The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-10-08
TH e PR e 8 3
The Maine Swedish Colony
ARoosTooK CORRESPONDENTS OF The
ADVERTISER.

+ho tornsh in Known as number fifteen, range
tbree wast IF the east line OF the State, or,
AS NJ will hepceforth be called, New sweden.
II vour readers will take any map OF Maine Oh
which the smaller places are noted, they can
easily find the town of Fort Fairfield, situa-
led very near the northeastern corner of the
state. on the Aroostook river, and close to the
New brunswick line. The township of New
Sweden is twenty miles northwest from that
town. The approach to the settlement is
not such as to progresses the visitor very
strongly in favor Of the country. There is
the toughest Of rough roads leading TO the
great opening, or the Sarge clearing" as it is
called. When you have arrived there you see
O space of twenty or thirty acres, on which
the trees have been felled and burned, so that
the whole opening is billy waste of ashes
dotted all over with blackened stumps. There
is but one building erected as yet on all this
clearing, and that is merely cabin o. con-
siderable size, used as sleeping cooking and
eating room for the crew of unmarrie |
Sweeds and the hired American woodmen
who are at work upon this land. Surprising
that there must be some one near this house
who might direct me where to co. approach
ed and found the. cook, who told me where
Mr.. league, the boss OF this crew, might be
found. Rt
MIR. league turned out TO be an old ac-
quantance, a resident of the village OF Carl
bou in the town of Lyndon, the nearest con-
siderable settlement. Mr. Thomas has been
here the greater part of The time for several
weeks, but on the day your correspondent
was there he had gone up to the French town.
ships, still further north, on business. But
Mr.. league kindly introduced me to Mr..
johnson, one of the few Swedes of the COLONY
who can speak English, and escorted by him
set out 1t is no easy task getting over
ground like this, where it is necessary to
climb over half consumed logs and pick ones
way between the great stumps that stand to
remind one that noble forest has been ruth
]essy sacrificed to the needs of man. Turn
ing to one side to be introduced to another of
the English speaking Swedes, we find a little
party engaged in the slow process of gather
lng the remnants of logs, to make one Of the
huge bonfires that greet the eye of the travel
Ter through this country by night, on every
side, and which fill his eyes with sharp and
tear forcing smoke. Our new acquaintance
has worked for some little time in Boston,
and he inquiries, with an interest that is per-
haps reciprocated, if your correspondent
knows Mr.. Cunningham or Mr.. Sturges. As
the inquirer is totally unable to give any fur
ther information about the gentlemen than
their family names, ne Sative answer is sadly
returned, and we proceed on our way. Plung-
ing again into the forest, over rough road,
we come to the first residences. The arrange
ment of these cabins is quite ingenious. Each
settler is to have lot OF given size, and
the houses are built on the corners where
they join, SO that they are arranged in fours,
which makes it beth more social for the set
tiers, and easier for them to render assistance
to each other in case Of need. The cabins
are all alike, and they were built by the State.
They are built OF peeled logs, and are,
should judge, about eighteen by twenty
five feet in size. The roofs are neatly
shingled, and the cabins are rendered sut-
ficiently light by real windows, which all log
huts in this section of the country cannot
boast. Inside they are finished with plain
wooden benches and tables, and all have a
stove of pattern to give considerable surface
for cooking, and at the same time serve to
give out a great deal of heat. There are
other little things in the cabins which have
been brought by the Swedes themselves from
the mother-and; but much of the crockery
and iron-ware is Enthusiastically Yankee. In
one of the huts l saw a little bundle of rattan
rods, which my mind pictured as the instru-
ment with which parental reproof was meeted
out to the younger members of the family on
occasion. The spinning reel has not van
ished from the farmers houses in Aroostook
County yet, and here most of the cabins con-
tain one. There is u;e for cradle in nearly
every residence and the pattern employed is
OF the very primitive kind used in the old
country. The mother rocks her babe, using
one foot and standing on the other, while
with her hands she prepares the frugal repast
for the family, or scrubs away with the energy
of Dame Van Wynkle at the washboard.
In company with Mr.. johnson your cores.
pondent visited considerable number Of
these cottages. Our visits were short. ard
indeed it was not easy to remain long to dis
turb the diligent activity of the women. even
II there would have been any gain in remain
ing in company where the aid of an inter
prefer was necessary to converse with our
hosts None of the women can speak Eng
lish, but they invariably greeted the visit
Ors with pleasant smile and word in their
mother-tongue. MI. johnson introduced me
always as, SO far as could make out the sound
"ein herren Don Boston," spoken with De-
culiar infection of the voice. They all shake
hands and drop curtesieS. The Misunderstanding
Is frequen-, and is sometimes repeated several
times in the course of a short visit One al
the matrons sent up her little girl of perhaps
seven years to shake hands with me: sae
dropped little curtesy as she took my b., ID,
-afact which is only mentioned to show now
early the young Swedes are taught this little
art of politeness. 1t has been stated that
marriage has taken place among the COLONY
since its arrival. found the bride seated on
wooden bench before the table which is u.s.
ed undoubtedly, in the preparation of the din
ner, writing a letter. The ink was contained
apparently in hollow door-knob. standing on
its rounded portion. She is a very pretty and
healthy looking girl, and will make her hus-
band good wife no doubt. She brought us
out some of her home made beer. which is
prepared from boiledcorn and sweetened with
m0lasSes. 1t has a taste somewhat like Otta-
wa beer, but is much more paatable than that
frothy nothing. 1t does not foam, but is clean
and almost as colorless as water. Another Of
the sights was the new baby,-the Miles
Standish OF New Sweden,-a healthy lookino
infant OF few weeks. The mother took It
out OF the cradle to show. The child was
dressed or rather sewed up in tight fitting
bag of yellow fanel, and had upon its head q
quilted hood thick enough for its mothers
head gear in dead winter. The style of dress
is not in accordance with our notions. but
the children look well and happy, and the
custom has, OF course, been followed from
time immemOrial. The grandmother of this
frst child came over with her two sons. She
Is an Old lady OF over seventy, and seems as
happy as possible here in the wilderness.
The Swedes of both sexes and of all anes
are quite easily distinguishable from Ameri.
cans by their dress alone. The men veal
stout, serviceable clothing, and are covered
with hats of a peculiar style, and MANY Of
them wear wooden shoes, though this is not
universal. These shoes are great cIllmps OF
wood, cedar or birch, with pointed and up-
turned toes, heel that is long and slopes for
ward, and very high instep. They are nice
ly followed cut within Tor the foot, and are
quite comfortable in appearance, though they
must be heavy. saw man at work fash
ioning them by hand out OF great blocks OF
green birch. The women are dressed in
pam, coarse garments, and their persons are
destitute OF any of the fripperies with which
American women. even in 1hCSn wild xrocdc