Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1870-10-10
Mismllany,
THE MAINE SWEDISH COLOLE.

who has been visiting our Swedish settlement
in Aroostook, furnishes that paper an inter-
esting letter in relation to what he saw. from
which we copy.
The land on which they are located is the
township known as number fifteen, range
three, west of the east line Of the State, OF,
as it will heneetorth be called, New Sweden.
If your readers will take any map OF Maine
on which the smaller places are noted, they
can easily find the town of Fort Fairfield,
situated very near the northeastern corner OF
the State, on the Aroostook river, and close
to the New Brunswick line. The township
of Sweden is twenty miles northwest from
that town. The approach to the settlement
is not such as to prepossesss the visitor very
strongly in favor OF the country. There is
the toughest of rough roads leading to the
great opening, or the ''large clearing as 1t is
called. When you have arrived there you
see space Of twenty or thirty acres, on
which the trees have been feled and then
burned, so that the whole opening is hily
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
a cabin of considerable size, used as sleep
ing, cooking and eating room for the crew OF
unmarried Swedes and the hired American
woodmen who are not at work upon this land.
The writer finds Mr.. league, by whom he
| is introduced to Mr.. Johnson, a Swede who
can speak English, and by whom he is accom-
panied in his Investigations among the cabins
of the settlers, which are at some distance
from the clearing above described.
Plunging again into the forest, over rough
road, we come to the first residences. The
arrangement of these cabins is quite ingen-
ious Each settler is to have a let of given
size, and the houses are built on the corners
where they join, SO that they are arranged in
fours, which makes it both more social tor the
settlers, and easier for them to render assist
ance 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 iy twenty five
! feet in size The roofs are neatly shingled,
and the cabins are rendered sufficiently light
| by real windows, which all log huts IN TINS
section Of the country cannot boast. inside
| they are finished with plain wooden benches
| and tables, and all have stove of a 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-iand; 4;
but much of the crockery and iron-ware is
dLhNS. III oiiS u 'iiN '"NS
saw little bundle of rattan rods, which my
mind pictured as the instrument with which
parental reproof was meted out to the young
er members of the family on occasion. 1he
spinning g-wheel has not vanished from the
farmers houses in Aroostook County yet, and
here most of the cabins contain one. There
! is use for a cradle in nearly every residence,
and the pattern employed is of the very prim-
tive 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
| Wrinkle at the washboard.
In company with Mr.. johnson your cores
pondent visited a considerable number of
| these cottages. Our visits were short, and IN
| deed it was not easy to remain long to dis
| turb the diligent activity of the women, even
| if there would have been any gain in remain
! ing in a 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 visitor
with pleasant smile and word in their
mother-tongue. Mr.. johnson introduced me
| always as, so far as L could make out the
sound, 'eia herren ron Boston," spoken with
a peculiar infection of the voice. They all
shake hands and drop curteses. The hand
ed several times in the course of short visit
| One of the matrons sent up her little girl OF
perhaps seven years to shake hands with me
1 she dropped Il little courtesy as she took my
hand,-a fact which is only mentioned tc
show how early the young Swedes are taught
this little act of politeness. 1t has been stat
ed that a marriage has taken place among the
colony since its arrival. | found the bride
seated on wooden bench before the table
which is used, undoubtedly, in the preparation
of the dinner, writing letter. The ink was
contained apparently in hollow door-knoo,
standing on its rounded portion. She Is a
very pretty and healthy looking girl, and will
make her husband good wife, no doubt.
She brought US out some of her home made
| beer, which is prepared from boiled corn and
sweetened with moasses. 1t has taste some
what like Ottawa beer, but is much more pal
atable than that frothy nothing. 1t does no,
| foam, but is clear and almost as colorless as
| water Another of the sights was the new
baby,--th Miles Standish of New Sweden
"a healthy looking infant OF few weeks
The mother took it out of the cradle to show
The child was dressed or rather sewed up IL
tight fitting bag of yellow flannel, and hac
upon its head quilted hood thick enough fol
its mothers head-gear in dead winter. The
style of dress is not in accordance with ouI
notions, but the children look well and happy,
and the custom has, of course, been followed
from time memorial. The grandmother OF
this first 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 ages
are quite easily distinguished from Americans
by their dress alone. The men wear stout
serviceable clothing, and are covered with
hats of peculiar style, and many of then
wear wooden shoes, though this is not uniyer'
sal. These shoes are great clumps of wood
cedar or birch, with pointed and upturneC
toes, heel that is long and slopes forward
and very high instep. They are nicely hol
lowed out within for the foot, and are quite
comfortable in appearance, though they mus
be heavy. / saw man at work tashioninl
them by hand out OF great blocks of greer
birch. The women are dressed in plain
coarse garments, and their persons are desti
tute OF any of the fripperies with which
American omen even in these wild woods
would deck themselves. The ehignon is no
known in New Sweden, and very little atten
ton, apparently, is paid 70 the manner il
which the hair is dressed. There is a tidy lool
| kn~ xplinb ia IaltUht