The Salt Institute for Documentary Studies began publishing Salt magazine in January 1974. The publication was a hit among the people of Maine as student researchers and documentarians examined the sociology, folk traditions, and lifeways of Maine. Salt publications document the transformation of Maine’s culture, natural resource-based economy, and folk traditions from the end of the Industrial Age into the dawn of the Information Age and provide an important resource for those researching traditional attitudes and relationships between Mainers, the environment, and the larger world.
Between 1973 and 2008, Salt students and staff generated over 16,000 images, 849 writing projects, 251 short documentary videos, and 495 radio stories documenting the sociology, folk traditions, and lifeways of the people of Maine. Geographically, the collection emphasizes the York and Cumberland County regions of Maine, closest in proximity to the Institute. In 2016, original documents, recordings, images, film, floppy disks, and audio tapes were donated by the Salt Institute to Raymond H. Fogler Library Special Collections at the University of Maine. Digitization of unpublished material is ongoing. For more information about Salt or to access previously digitized, published material, please visit the Salt Story Archive.
Libraries and archives collect materials from human cultures to preserve the historical record. These materials may reflect sexist, misogynistic, bigoted, abusive, homophobic, racist, or discriminatory language, attitudes, or actions that some may find disturbing. Some content may be sexual in nature or discuss the use of illegal drugs and sex trafficking. Views and opinions expressed do not reflect the views and opinions of the University of Maine System or its campuses. User discretion is advised.
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SALT, 2007-2008
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT telling Maine stories. Published by the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Number 65. 2007-2008.
Contents
- 2 The ABCs of ESL a photo essay by Maisie Crow. Stephen Dyro teaches Beginning ESK in the very same classroom where he was a student at Portland High School. Some of his students were never literate in their native language; now they are learning to read and right.
- 10 “Peacy Keen and Wonderful” written by Kelsey Abbott, photography by Ashley Bailey. Lee Hudson and her husband, Heath, harvest, and market mussels and seaweed through their company, Frenchman Bay Fisheries. They have struggled to persevere through regulatory changes, but now they are days away from potential bankruptcy—and the creditors keep calling.
- 20 Tears and Tiaras written by Haley Anson. Nine-year-old Aryn Markee tries to uphold a family tradition at Boothbay Harbor’s Miss Shrimp Princess Pageant.
- 21 The Angel Warrior on His Way to the Top a radio story produced by Brooke Shuman, photograph by Maisie Crow. At Maine’s Unity Speedway, amateur racers compete in home-designed stockcars modeled after Nascar pro vehicles. Mike St. Germain, known locally as The Angel Warrior, says he is racing for God.
- 22 Lost in Translation written by Genevieve Lysen, photography by Kirk Torregrossa. Fleeing car bombs and death threats, 14 Iraqui interpreters resettle in Maine. But life in America presents a new battle.
- 30 Beginnings: A Family Portrait a photo essay by Amanda Kowalski. Sasha Hom and Dylan Bolles planned on wintering in Baja, living out of their 15-passenger Ford van, and continuing life on the road. However, cars break down and life takes unexpected U-turns. So Sasha, Dylan, and their 10-month-old daughter, Naima, found themselves beginning a new life in a winter rental on Peaks Island.
- 38 Dylan Volk in the Spotlight written by Pamela Cragin, photography by Natalie Conn. A teenage comic finds success on stage. Off stage, it’s a different story.
- 48 Living in a “Harlequin Jungle” written by Heah Chernikoff. At 91, Maine painter Dahlov Ipcar gears up for a new show.
- 49 Taxi Line a radio story produced by Nina Jacobi, photograph by Garrett Hansen. Most of the cabbies in line at the Portland International Jetport are refugees from Somalia. To pass the time in the taxi lot, they play cards, listen to the BBC, kick around an old soccer ball, sip Dunkin Donuts coffee.
- 50 Shy Girl a photo essay by Morrigan McCarthy The making of an 18-year-old stripper.
- 58 Days Like This written by Anne Bardaglio, photography by Suzannah Hoover. The school on Matinicus Island has no principal, guidance counselor, school nurse, or secretary, and hardly any state funding. One room, seven different grades and 10 kids. Some days, teacher Dotti Carter wonders how long she can hold on.
- 68 Winter Weather Warning written by Katie Arrants. Meterologist Roger Griswold tries to get the forecast right.
- 69 Except Me a radio piece produced by Erin Davis, photograph by Erica Burkehart. Fifteen-year-odl Marissa is a normal teenager. But her 11-year-old brother, Andrew, has Asperger’s Syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism.
- 70 The People’s Station written by Molly Finnegan, photography by Hannah Quimby. With a shoestring budget and an ever-changing group of volunteers, the staff of Portland's Community Television Network celebrates 20 years.
- 80 Go, Baby, Go... a photo essay by Alexi Mann. When Vicky Sanzone is on the road, freight comes first. A long-haul trucker from Auburn, Maine, Vicky can cover more than 2,600 miles in a week, carrying everything from dog food to paper as far south as Florida and as far west as California.
- 88 Two Weeks a photo essay by Emily Bender, a radio piece produced by Andrea Silenzi Laurie “Crow” Williams is dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Inside her trailer in Brunswick, Maine, all of her hospice caregivers want to help her find God.
- 96 Contributors
- Alumni Interview Inside back cover.
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SALT, 2006-2007
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT telling Maine stories. Published by the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Number 63 / 64. 2006-2007.
Contents
- 6 Island Time a photo essay by Rebecca Stewart. On Eagle Island, the days pass essentially the same as they have for generations. Helen and Bob Quinn, and their grandson, Sam, spend their days cooking, lobstering, and exploring.
- 14 When Josh Got Sick a photo essay by Kim Alexander On June 17, 2004, Josh Howe collapsed in his living room. Later that day doctors removed a plum sized tumor from his brain that had been growing there since birth. Morgan, Josh’s little sister, has often been upset, isolated, and frustrated since Josh got sick.
