septic. There doesn't appear to be any other openings in the barrel except for the small one in the very front that you see in the picture. Also, I know it is deceiving but that opening would never accomadate a normal size shovel for sure. Tell your husband I want to thank him for his service. I spent four years with my Uncle Sam back in the early sixties and hold a lot of respect for all our veterans. Keep that thinking cap on.

Maplemeister

 

[maplemeister]

A north face would have cooler soil temperatures for cold storage.

Ok, I see where you are going with that and it makes sense but the orientation is not correct in this situation. I am thinking that the key to what this device was actually used for is tied to the size of the small opening on the face of the barrel somehow. I keep thinking that they would have made the opening much larger and easier to access if it was just general storage, but for some reason, they kept it quite small. It's been driving me nuts every since I came across it.

Maplemeister

 

[cjcocn]

I still say that it is cold storage.

The only other use I've seen from a barrel set up like that (minus the rocks) is in the making of a "set" to catch fur bearing animals (fisher and martin generally from the size shown).

 

[drmiller100]

Had to get my Maine Atlas out to answer this one but no, it is aligned more in a westerly direction. What significance would a Northerly alignment have do you think?

Maplemeister

north or northeast would imply to me an old school refrigerator.

the warmest part of the day is the afternoon, where the western sun warms the ground, so because it faces west, i'm betting against the refrigerator idea.

after that, i have no idea.

It was a LOT of work to dig that by hand, and place the rocks and culvert......

 

[drmiller100]

could you make charcoal with it????

seems like it would need a draft to be a smoker.

 

[ktm rider]

Maybe it is only a piece or a section of something that was there years ago.