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Inside Maine’s Forgotten Company Town

Peter Santenello

792,636 views

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Far from the rocky coast is a once-prosperous town deep in the remote Maine woods. Here life was thriving, but in the blink of an eye everything changed. So what happened to Millinocket, Maine, and what’s it like now? Today, we meet up with a born-and-raised local to find out.

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20 Comments

@PeterSantenello Creator 1 month ago (edited) Pinned

Thanks for watching!
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@cbt1988 1 month ago

This guy's love for his town is awesome. That smile when he told you they took the state championship in football...

@sharonroconnellandcritters 1 month ago (edited)

I have the utmost respect for Joe the electrician! At 48 returning to school because he needed to work to learn a new skill. Great work ethic. Good to see someone who's motivated to earn a decent living!

@ra-on6gn 1 month ago

The guy in the red shirt at the end getting emotional about his town and his father touched me. ‘A life never lived’. Amazing piece today Peter as always. Love from IL

@mattdonley9912 1 month ago

Ive watched you for ages, and to see you find my hometown of millinocket is wild. I know everyone in this video haha

@manuelmuller3413 1 month ago

As an european, THANKS for finally including a whole map zoom-in in the beginning! It makes a whole lot of difference for us guys

@MotoFishy 1 month ago (edited)

The guy at the Blue Ox Saloon is a gem of a human.

@TheRealBobSaget 1 month ago (edited)

My wife’s entire family is from Millinocket, they’re Italian and came with the first wave. Over the years many have had to move for work, but the pride for, and connection to their hometown is still very much alive. Great hardworking people in a great town that refuses to die!

@TakeMetotheRiver. 1 month ago

my camper tire popped in millinocket and the amount of people that stopped to help out was incredible, eventually this gem of a guy james that worked for the town hooked us up by taking our new tire and putting it on the rim on the night just before the 4th of july

@Lucky-h8i7s 1 month ago

I woke up early to watch Peter, people who looked forward to Peter video, drop a like !

@AuntJoanieBaloney 1 month ago

This man with his pride and ownership of his job when he toured the paper mill reminded me so much of my dad, a retired machine repairman, millwright & maintenance supervisor. He took such pride in his work and had a tremendous work ethic.

@wolf22-v9n 1 month ago

The guy that is taking his father's bar is an inspiration. You could feel his words, and the love for his father was heartwarming. And I thank his father for his service, its why we Americans are free.

@RobertSavello 1 month ago

That "half a million dollar house" sold recently for 150k. If anyone is curious.

@raideroftombs 1 month ago

My favorite parts of Peter’s videos are when he interviews people like Dick, an older gentleman who knows so much history and has lived through such a different time. Hearing him tell the story about him and his buddy, I think his name was Bill, honestly brought tears to my eyes.

I know it probably seems silly, but there is something about those yesteryears that gets me every time. The nostalgia, the stories, and hearing about a time when life seemed a little slower and calmer, with such a strong sense of family and community. 😭🥰

@CCscott 1 month ago

What a lonely town yet filled with absolutely wonderful folks!

@bigchevy350boy 1 month ago

My dad worked at Eastern Fine Paper in Brewer. For 36 years. He was the last of the crew to shut it down. Such amazing stories. My Grandfather worked at Champion paper mill in Bucksport for 42 years. Sad to see them go down. Lots of good people kept them going for a very long time. All the love from Bucksport 🦅 🇺🇸

@arete6285 1 month ago

Back in 2000 my boyfriend at the time knew Tommy St. john the man in the red tshirts father. Tommy used to sell onion rings at different fairs and festivals around the state. We ran into him at a fair in Skowhegan and it had been quite a few years since Tommy and my boyfriend Kevin had seen each other. Several drinks later Tommy asked us if we wanted to “Take a Rocket to Millinocket” and proceeded to invite us into his beautifully restored Bluebird Wanderlodge bus. 125 miles later we were at his bar The Blue Ox. The next morning he gave us a tour of the entire building he was still heavily i to renovating. It was huge! Everytime we tried to tell him we had to get back to Skowhegan he poured us another free drink. Another whole day later we finally made it back. I never did see Tommy St John again after that but it was so wonderful to see and hear his son is there and Tommy never lost his passion for Millinocket❤️

@ketilvestrumeinarsen2566 1 month ago

One thing I LOVE about ordinary Americans, is that they will be very open about any problem they face or any problem in the American society. I always find Americans to be very honest people.

In sharp contrast to American politicians, sadly....

@BrickHouse-w8e 1 month ago

I love the fact that Joe the electrician had the name Joe on his forearm. 😂

@dexter_niles 1 month ago (edited)

I cannot explain in words how happy I am to see you showing some love to Millinocket. My family has had a camp just outside of town on Smith Pond for 20 years and it’s been struggling since the mill closed down. The people that live there are the nicest I've ever experienced. I've run out of gas on my dirt bike on the trails near the Golden Road and a local police officer brought his personal truck over to bring me back to mine. No questions asked, just a neighbor helping another neighbor. Makes living anywhere else terrible knowing how good I had it there.