STANDISH — In their new book, The Saco River, father and daughter team David Robinson and Elizabeth Tanefis take the reader on a trip down the Saco River, from the source of the river in The White Mountains to the mouth in Saco and Biddeford through a series of postcards.
The book is part of the Postcard History Series from Arcadia Publishing.
The book has more than 200 images from Robinson’s private collection of postcards. The postcards are from 1905 to the 1940s, and many of them are “real photo” postcards, postcards made from a photograph.
Robinson, a historian and collector, said he has between 1,500 and 2,000 postcards. He began collecting postcards of Standish, but then branched out to the Saco River. After visiting his brother in Maine, Robinson moved from Massachusetts to a home in the Steep Falls village in Standish along the Saco River in the late 1970s and has always had an interest in local history, specifically the river.
Robinson said he and Tanefis, when choosing postcards for the book, wanted to make sure each town and city along the river was well represented.
The book is broken into 10 chapters, and is split up by cities and towns, starting from the source at Crawford Notch to the mouth between Saco and Biddeford. Each image is accompanied with text noting facts of historical interest.
The book shows the recreational activity in and along the river with images that include a 1907 view of The Crawford House hotel at the source of the river at Crawford Notch and pictures of children enjoying canoeing and fishing at summer camps in Fryberg.
The beauty of the river is shown with a view of the water rushing down Salmon Falls. Included in the book as well are photos of covered bridges, including a covered bridge built in 1884 that connected Standish and Limington at what is now Route 25. The bridge was torn down in 1929.
Also featured in the book are postcard photos of the homes of Kate Douglas Wiggin in Hollis, author of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and the Salmon Falls home of artist Gibeon Bradbury, known for his scenic paintings of the Saco River in the late 1800s.
Depicted in the book are the industrial uses of the river, with images of coal docks in Saco on Factory Island, the mills in Saco and Biddeford and the different stages of construction of the Bonny Eagle power station, which was completed in 1912.
Robinson said one of his favorite postcard images is one that is shown on the book’s cover. The 1907 postcard shows a group of river drivers on the Saco River in Limington. According to the book, the logs were branded before they went into the river so the river drivers would know where the destination of the logs.
“The daring and agile river drivers then moved the logs down the river from April to August,” according to the book. There was a constant danger of injury or death for those employed in this line of work, according to the book.
Robinson’s home can be seen in the background of one of the photos of Steep Falls in the book, and Tanefis said nearby their home were “the ruins of the mills.”
Tanefis said her favorite part of the book is the Steep Falls area, because that is the area she is most familiar with. The area she learned most about was New Hampshire region of the Saco River, which was known for recreational use and tourism.
Robinson said he’s been collecting postcards for about 25 years. He purchases his postcards from postcard and euphoria shows and online.
Tanefis said that collecting postcards and historical research are such a big part of her father’s life, and she’s glad they have something completed that shows all the work he’s done.
Robinson credits his daughter, who lives in Massachusetts, for keeping things organized and getting everything done on schedule.
“I have a tendency to procrastinate. She has a tendency to get things done,” said Robinson.
Tanefis said she enjoys organizing and writing, and in addition to help keeping the project organized, she spun her fathers notes into the final text.
“It was really fun to work on,” said Tanefis.
Robinson said they worked on the project for about six or seven months.
Research for the text was done at local historical societies and libraries, said Robinson.
The two worked on the book during frequent visits and online through Google documents, said Tanefis.
Robinson and likely Tanefis as well will be signing copies of their book at the Saco Museum on Jan. 21 from 6-8 p.m.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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