BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 16, 2021
A century ago, the town of Island Falls was a thriving community, with a population of around 1,600 who worked at local tanneries and the National Starch and Chemical Company. Today, the factory and tanneries are gone, and the population has shrunken to about half of what it once was. Town officials are hoping to reverse this trend by turning it into a tourist hub, taking advantage of its scenic location along the Mattawamkeag River and its proximity to Baxter State Park and Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument.