Being a fan of logging history in the High Peaks I've spent a fair amount of time nosing around both Scott's Clearing/Dam (old logging camp) up towards Indian Pass as well as at Marcy Dam (another old logging camp). I believe they may have both been Roger's and Roger's operations but I haven't researched that (although I have read R and R logged at Scott's). Some of my findings might prove interesting to a few history lovers...
Both camps seem to have employed a similar strategy in locating just above and between where two rivers come together. In both cases a very large ditch was dug leading from a dammed section of the lesser river, leading to the pond formed by the larger (main) dam of the logging camp. The remains of this lesser dam and ditch is quite evident (at least it was 8 years ago...) at Scotts but is less so at Marcy dam (but is traceable). The hand dug ditch is huge at Scott's and can be found just 50 feet or so left of the clearing and last stones of the main dam. Step over the end of the dam wall and head towards the remains of the pond area (along the low water trail) and you'll see the ditch - huge and obvious. Follow it left, across the high water trail and towards the lesser brook and you'll soon come to the secondary dam site, still showing a pipe sticking out of the ground. This spot is perhaps 5 minutes upstream from the current Scott's Leanto and on that stream. Follow the pipes and they lead back to the logging camp at Scott's Clearing and to a large foundation hole where a pipe comes out of the dirt wall (evidently they had gravity fed drinking water from the pond of the smaller dam). Before opening the main dam, they first diverted/released water from the smaller dam, through the ditch to the pond of the main dam giving a much greater boost for the Springtime release. Logs were sent down from the Scott's Pond Dam (a separate, much higher mountain pond), collected at the Scott's Clearing Dam and eventually sent down to Ausable Forks to be used as pulp. A dry log chute existed coming down the initial hill of Wallface and also sent logs into the river above Scott's Clearing Dam...
At Marcy Dam the same system was used. The smaller stream dam was at the site now called the high water bridge which crosses Phelps Brook 5 minutes or so above Marcy Dam. The ditch was just a few feet upstream of the current bridge and can be traced all the way to the old Marcy Dam Pond (joining the pond near the recently removed "horse-barn" leanto). This hand dug ditch has filled in more and currently looks more like a low lying stream...Another dam existed a short distance below Kagel leanto (the first leanto up Marcy Brook from Marcy Dam), just below where 2 streams meet. My guess is that this dam served to pool water (and collect logs) and was released about the same time as the Phelps Brook Dam, and when the huge gush of water reached Marcy Dam Pond, that dam was released. Signs of the Kagel Dam were evident up until the 1970s.
A dry log chute also existed down the north side of Mount Colden (a little before Avalanche Lake). Logging Camps existed at the old Avalanche Leanto site (a two man saw was found 10 years ago when that leanto was dismantled) as well as at Indian Falls (in the 1970s a pipe still ran across the hiking trail just before reaching the stream at Indian Falls). The buildings at Marcy dam were reported to be where the leantos are (again around where the old horsebarn leanto was on the East side of the old Marcy Dam Pond). Numerous old bridge remains and logging roads can still be traced in both Indian Pass as well as Avalanche Pass telling of a very different wilderness than we enjoy today...
Both camps seem to have employed a similar strategy in locating just above and between where two rivers come together. In both cases a very large ditch was dug leading from a dammed section of the lesser river, leading to the pond formed by the larger (main) dam of the logging camp. The remains of this lesser dam and ditch is quite evident (at least it was 8 years ago...) at Scotts but is less so at Marcy dam (but is traceable). The hand dug ditch is huge at Scott's and can be found just 50 feet or so left of the clearing and last stones of the main dam. Step over the end of the dam wall and head towards the remains of the pond area (along the low water trail) and you'll see the ditch - huge and obvious. Follow it left, across the high water trail and towards the lesser brook and you'll soon come to the secondary dam site, still showing a pipe sticking out of the ground. This spot is perhaps 5 minutes upstream from the current Scott's Leanto and on that stream. Follow the pipes and they lead back to the logging camp at Scott's Clearing and to a large foundation hole where a pipe comes out of the dirt wall (evidently they had gravity fed drinking water from the pond of the smaller dam). Before opening the main dam, they first diverted/released water from the smaller dam, through the ditch to the pond of the main dam giving a much greater boost for the Springtime release. Logs were sent down from the Scott's Pond Dam (a separate, much higher mountain pond), collected at the Scott's Clearing Dam and eventually sent down to Ausable Forks to be used as pulp. A dry log chute existed coming down the initial hill of Wallface and also sent logs into the river above Scott's Clearing Dam...
At Marcy Dam the same system was used. The smaller stream dam was at the site now called the high water bridge which crosses Phelps Brook 5 minutes or so above Marcy Dam. The ditch was just a few feet upstream of the current bridge and can be traced all the way to the old Marcy Dam Pond (joining the pond near the recently removed "horse-barn" leanto). This hand dug ditch has filled in more and currently looks more like a low lying stream...Another dam existed a short distance below Kagel leanto (the first leanto up Marcy Brook from Marcy Dam), just below where 2 streams meet. My guess is that this dam served to pool water (and collect logs) and was released about the same time as the Phelps Brook Dam, and when the huge gush of water reached Marcy Dam Pond, that dam was released. Signs of the Kagel Dam were evident up until the 1970s.
A dry log chute also existed down the north side of Mount Colden (a little before Avalanche Lake). Logging Camps existed at the old Avalanche Leanto site (a two man saw was found 10 years ago when that leanto was dismantled) as well as at Indian Falls (in the 1970s a pipe still ran across the hiking trail just before reaching the stream at Indian Falls). The buildings at Marcy dam were reported to be where the leantos are (again around where the old horsebarn leanto was on the East side of the old Marcy Dam Pond). Numerous old bridge remains and logging roads can still be traced in both Indian Pass as well as Avalanche Pass telling of a very different wilderness than we enjoy today...
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