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Dead River

Ghost town · Franklin County, Maine

Kennebago Lake quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1932, 1:62,500)
Kennebago Lake quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1932, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Dead River is a ghost town in Franklin County, Maine. It is one of 4 former communities in Franklin County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 4th among the 10 Maine counties with a vanished settlement on record.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Dead River as a historical populated place on the Quill Hill topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 45.0009° N, 70.5828° W.

Key facts

USGS quadrangleQuill Hill
Elevation1,598 ft
Nearest living townRangeley, ME
Distance to it4.2 miles
GNIS feature ID1908308
Coordinates45.00089, -70.58285

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Dead River is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Rangeley, ME (population 532), about 4.2 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,598 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Dead River?

Dead River is in Franklin County, Maine, at 45.0009, -70.5828.

How many ghost towns are in Franklin County?

Franklin County, Maine has 4 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.