- 20 Through the Body a photo essay by Hannah Fox. A twelve, Karen Montanaro realized that she wanted to dance for the rest of her life. Since, then, she has performed and taught as a dancer and a mime, and her curiosity and enthusiasm are present wherever she goes.
- 28 To Love and to Care For a photo essay by Christine Shanahan. Jessi Misslin, Andres Gonzalez
- 36 In Each Other’s Corner a photo essay by Annie Reichert. Jay Jack and Amanda Buckner practice tough love. On any given day, they routinely kick, punch, and try to strangle each other as the co-owners of the Academy of Mixed Martial Arts in Portland.
- 44 M.O.M. a photo essay by Elizabeth Massa. Olivia Rynbert-Going lives with her Mama, Mary Going, and her Momo, Matha Rynbert in a green house on top of Munjoy Hill in Portland. This summer, Olivia, Martha, Mary, their cats, and Gracie the dog will pack up the house and move to Berkeley, California.
- 52 Alumni Interviews
- 56 Heart Full of Spirit, Shoulder Full of Steel an essay by Bridget Huber, photos by Amber Knowles. It’s Friday night at the Jesus Party, a kids’ church in Lewiston, Maine. Urban missionary Doug Taylor stands before sixty kids who are vying for the title “Best Worshipper” so that they can take home five pounds of gummy bears.
- 68 Mamma Bear Politicking an essay by Beatrice Marovich, photos by Elizabeth Massa. Pat LaMarche has run for Governor of Maine twice, and has been the Vice Presidential nominee for the United States Green Party. Her sense of duty to her country has driven her all the way across America, and her devotion to her children has always brought her back home to Maine.
- 72 Growing Up Little an essay by Posey Gruener, photos by Nayan Tara Kakshapati Rick and Barbara Spiegel are little people. They are also the parents of a baby girl, and they’re bracing themselves for the day when they’ll have to tell her, “You’re different. Just like us.”
- 82 Preservation With Clapboard Gaps an essay by Douglas W. Milliken, photos by Gabriel Caffrey. Scott Hatch, self-proclaimed barn wright and owner of the Barn Wright, Inc., lets the barns tell him what they need. A barn wright must be proficient in rigging, excavation, stone masonry, and timber framing in order to realign, re-stabilize, and restore a barn. With these four trades, Scott and his crew can save any barn.
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SALT, 2005-2006
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT telling Maine stories. Published by the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Number 60 / 61. 2005-2006.
Contents
- 4 Until Their Feet Leave the Sand by Whit Richardson, photos by Elizabeth M. Claffey When two brothers in the Maine National Guard are called to serve as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, their respective families unite to hold down the fort.
- 18 Turn It On, Turn It Up, and Kick Some Butt photo essay by Jennifer Whitney. With support from their mom and dad, Brooke, and Stephanie Hammond have already won seventeen beauty pageant titles.
- 24 Portland on Three by Chris Joob, photos by Ross Wick. The Portland Rugby Club has seen better days, but for guys like Jerry Alves and Jason Willey, the game must go on.
- 36 From the Archive: Kappa Sig photo essay by Chris Kendig. Kappa Sig said their goodbyes when Bowdoin College eradicated its fraternities in 2000.
- 38 Raising Hunters: Tim Barry, Maine Hunting Guide photo essay by Katie Hayes. With clients to please, hunting dogs to feed, and a family to raise, Tim Barry has his hands full.
- 46 Drawing Bridges by Rena Kaneko, photos by Jennifer Whitney. When Portland artist and bookmaker Rebecca Goodale is forced to vacate her Congress Street studio, she stops to reflect on the work she has produced and why.
- 58 Surviving More Than Adolescence photo essay by Allison Wightman At 16, Cathy Hardy works to finish her high school education while raising her two small sons.
- 66 An Interview with Bill Curtsinger Salt Magazine speaks with professional photographer Bill Curtsinger about his new book, Extreme Nature.
- 68 Speaking from the Center by John Affleck, photos by Allison Lucas. Union, Maine resident Roldan Watier creates a storytelling center where personal expression and narrative traditions are upheld.
- 80 It’s Not Easy Being Green: Representative John Eder’s Campaign for Re-election photo essay by Anne Phillips Portland is home to John Eder, the Green Party’s only state legislator in the U.S.
- 86-93 SALT Radio Kicking Ass and Changing Names, a radio piece by Sea Shackelford, photo by Jennifer Whitney. Dowser: Consultant to the Universe, a radio piece by Own Agnew, photo by Katie Hayes. Five Things, a radio piece by Matt Largey, photo by Emilie Kapp. Hard to Say, a radio piece by Bente Birkland, photo by Stephanie Weinstein.
- 94 Our Mysterious Something by Andrea Maio, photos by Kiersten Hanna. Mary Higgins is Director of the Wilhelm Reich Museum at the Orgonon Institute in Rangeley, Maine.
- 106 Walking After Midnight: Linda Mae, Homeless at Seventy-One photo essay by Talia Weiner. Linda hopes to have her own place by New Year’s, but for now she sleeps outside and spends time at Rockin’ Rickey’s Tavern, remembering her dancing days.
- 112 Even at This Distance: A Season in the Life of a Maine Bowhunter by Caitlin Van Dusen, photos by Kate Lisbin Rubenstein. Sam Cook is living out of his truck and making the most of this hunting season.
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SALT, 2004-2005
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT telling Maine stories. Published by the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Number 59 / 60. 2004-2005.
Contents
- 3 Reverence by Jennifer Andrews
- 4 Ride This Train by Brendan Hughes, photos by Tim Greenway. Experience the rickets and tendons along the backbone of the old Boston and Maine Railroad.
