115 Years Ago – Oct. 13, 1903
Electricity — The residence of Dr. W.E. Sincock on South Main Street was wired for electric lights this week.
Inspector — F.S. Tapley of Blaine, on going to his potato field a few mornings ago, found a bull moose quietly inspecting his new Hoover digger. Mr. Tapley motioned to his men to come and look. The moose circled around the fields, showing them some examples of high-fence jumping, and then returned to inspect his audience, who noisily dispersed.
100 Years Ago – Oct. 16, 1918
Record price — The record price for labor appears to have been reached at Caribou when a 14-year-old is paid $6 a day and board for picking potatoes one of the large farms here, with more than 100 hands at work. The total payroll on that farm is about $800 a day, some of the professional pickers who work by the barrel and put in long hours making $15 a day. One woman has been making from $5 to $6 a day since the season began.
75 Years Ago – Oct. 13, 1943
Tell your missus it’s essential — If you’re lucky enough to be able to go duck and goose shooting this fall and the missus says no, tell her it’s your patriotic duty. Duck and goose feathers form the fourth most critical material shortage that we are facing today, and WPB asks all hunters to save and sell every ounce of these feathers.
Busy week — Caribou firemen were kept busy again this week answering three town alarms and one out-of-town fire. The largest of the fires, thought to have been started from a car in a garage, completely destroyed the garage and a large barn and the contents of both at the farm of Ernest Anderson off the New Sweden Road Tuesday night. Firemen said the damage was approximately $7,500.
50 Years Ago – Oct. 16, 1968
Youth Rally — The Aroostook Youth Rally, an interdenominational gathering for youth of all faiths in Aroostook County, may be expected to attract as many as 3,000 youngsters to Caribou on Nov. 3 for an afternoon-evening program. The occasion will be hosted by Rt. Rev. Msgr. Armand Cyr, pastor of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church, with all other churches participating. Rev. Renald Labaree, associate pastor at Holy Rosary, is general chairman of the event, which will commence at 2:00 that Sunday afternoon at the CHS gymnasium.
Devil at play — The “Devil’s to pay” at Fort Fairfield, if they catch him, that is. State, county and local police had failed to do so by Tuesday after “he” reportedly had set fire to a barn, the property had set fire to a barn, the property of Harold Whitmore, about seven miles out of Fort Fairfield on the Green Ridge Road, Monday night. Fort Fairfield Police Chief Paul Hoyle confirmed Tuesday that no trace of the missing man had been found.
25 Years Ago – Oct. 13, 1993
Driving school moving — The commercial driving school at Caribou High School will have to be relocated to a site off-campus as a result of a policy change in the use of school department property. Board members Wednesday night endorsed a school use policy change that will ban commercial activity in school buildings. The change will affect Cyr Driving School, which has operated driver education training from space rented at the high school after hours. Although the tenant may have until the end of the school year to vacate, owner Robert Cyr, a teacher during the day, has said he will leave the premises by the end of December, according to Belanger.
Retiring — Two Maine Public Service Company employees, central division manager, Holland R. Hews, and the district lead worker, Loomis Lavoie, retire this month after completing a total of 79 years with the company. Lavoie, Caribou district lead worker, retired effective Oct. 1 after completing more than 37 years of service with the company. He began his career in April 1956 as a line worker at the Limestone Electric Company. Hews, employed more than 42 years at MPS, began his career in 1951 as an apprentice serviceman in the Ashland district.
