115 Years Ago-1900
• Another sign of spring: The soda fountains have commenced operation.
• The beautiful wax figure in Miss Evelyn Fisher’s show window is attracting quite a lot of attention from the male portion of Caribou’s citizens.
100 Years Ago-April 15, 1915
Lightning fright — A heavy thundershower struck this place last Monday following the much-needed rain. Mr. Peter Haines had a dog, which was in the house, killed by lightning. His wife also was so badly stunned that it was necessary to call a physician, yet nothing serious set in.
From across the sea — Miss Ellen Peterson, a graduate of Caribou High School and Colby College and teaching overseas in Kinhwa, China, wrote to students at the Jemtland Sunday School. “Thank you so much for sending me all those Sunday School cards. …I have my Chinese teacher write a verse in Chinese on the backs and we give them to the children at the close of Sunday school.” She added, “The Chinese language is very hard to learn and we are still spending most of our time studying it, and we have to take examinations, too, just as you do in school.”
75 Years Ago-April 11, 1940
Phone expansion — New England Telephone and Telegraph will spend more than a million dollars in expansion and improvement of local facilities. During the coming year, the company plans to install equipment for dial service at Fort Fairfield, Limestone and New Sweden, which will mean that out of all the telephones in northern Aroostook, all but a few hundred will be operating on dial service. This will replace magneto service, which requires the use of a hand crank to summon the operator.
Hook ’em with fishing — In an effort to promote tourism, the following suggestion was turned in to the Aroostook Development Association: “Appeal to the fisherman, that’s all. Hang big arrows on all roads from New York and the big cities, stating, ‘To the best fishing on earth,’ and down by the corner near Caribou erect an arch with the sign ‘Main Entrance.’ That’ll do it.”
50 Years Ago-April 15, 1965
New location — One of Caribou’s most sparkling new stores, featuring a wide variety of household lines and complete stocks of building materials, is now open on Herschel Street. In business for 21 years, Nelson J. Gagnon has moved from Main Street to spacious and completely renovated premises in the former Aroostook Valley Motors building.
Double the fun — A double birthday party was held at the New Sweden home of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Ostlund in honor of their daughter, Marcia, and Marcia’s cousin, Jasmine Erickson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Erickson Jr. Mrs. Virginia Erickson made the cake. The girls received cards and gifts and games were played.
25 Years Ago-April 11, 1990
Marvelous mathematicians — The Caribou High School math team won the Division B state title during the Maine State Math Meet at the University of Maine at Orono. Team members are Chris Maple, Tiffany Plourde, Jeff Heneghan, Dan McCormack, Joseph Siddiqui, Matthew Ketch, Angel McBreairty, Susan Chien, Mark Hamill, Vickie Hebert and Wendy Guerette. The group will represent Maine at the New England Math Meet in Canton, Mass.
First at the helm — The Tri-Community Landfill hired Kenneth L. Hensler of Fort Fairfield as its first-ever solid waste manager. The 12-year-old TCL is owned by and serves the municipalities of Caribou, Limestone and Fort Fairfield. Hensler comes to the post from a career in banking, most recently as Fort Fairfield’s KeyBank branch manager.