- 16 Off the Maine Road: To be Raymond Strout photo essay by Holly Wilmeth. With a hoe and bucket in hand, blood wormers work in time with the ocean’s heave and swell.
- 24 Mussel Men by Susan Gaidos, photos by Kate Fox. Mussels: A crop changing the way fishermen once fished.
- 36 West Gardner Beef: A Family Slaughterhouse photo essay by Liza B. Semler For Todd Pierce, it’s pigs Sunday through Tuesday, beef Wednesday through Friday and poultry on Saturdays.
- 46 Romance of the Wooden Boat by Emily Funkhouser, photos by Shikarro Sampson. “If a man must be obsessed by something, I suppose a boat is as good as anything, perhaps a bit better than most.”
- 58 Maintaining photo essay by Tim Greenway Many patients take their methadone home in metal boxes with a secure lock. But Bonnie Dermody does so in a briefcase filled with old memories and new reminders of a life defined by addiction.
- 68 From the Archive: Sanctuary photo essay by Kait Stokes.
- 70 An Interview with David Isay photo by Kate Philbrick. Salt Magazine speaks with David Isay, Executive Producer of Sound Portraits Productions, and creator of the oral-history initiative, StoryCorps, about what it’s like in the field and as a documentarian.
- 72-78 Salt Radio Smells Like Money, a radio piece by Zac Barr, photo by Holly Wilmeth. Tango, a radio piece by Evan Roberts, photo by Jessica Hasslen. Elvis Cop, a radio piece by Adam Allington, photo by Katy Gross. A Family Yarn, a radio piece by Rupa Marya, photo by Lars Hewlett.
- 80 They Come Here to Live by Ellington Miller, photos by Katherine Gnecco. “Kaler-Vaill is an unbelievable place,” says Zella Morgan. “And people driving by would never know.”
- 94 Working From the Inside Out: Inmates on a Maine Prison Farm by Christina Cooke, photos by Danee Voorhees A quick turn off a coastal road, one that winds its way through small towns and over tidal flats, leads to Bolduc Correctional Facility. In Bolduc, everyone has a job, so when their time is up, they’ll head out the door with more than $50 and a box of personal items—they’ll have prospects for the future.
- 104 A Community of Faith photo essay by Annie Tselikis
- 110 Love, Faith & Taxidermy by Lydia Peelle, photos by Kate Walker. “I feel a lot of the spirits of the animals when they come to me,” Diane Child explains. “And that’s what gives me the idea of how to pose them... I feel their spirit there, and they talk to me, and I talk to them.”
- 120 Dr. Phil photo essay by Molly Myers
- 128 After Salt I look at what some Salt Alumni are doing, creating, discovering.
- 130 Salt Contributors
- 131 News and Shows Fieldnotes from the mountains and hollers of West Virginia, faculty news, Salt Gallery’s openings and show.
- 132 Donors
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SALT, 2003-2004
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT telling Maine stories. Published by the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Number 57 / 58. 2003-2004. Staying on. A Dexter story after the Shoe. A sheep farmer uses only salt water and sunlight for her wool. Veterans speak from the edgy shadows of their memories.
Contents
- 3 Staying On by Terry Farish
- 4 Uphill Either Way by Carrie Kilman, photographs by Jenifer Dean. T-Bob’s Taxi—A Dexter story after The Shoe.
- 18 James at Risk photo essay by Lesley MacVane. A 16-year old boy at odds with the world is also a poet.
- 26 Waa Nabad: Somali Community in Lewiston photo essay by Erin Dowding. Change comes to a quiet, French Canadian town.
- 33 The Story of the Archive by Patricia Erickson
- 34 From the Archive An Anchor for Monica. Photo essay by Pam Berry. Monica lives in a school bus with her daughter while they build a house for the future.
- 36 Earth and Fire photo essay by Jenifer Dean Fifteen years later, Monica holds tight to the land.
- 44 Happiness Lies on the Back of a Horse by Melissa Dalton, photographs by Valerie Haynes. Topsham’s Flying Changes Center for Therapeutic Riding gives children skills and joy.
- 58 Home from War by Melissa Hale, photographs by Betty Bastidas. Veterans speak from the edgy shadows of their memories.
- 74 Some Kind of Farmer by Katharine Freeman, photographs by Molly Myers Frank Bowie is the last dairy farmer in Durham.
- 88 We Do This Way We Stay Together by Lisa Merlini, photographs by Valerie Haynes. A love story of a Vietnamese man and his Guatemalan wife.
- 102 Mary Merithew: Living in Death’s Shadow photo essay by Leslie Brooks A dying woman instructs a young woman in living.
- 110 The Mighty Dollar by Stephanie Congdon, photographs by Isabel Foley How an accordion lesson plus a yard rake, minus a dog-sit equals tickets to a symphony.
- 122 Don’t Blink: A Glimpse into a Deaf Teenager’s World by Lauren McSherry, photographs by Renee Armstrong Straight talking on Mackworth Island.
- 136 On the Farm with Nanney photo essay by Drew Oberholtzer “I only use salt water and sunlight,” a sheep farmer says about her wool.
- 144 News and Shows Terrific passions and Salt Gallery highlights, 2004.
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SALT, Summer 2002
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT Summer 2002.
Contents
- 4 How to Peel a Persimmon Learning about growth of the Cambodian community in Portland. Krista Mahr, Lissa Gotwals
- 18 Unmasked. Facing Trans Identity in Portland, Maine. A photo essay. Joanna Johnson
- 24 Welcome at Shaw’s Just off the Appalachian Trail in Monson, Maine, rests Shaw’s Boarding Home, which always has its doors open to hikers. Sally Schumaier, Lorienne Schulze
- 40 Breathing in the Day The Peabody House serves as the first AIDS hospice in Maine. Jessi Misslin, Andres Gonzalez
- 54 Aborokporo The daily life of a Sudanese family in Portland. A photo essay. Kyle Glover
- 60 Year Rounders Life in the small town of Chesuncook, Maine. Adrienne Schatz, Sean McGann
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SALT, Spring 2002
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT Spring 2002.
Contents
- 4 Two Eggs, Toast, Homefries Marcy’s Breakfast and Lunch, a Portland landmark. Thea Okonak, Megan Dalrymple
- 16 Large Animal Veterinarian All creatures great and small, but mostly great. A photo essay. Katie Terrill
- 22 The Odd Fellows Theatre In Buckfield, a family theatre that has sold out 29 of 30 performances. Eric Larson, Brea Walker
- 36 Liz Leddy: Portrait of a Boxer A young woman trains at the Portland Boxing Club. A photo essay. Christine Heinz
- 44 The Witch is In Wicca is a faith and freedom. For Cynthia Collins, the freedom is what makes being a Witch seem like coming home. Heather Barnes, Maria Schriber
- 58 Mother Trucker Mary Ann Cupero has been driving big rigs for 15 years. A photo essay. Megan Hanson
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SALT Omnibus 2001
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT Omnibus 2001.
Contents
- 4 The Song of Objects The art of collecting threads together portraits of four highly individual collectors from Maine.
- 18 Baked Beans in a Pot Almost a million cans of baked beans leave B & M’s Portland plant every week. A photo essay depicts the day-to-day life of the “family” of bean factory workers.
- 26 Bush Piloting in Maine Pilots share their stories of a time when the only means of transportation in northwestern Maine meant navigating by landmarks to fly anything and anyone in and out of the bush.
- 38 Reinventing Eve Two religious leaders in Portland are part of a growing community of women who buck the tradition of male-led congregations.
- 50 Ballard House Soon-to-be-parents choose the Ballard House for their natural approach to the birthing journey. A photo essay.
- 58 Hunters & Healers The story of an animal rehabilitator and a hunter who live and think on opposite sides of the fence.
- 72 Old Clans, Old Culture in a New Land Fleeing their war-torn country, Somalians come to Portland in search of peace, stability, and a safe environment in which to raise their children.
- 88 Seeking Shelter from the War at Home Victims of domestic violence come from all economic and cultural backgrounds to find sanctuary in shelters. A photo essay.
- 96 Piano Man John Martovich grew up to Beethoven and Chopin. New he makes his living restoring life to weary Steinways and dusty violins.
- 110 The Dragon Lady and Other Nissen Folk The J.J. Nissen Baking Company graced Portland’s Munjoy Hill for decades. Moving to Biddeford marks the end of an era for Nissen’s loyal workers.
- 122 Adam A project between photographer and subject portrays the life of Adam Murphy, a young man living with quadriplegia.
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SALT Omnibus 2000
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT Omnibus 2000.
Contents
- 8 Engine House Locomotives are unforgiving beasts to repair. The men in the engine house know they’d as soon crush you as look at you.
- 18 The Infiltration of Hip Hop Hip Hop comes to Maine via New York
- 24 Heirs of the Damariscotta People along the Damariscotta River’s path to the coast value its unspoiled water and vistas. Development is the threat.
- 40 Best of Both Worlds Intercultural families in southern Maine. A photo essay.
- 48 Snowmobile Town Jackman, Maine, is a busy hub for snowmobiling, which ahs lifted the border town out of its wintertime economic slump.
- 60 A Life in Motion Elizabeth Shames is the oldest member of an intergenerational dance group called “perennial Effects.” It keeps her in motion.
- 70 Bridging Two Worlds Bosnian refugees in Maine are caught between the world they fled and the world they are building for themselves.
- 86 Something Old, Something New Bridal shops in Maine. A photo essay.
- 92 Pounding Ash “By the rhythm, we know who is pounding ash,” say Maine’s Indian nations. Making brown ash baskets was their livelihood.
- 102 It Was a Day Like This Living with AIDS was an odyssey that took all their love and humor. The story of Jeff and Anna and Frankie Jellis.
- 112 Women in Business Four Portland women who run their own business.
- 124 County Eastern Listen to the beat and watch the feet in Maine’s bottle clubs, where country music is more eastern than western.
- 136 Women are So Beautiful Muslim women should cover themselves because “women are so beautiful.” Muslim women in Maine. A photo essay.
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SALT, Vol. 13, No. 2
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT. Published by the Salt Center for Documentary Field Studies. Number 50. Four Dollars. “Yelana and Mohammed go to school with children from 25 countries learning a new language in Maine.”
Contents
- 2 Nineteen Pine Street Around the corner from Salt waited a compelling story about a school. We tell it in this issue, challenging negative press about Reiche.
- 4 Myrtle Myrtle Lowell left home at age 13 to go to work. That was more than 70 years ago. She’s never had time for needlework. “Course not! God almighty! Only the Southern ladies could do that. Not us old crows.”
- 18 Multilingual School Children Portland’s Reiche Middle School has 120 students in five multilingual classes who speak 22 languages. Some are just learning to say ice cream in English, others are ready for mainstream groups.
- 33 Working on the Scotia Prince It takes 200 people to keep the Scotia Prince cruising with its 1,300 passengers from Portland to Nova Scotia. Photo essay.
- 40 Comeback of the Boxers Amateur boxing gains a foothold in Portland as young contenders sweep the Northeast Regional championship tournament.
- 50 A Home for Wandering Volvos Volvos, babies, dogs. All much at home at Alan Auto in Portland, where wounded cars revive a spotless environment. Photo essay.
- 58 One Island, Two Worlds At one end, Great Diamond Island has a growing upscale resort community moving into revamped Fort McKinley. At the other end, but a world apart, are the year round cottagers.
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SALT, Vol. 13, No. 1
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT. Published by the Salt Center for Documentary Field Studies. Number 49. Four Dollars. “Women’s work is fighting fires. Vicki’s job. Building bridges. Shoeing horses. Fishing. Women entering the trades.”
