Gambo Falls Staurolite locality, Gorham, Cumberland County, Maine, USAi

Regional Level Types
Gambo Falls Staurolite locality	- not defined -
Gorham	- not defined -
Cumberland County	County
Maine	State
USA	Country

Metamorphic deposit. Gambo Falls and Gambo Dam are situated on the Presumpscot River, which forms the boundary between Gorham (west bank) and Windham (east bank), Maine.

Gambo Falls was the site of an important 19th-century gunpowder mill built in 1828 by the Gorham Powder Company and known locally as the Gambo powder mills. The mill utilized water power from the 16-foot (5 m) drop in the river to process sulfur from Sicily, saltpeter from India, and charcoal produced on site from locally harvested wood into black powder for ammunition and blasting.

Following an explosion that killed seven workers in 1855 (the sixth fatal explosion at the site; in all more than 30 explosions killed 46 workers and injured scores more during 77 years of production) the mill changed hands in 1855 and became the Oriental Powder Company. Powder from the Oriental mill propelled projectiles in the Crimean War in the 1850s and comprised a significant share of the powder used by Union forces in the U.S. Civil War in the 1860s. Powder production ceased in 1904, but the mill remained in operation until the 1950s to produce wood flour used elsewhere in the manufacture of dynamite.

Today the site, featuring numerous stone foundations and also remnants of the Oxford & Cumberland Canal, is a popular local recreation area and trailhead known as Shaw Park on the west bank of the Presumpscot River in Gorham. A small hydroelectric plant on the Windham side of the river generates electric power at the dam.

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_Powder_Company
Wikidata ID:	Q7102363

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality