The Chief Engineer is one of the small and rare, self-published, "Birch Bark Books" written by Henry Abbott. It is a true story about an industrious, white-capped beaver, and family, who make their home at Cherry Pond in the Adirondack Mountain region of New York state. The author, and his partner Bige, observe this "Chief Engineer" for many years, enlarging his family, cutting trees, storing winter food, and building dams and houses. Bige experiments with dynamite and sucking the air out of wood, while the author has a close encounter with a house-wrecking bear.

Other people mentioned are Mitchell Sabattis, an Indian who knew the history of the area, and John Jacob Astor, one of the early fur dealers.