Contents
- 2 Nineteen Pine Street Going overboard—and aboard—to get the story, whether it’s groundfishing or hanging out at Amistad.
- 5 Women’s Work Redefining women’s work. A look at 16 Maine women in the trades. Their work ranges from pipe fitting to construction to truck driving.
- 14 Grounding the Boats For groundfishermen like Lendall Alexander, the crisis is here. A way of life his family has known for four generations may be ending. “If I go, I’ll go tryin.’ I won’t go pissin’ and moanin.’ ”
- 30 Weld Holds Its Own Little Weld in western Maine has 436 people and 500 members in its Historical Society. What is the secret of Weld’s hold?
- 44 Amistad—A Place to Go It’s a club whose members know about mental illness. “At Amistad, they don’t think you’re some kind of crazy.”
- 57 Rituals of Death Marlo Bunker performs a service that is part of the ritual of death for most Americans. Few do what she does—especially women.
- 64 Elvis Lives! The king of rock still gyrates in Maine almost twenty years after this death. Elvis impersonators and fan clubs keep the Elvis flame alive.
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SALT, Vol. 12, No. 3-4
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
The SALT OMMIBUS. Numbers 47 & 48. Nine dollars. A Special Book-length Double Issue of Salt Stories and Photographs. Published by the Salt Center for Documentary Studies.
Contents
- 4 Comments The Maine Salt sees—22 years of changing and staying the same. By Pamela Holley Wood.
- 6 Northwoods Balladeer Living what he sings about. By Kristin Brit Peaterson. Photographs by Roland Laigo.
- 17 “Time and Place Teach You” Ethiopian family in Maine. A photographic essay by Stephanie Mitchell.
- 25 What are Cows For? The BST debate on the farm. By Tim Hughes. Photographs by Judith Bennett.
- 45 John Lee Blind but not blinded. A photographic essay by Marshall Clarke.
- 48 Lobsterman's Sixth Sense Knowing the bottom. By Christopher City. Photographs by Ella Richardson.
- 62 The Cloistered Life Sisters of the Precious Blood. By Mary Wells Pope. Photographs by Phyllis Lane.
- 78 Living Off the Land A family’s retreat to a small farm. By Charlie Reitze. Photographs by Philip Grant.
- 89 Baker’s Hours Making Tuscan style bread in a family bakery. A photographic essay by Susy Kist.
- 97 Blacksmithing Latches to leaves. By Kate Raley. Photographs by Desiree Rios.
- 105 Donna and Clyde: Partners in the Woods. A photographic essay by Christopher Dardaris.
- 113 Little Wanderers School for teen-age mothers. By Rebecca McDonald. Photographs by Julia Beck Hoggson.
- 121 Neysa’s Baby Birth of a son for teen-age Neysa A photographic essay by Julia Beck Hoggson.
- 131 Canoes—Canvas to Plastic Maine canoe making By Andrew Hartsig. Photographs by Pamala Wilson.
- 142 Contributors Salt Center students contributing to this double issue.
- 144 After Salt A new feature this issue with news of Salt Center alumni.
Cover photograph by Stephanie Mitchell.
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SALT, Vol. 11, No. 4
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Published by the Salt Center for Documentary Field Studies. Viginia and her child find a place in Maine's broccoli harvest, where 350 migrants “try to make it a home.”Content
- 3 Nineteen Pine Street Soon the Salt Center will expand to Seventeen Pine next door, doubling its size and expanding its educational programs.
- 4 Contradancing: Rowdies and Revivalists Maine has its “rowdies” that dance and play their music like the old time country dances of 50 years ago. And it has its “revivalists” that practice English contradances learned from Boston.
- 20 Broccoli Harvest Move over potatoes, here comes the broccoli challenge. The new crop of Aroostook County for gambling farmers like Lance Smith brings a new kind of worker, Filipino and Mexican-American migrants.
- 29 “Making a Home in Maine” A photographic essay of how migrants in their camps “take whatever’s there for us. And we make the best of it and make it home.”
- 46 Under One Roof: the YMCA Dormitory, health club, hangout, and home to the homeless, the Portland YMCA is a lot of things to a lot of people. It brings society under one roof, the rich, the not-so-rich and the poor.
- 57 Lonely Transitions Living at the YMCA, for a month or for 20 years, can be lonely. At least it’s a place to hang your hat. A photographic essay.
- 65 When a Guide Was a Storyteller Born in 1897, Chub Foster was a guide in the North Woods when everyone there was a woodsman. Storytelling for his “sports” was the extra skill a Maine guide needed, that and a dollar for a license.
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SALT, Vol. 11, No. 3
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
20th Anniversary Issue. Documenting a Region: Maine in Words and Photographs. Making Violins. A Tale of Two Workplaces. Old Things. Frontier Maine begins at the edge of Greenville, unless you are a settler’s great grandson claiming the landscape of childhood.
- Content
- 2 Nineteen Pine Street How this issue of Salt was made and who made it.
- 4 Greenville: the Shifting Frontier As long as Ed Walden’s around, you can’t take the frontier out of Greenville. You can’t Ed out either — except on a slab. We look at Greenville through the eyes of some of its people.
- 18 Radio and Night People You work the night shift while other people sleep. You like it. Not so many hassles, not so many people. Just you and your DJ.
- 25 Violin Making in the Woods In the woods of Windham, Maine, Jonathan Cooper shapes violins “to have character,” a skill he went to Italy to learn.
- 30 Old Things Recycling didn’t get born yesterday in Maine. People just didn’t call it that. Keeping things, fixing them, using their parts to make something else — that’s been going on for generations.
- 42 A Tale of Two Workplaces Bates Fabrics and L.L. Bean Telemarketing are only a few hundred yards apart in Lewiston. They mark Lewiston’s change from industrialized textile town to a service-based city.
- 59 Making the Looms Talk “Very few people can do this work and do it right. These people could almost make the looms talk. Fortunately, we still have a few of them around.” Fred Lebel of Bates Mill.
- 63 Twenty Years Join us in celebrating Salt’s 20th anniversary. Twenty years of teaching students to document the distinctive region that is Maine. And twenty years of publishing Salt magazine.
- 64 Fast Forward and Rewind Looking ahead at what’s to come. Readers comment on what’s behind.
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SALT, Vol. 12, No. 2
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT. Published by the Salt Center for Documentary Field Studies. “Monica waitresses in a bar. What she does is not where she’s at. She’s waiting to get there. Call it the 20-nothings.”
Contents
- 3 Nineteen Pine Street Yes! Gallery hours year round begin in December, opening Salt’s documentary photography collection to the public for the first time.
- 4 Cambodian Wedding in Maine The bride and groom are part of Portland’s growing Cambodian community. Their traditional wedding ceremony took four hours and is important to preserving the customs of their ancestors.
- 15 Twenty Nothings Call them the twenty nothings crowd. Call them bartenders, cooks, wait people, janitors. What they do is not what they want to be.
- 24 Sisters of Mercy and the Winds of Vatican II Thirty years ago, Vatican II took revolutionary positions about the Catholic religious life. It brought about sweeping changes for these 158 Sisters of Mercy in Maine. The Sisters talk about these changes.
- 44 From Tree to Tip to Christmas Wreath Bob and Loretta MacLeod, like many Mainers, earn part of their living from wreath making. They make 2,000 wreaths and grow blueberries on their 50-acre Tartan Hill Farm in Columbia.
- 52 A Long Pond Story Five generations of Paradises have lived on Long Pond and in Jackman since Joseph Paradis (without the “e”) walked across the border in 1886 with $2.50 in his pocket. Their story and the stories they tell bind the generations together.
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SALT, Vol. 11, No. 2
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Documenting a Region: Maine in Words and Photographs. Pristine Castine. Harvesting Granite. Good Earth Farm. Tattoo Ernie, like many Mainers, marches to a different drummer. So do stone cutter Henry Bray and farmer Eric Brandt-Meyer.
- Content
- 3 Nineteen Pine Street How this issue of Salt was made and who made it.
- 4 Fast Forward and Rewind A new feature. We look ahead at what’s to come and readers comment on what’s behind.
- 5 Salt Sense: Editorial In Salt’s 20 years of documenting Maine people, we have grown accustomed to remarkable lives — but unremarkable deaths. This changed with the life and violent death of Kathy Hegarty.
- 6 Barbershops Barbershops are social places wih a crowd of regulars. We take you inside two in Portland and South Paris for some fun.
- 15 Tattoo Parlor A photographic essay by Robyn Redman.
- 20 Granite-Challenge of the Elements In the heyday of the granite industry, thousands of Maine quarrymen and stone cutters worked in a hundred quarries. Now a few determined artisans still harvest and shape this basic element born 325 million years ago.
- 30 Aftermath: Hurricane Island A photographic essay by Maryanne Mott.
- 38 Good Earth Farm Back-to-landers named this farm and tried to make a go of it. Then they faced a hard choice: switch crops and grow to a market economy or lose the land.
- 50 Pristine Castine: Where Have the Mavens Gone? No village in New England is more picturesquely preserved than Castine. While the buildings still stand, the natives and the “mavens” are a dying breed. What happens when a place begins to lose its memory of itself?
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SALT, Vol. 12, No. 1
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
SALT. Published by the Salt Center for Documentary Field Studies. “Marim works in Maine’s new booming urchin industry. Pickers like her, divers, and processors rake in the profits.”
Contents
- 3 Nineteen Pine Street The Salt Center is organizing a major photographic retrospective.
- 6 Urchins! Urchin beds on the ledges off Maine’s coastline rival the gold fields of California for making a quick buck. Maine’s newest fishery industry sends a crop to Japan that was worthless seven years ago. Divers, buyers, pickers, and processors pocket the profits.
- 15 Picking Uni for Japan Picking urchin roe, called “uni” in Japan, is hard work that can earn up to $1,000 a week for the Southeast Asians and other immigrants who do it. A photo essay by David Gavril.
- 31 Diving the Ledges of Casco Bay Divers are the adventurers in the urchin industry. Some learn to conquer the risks and some don’t. Photo essay by Andree Kehn.
- 36 The Beauty Escape If you are young and female and not very rich and live in a small Maine town, beauty school can be your way out and up. The escape route for rural girls that the military has been for rural boys.
- 48 Marsh People People who are creatures of the 3,000-acre Scarborough Marsh see it through different eyes than people with picture windows.
- 62 Community Bands Maine has its share of community bands that are long on spirit, short of wind, and bound by friendships, like the Boothbay Harbor Alumni Community Band and the Hallowell Community Band.
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SALT, Vol. 11, No. 1
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Documenting a Region: Maine in Words and Photographs. Making Minyan. Family Dairy Farm. Digging for Gems. Tradition dies hard when it’s part of your life and nine more people need you on Congress Street at five o'clock or sooner.
- Content
- 3 Nineteen Pine Street Contributors and notes about this issue.
- 5 The Photographer’s Voice Five Maine photographers talk about their work in an open forum with Salt’s photographic students. Here are the voices that inform the images of Tom Donaldson, Arthur Fink, Tony King, Jack McConnell, and Marta Morse.
- 8 Digging For Gems Oxford County’s mineral-rich veins keep rockhounds like Tony and Dennis Gross pounding on unforgiving rock ledges and battling with 3,000 pound boulders. The lure of digging for treasure is as old as mankind.
- 22 Making Minyan Ten men are needed for group prayer at the Etz Chaim Synagogue in Portland. So each day they come and count — Ben and Maurice and Buddy and Dean and David and Eli and Herbie — waiting to make ten as the congregation ages and dwindles away.
