120 Years Ago – Dec. 30, 1904
Holds two patents — It may not be generally known that John Thenser of this town has had recently two articles patented — one a window fastener and the other an extension stilt. He has received an offer of $10,000 for the first named patent.
An excellent tree — J.E. Doak, who is working in the lumber woods in New Sweden this winter, felled a pretty good sized pine tree – one of the old fashioned kind which gave Maine its name of ‘The Pine Tree State.’ The tree was perfectly sound and made 1580 feet of lumber.
115 Years Ago – Dec. 29, 1909
Make fun if you will, but… — Quite a good many of the Maine newspapers have amused themselves the past year in making fun and saying all sorts of disagreeable and unpleasant things against the Maine building at the St. Louis Fair. The Republican was among the few papers which had a word of praise for the ‘log cabin mansion.’ which was recently sold for $2000, while the building erected by the great Empire state of New York only brought $900. Is this not proof enough that the Maine building really attracted more attention than was accredited to it by the press generally.
Open to the public again — The B. & A. house in Limestone is again open to the public, J. Greenier having assumed the management. He has fitted it up in a thorough manner and invites the patronage of the traveling public as well as locals. Everything will be conducted on a modern basis, and the patrons are assured of the best of treatment. Chas. Burgess has been engaged as clerk.
100 Years Ago – Dec. 25, 1924
Here on business — Miss Edith Knight, the very efficient and energetic Aroostook county anti-tuberculosis nurse, was in Caribou Thursday on business connected with her work. It would indeed be very hard to find anyone who would be more faithful, coiled with wonderful natural ability for the work, than Miss Knight.
New way to get to repairs needed — Harold Hutchinson of the telephone service force from Houlton arrived in town last week with a snowmobile which will be used by the repairmen in the Caribou district. The telephone service has expanded, and the services of ‘trouble men’ are required in so many instances, that the business has long since outgrown the slow-moving horse. Automobiles are, of course, used during the summer months, and this fall have been in constant use till last week, two men always going together after the snow comes. This new snowmobile will greatly facilitate the service of the company, which is striving hard to make that word its middle name.
75 Years Ago – Dec. 29, 1949
Local insurance agency sold — The Stetson Insurance Agency, one of Caribou’s oldest, was sold recently to the T.W. McLauchlan Agency in Caribou. The transaction will become effective January 1, 1950. The Stetson Agency was created in 1914 by L.E. Tuttle who later sold it to C.E. Stetson. Following the death of Mr. Stetson, the business was carried on by Mrs. Stetson until her death a few months ago. Her daughter, Miss Eula Stetson continued the business. The McLauchlan Agency plans to continue representing many of the companies being serviced by the older agency.
Treat Caribou children at a party with 1870 bags of candy — At Caribou’s annual Christmas party last Saturday at the Municipal building, 1870 bags of candy and nuts were distributed to children, who jammed the assembly room for hours to receive greetings from Santa Claus and take advantage of free gifts, Police Chief Frank R. Hopper said. He added that under sponsorship of his department, 36 Christmas baskets filled with groceries were brought to needy families in town. About 64 similar baskets donated by churches, organizations and individuals were also delivered to other needy residents in Caribou. Among the merchants who contributed food and candy to help make up Christmas baskets and gift bags were: Landau’s, Newberry’s, First National stores, I.G.A. store, Gene Johnstons, National Confectionary Co. of Caribou. Each of these places made their donations in varied quantities. Amos Fletcher Jr. offered 30 pecks of potatoes.
25 Years Ago – Jan. 4, 1999
Alaska to home, by sled — Local men plan a trip: 6000 miles in 30 days. When three members of the Caribou Snowmobile Club travel to Alaska, they will go by plane. On the way back — all the way back — they’ll travel by snowmobile. On Jan. 10, Mike Oullette of Woodland, Kirk St. Peter of Caribou, and Mike McCarthy of Woodland, will board a plane for Anchorage, Alaska. When they get there, they will set out on what they have dubbed the ‘Ride of the Millennium.’ It’s a 6,000 mile journey from Alaska back to central Aroostook County, a trip they hope to complete in 30 days at a pace of 200 miles a day. Pledges are being taken to raise money for the Pine Tree Burn Foundation, which educates people on how to prevent and treat burns, and the Pine Tree Camp for Crippled Children, which is in Rome, Maine. The trip will take the men across the desolate and frozen reaches of the Yukon down to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, then generally east across the continent, by the way of the Trans-Canada Trail System.
Website targets workers — Businesses and job seekers in the County can turn to the Internet to post or find jobs thanks to Focus on the Future. Focus on the Future, a grassroots community development effort in Caribou, decided last spring that they wanted to create a website. Now www.Aroostookjobs.com is on the Internet. Getting there was a challenge, said Chris Bell, co-chairman of the committee that spearheaded the project. Focus on the Future needed money to design the site, which brought them to the Maine Development Foundation’s Aroostook County Fund donated $5,090 to match $5,000 from the CDC. Posting a job on the site is free for employers, but there is a space limit. Enhanced job descriptions and display ads range from $25 to $150, according to Todd Player, designer of the site.