- 34 Congress Street Shabbat Passersby would not notice this place. People in this part of the neighborhood are on their way somewhere else. Inside, Shabbat service renews the traditions of 5,751 years.
- 42 Family Dairy Farm It’s a pretty humbling life, not glamorous, and the pay-off sometimes doesn’t make ends meet, but the Russell family still fights to keep their farm going.
- 49 Doing Barn Chores Forty milking cows help warm the barn for the working family, who move through the frosty air with the comfort that comes from being in a place twice a day) every day.
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SALT, Vol. 10, No. 4
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Documenting a Region: Maine in Words and Photographs. Artists in Belfast. Aroostook Potato Farm. City Street Scenes. Streets like Tyng and Tate in the West End of Portland have seen it all — longshore families, slums, urban renewal, and boom times.
- Content
- 3 Nineteen Pine Street Contributors and notes about this issue.
- 5 Maine Journal The passing of Emmy McLean, Harvey Bixby, and other tales of the region, with a nod to Ronald Blythe.
- 7 A Sense of Place: Having It, Losing It What happens to the people of Maine communities undergoing change? Like the gentrification of old Belfast. Or the breakup of close working class neighborhoods in Portland. Or the failing potato farms of Aroostook County.
- 8 First Come the Artists When artists come to town — as they are doing in Belfast — they may act as “point men” for change. Next come boutiques, galleries, and gentrification. Many in Belfast say, “Not here!”
- 26 Two City Streets House by house, the two blocks of Tyng and Tate in Portland have a story to tell. The story of 70 years of change, told through the voices of the neighborhood people.
- 33 Street Scene Hang out on Tyng and Tate Streets in Portland, as photographer Tonee Harbert did, and these are street scenes you’ll see.
- 50 Death of an American Potato Farm Mike Brown of Aroostook County was the best of farmers. Never sold a potato that he wouldn’t put on his own table. But one day, with his seed bought and his loan approved, he quit.
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SALT, Vol. 10, No. 3
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Documenting a Region: Maine in Words and Photographs. Selling The Folk — A Special Issue on Folk and Pop Culture. Maine: The way life should be. That’s how Downeast folks and the landscape are romanticized to attract city dwellers.
- Content
- 3 Nineteen Pine Street Contributors and notes about this issue.
- 5 Maine Journal A new twist and some old potholes in the Maine turnpike widening controversy.
- 6 From Folk to Pop and Back Again Salt invited scholars to a conference to talk about how folk culture and pop culture interact. Folk culture as in us authentic Downeast folk and pop culture as in us television watching, country music singing masses. We report that conference.
- 20 Evolution of the Maine License Plate Folk influence on the Maine license plate-or it it pop? We take the plate from 1935 to our predictions for the 1995 look.
- 26 Diner Revival Salt conducts a tour through Maine diners. The diner revival is a nostalgic pop movement — but the “folks” eat there, too.
- 35 Diner People A photographic esssay by Tonee Harbert of traditional working class diners like the Deluxe in Rumford and recreated diners like Al’s in Portland’s trendy Old Port.
- 44 Selling the Folk: Marketing Maine Culture Time was when Maine was marketed as a landscape for escape, vacationland. Now the whole culture is pitched. Come to Maine and discover “The Way Life Should Be.” Mingle with the folk who are simpler, if not better. Like in Grandpa’s times.
- 58 Guide to Maine Eating If you want to eat where the locals eat, this is where you’ll find them — where prices are right and the talk is familiar.
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SALT, Vol. 10, No. 2
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Documenting a Region: Maine in Words and Photographs. Maine’s Ethnic Groups: Part 2 — Franco-Irish-Swedish-Americans. Shanty Irish to lace curtain Irish. That’s what Skip Matson has seen. Still the Greenhorns come, from Galway and the troubled north.
- Content
- 3 Nineteen Pine Street Contributors and notes about this issue.
- 5 Maine Journal A Great Northern milltown gets rich quick, but the future looks threatening. More on illiteracy and Emily Kinney.
- 7 Ethnic Groups of Maine Want to know how many Russians live in Maine? And here’s one for you. Blacks outnumbered Maine’s Native Americans two centuries ago. Facts about Maine’s ethnic groups.
- 8 Sons and Daughters of Ireland From “shanty Irish” to “lace curtain Irish,” the sons and daughters of Ireland have made a place for themselves in Maine’s largest city. “Greenhorns” continue to flee from the crofts of western Ireland and the civil war of northern Ireland.
- 22 Swedes of Aroostook In rural Aroostook County, a colony of Swedish farmers has raised potatoes and children for three generations. They are close knit and hard working. Much that is Swedish remains.
- 35 A Russian Church Slavic immigrants to Richmond, Maine, observe the rituals of the Orthhodox church they established 35 years ago. A photographic essay by Kate Jeremiah.
- 42 Lewiston: Off the Tourist Track to a Pretty Nice, Pretty French City Lewiston has been maligned as the “armpit of Maine.” But it’s not, says a loyal native. She takes you inside mills and homes and churches to show you Lewiston’s strength and its beauty.
- 58 Guide to Maine Eating If you want to eat where the locals eat, this is where you’ll find them — where prices are right and the talk is familiar.
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SALT, Vol. 10, No. 1
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
The magazine about the really important people of Maine. Maine’s New and Old Ethnic Groups — First of Two Parts. Kansath Pon is now a Mainer. She takes her place in the ethnic mix begun when Yankees first settled on Wabanaki land.
- Content
- 3 Nineteen Pine Street Contributors and notes about this issue.
- 5 Maine Journal A new feature this issue. Who commutes? Most Mainers. Plus a barbershop view of the economy. And BIW expansion.
- 7 Yankees and Other Ethnics Ethnic gounps in Maine-including Yankees-are not part of a homogenious “melting pot,” argues sociologist Peter Rose. They are distinct contributors to an identifiable American stew.
- 8 Finnish and Yankee Doodles Where do you find the Finnish in Maine but in the sauna? Salt goes to a South Paris sauna, then to the homes of Finns, who are as stubborn as their neighbors, the Yankee Doodles.
- 26 The First Days: Starting New in Maine Two Cambodian families land at Portland airport for their first days in Maine. The contrasts between their lives as refugees and their new lives in a land of plenty are extraordinary.
- 33 A Family Initiation “It is like a dream. Is it real?” First experiences of Cambodian refugees as interpreted by Tonee Harbert’s camera.
- 47 Bridge Generation Coming from Ireland, Afghanistan, Rumania, Austria, Italy, they are the bridge generation. Their lives connect to two coutries and home may always be two places.
- 60 Guide to Maine Eating If you want to eat where the locals eat, this is where you’ll find them — where prices are right and the talk is familiar.
- 62 Guide to Maine Inns Innkeeping is an art and good inkeepers are a special breed. Here is Salt’s guide to Maine’s historic inns.
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SALT, Vol. 9, No. 4
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
The magazine about the really important people of Maine. Flea Markets. Jamaican Apple Pickers. Peaks Island. Flea Markets are as Maine as pine trees and lobsters. What’s a flea? “Anything that’s been used, abused, and ready for resale.”
Content
- 3 Eating in Maine If you want to eat where the locals eat) this is where you’ll find them-where prices are right and the talk is familiar.
- 7 Letters to the Editor
- 9 View from Pier Road The end of an era for Salt and the beginning of a new one, as we move north to Portland.
- 10 Flea Market What is more Maine than a flea market, where someone’s trash is another person’s treasure. Montsweag is one of Maine’s biggest.
- 24 To Maine for Apples Jamaican apple pickers in Maine live a life between two worlds. Salt follows 13 pickers at Tom Gyger’s orchard near Bridgton through the harvest and through their daily lives, including a Jamaican feast of goat.
- 33 “Just Comin’ and Goin’” A photographic essay by Tonee Harbert focuses on Jamaican harvesters who spend “more time in American and Jamaica, just goin’ and comin’.
- 48 Peaks Island In the wake of suburban Portland) Peaks has experienced repeated waves of change. It has a hodgepodge of people with little in common except the ferry commute and their liking for Peaks.
- 63 Guide to Maine Inns Innkeeping is an art and good inkeepers are a special breed. Here is Salt’s guide to Maine’s historic inns.
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Salt, Vol. 7, No. 3
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
Mussel Wars. One Room Schoolhouses. No to Nuclear Waste. Lobstermen are losing their turf to aquaculture, say three generations of Carlsons in Tenants Harbor. A million more pounds of mussel meat than lobster meat were landed in 1985 as the sea is “fenced” for farming.
Content
- 3 The View from Pier Road A new feature starting this issue in Salt.
- 6 Deacon’s Bench Tom Bradbury’s column reflects the native Mainer’s attitude about party going.
- 7 “Crazy Avery” Avery Kelley, Beal’s Island storyteller, is a direct descendant of the giant Barney Beal. His yarns are as funny as Barney was strong.
- 10 The Fencing of the Sea Sea farmers are staking off sections of coastal bottom and fishermen are outraged. The battle for turf is much like the fencing of the range.
- 12 The Controversy Lobstermen are threatened by mussel growers who lease their traditional waters.
- 23 The Practitioner Traveling with a mussel harvester, Jack Hamblen, out of Stonington.
- 28 NO! Maine’s response to selection as a possible nuclear dump site. A photographic study by Lynn Kippax, Jr.
- 37 Editorial: Galling to Mainers
- 38 One Room School of Today Do one room schools serve a need in today’s world? Salt goes to the Cliff Island school in Casco Bay to find the answer.
- 50 Ruth Pinkham’s One Room Schools What went on in one room schools when Ruth Pinkham taught in them 50 years ago and was a pupil in them 70 years ago.
- 56 The Farmer-Philosopher Ed Myers grows mussels on the Damariscotta River, coexisting peacefully-and philosophically-with lobstermen.
- 62 Salt’s Regional Studies Programs A description of educational programs and courses offered at the Salt Center for Field Studies.
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SALT, Vol. 9, No. 3
Salt Institute for Documentary Studies
The magazine about the really important people of Maine. Folk Culture. Popular Culture. Bingo. Junkyards. Folk Music. Big Paul Bunyan, Maine “folk hero,” is an ad salesman’s product. His nemesis stands in the heart of the great North Woods.
Content
- 3 Eating in Maine If you want to eat where the locals eat, this is where you’ll find them-where prices are right and the talk is familiar.
- 9 View from Pier Road
- 10 We Are What We Buy L.L. Bean and the Beans of Egypt) Maine have some things in common) says George Lewis) a sociologist and Maine native. We are creatures of the culture we create and consume.
- 12 Will the Real Statue Please Stand Up Two monuments celebrate the feats of Maine woodsmen. One is Bangor’s Paul Bunyan) dreamed up by an ad salesman. The other was put up by woodsmen themselves.
- 25 Inner Maine A photographic essay by Dave Read. Small town Maine. Its people, its places, its habits, as seen by one who grew up there.
- 33 Folk That’s Show Biz Schooner fare is a folk group that gives a new beat to old songs that were almost forgotten. Their mission: to give the songs back to the people in a contemporary setting.
- 44 Bingo Fever On a hot July day, almost 700 people converged on Indian Island to play Bingo for twelve solid hours. They brought good luck charms and Bingo Fever!
- 54 The Junkyards of Manicured Maine New middle class Maine wants old rural Maine to clean up its act. Get rid of the junk in their yards. It’s a battle between social classes, and between city and country values.