The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-08-09
Facts, Figures and Fancies About
the Land of Thrifty Farmers.
A Shire Town That Puts on the Airs
of a City.

A'SNN
the Aroostook is mentioned within the hear
ing of a resident of that favored county; but
his radiant smile approaches the vanishing
point as he adds: after you get there"
One who has never visited Aroestook has no
true conception of the size of the State OF
Maine In the time it takes you to travel
from Portland to the farthest Aroostook
towns accessible by rail, or even to nearer
places, like Presque Isle or Caribou, you
would find yourself in Maryland or Virginia
did you journey southwark or beyond the
Hudson, and well on your way to Ohio, If
you went west. But the journey to Aroos-
took is neither SO circuitous, nor so tedious
as might be inferred. The route lies through
the Province of New Brunswick, but in the
whole distance from Portland to Madawas-
ka it does not vary from direct line enough
to make more than an easy bend to the
eastward. In the days of the old European
and North American Railway, and under the
former management of the New Brunswick
Railway the journey was something to be
thought of some time beforehand. The trains
were slow and accommodations poor. 1t is
said that in New Brunswick the farmers
would hail passenger train just as horse
cars are hailed in the streets of a city, and
that it was regular thing to slow up to take
on wandering sportsmen. But the old Eu-
ropean has become part of the Maine Cen
trial; and the New Brunswick railway, since
6ecome Great system wfh a The e. adteess
| for sure and swift travelling.
FROM BANGOR TO TIE PROVINCE.
The first trip from Bangor to the
Aroostook is likely to give one some
new ideas about this State and the
neighboring Province. Until Mattawam-
keag is reached the route is along the
Penobscot river. The country is not remark
able for its signs of thrift, but compared
with what is beyond Mattawamkeag it is
paradise. The Aroostook Exploration Par
ty enjoyed special train of six of the finest
cars on the New Brunswick Railway, and
were drawn by Maine Central engine that
gave splendid promise of getting some
where; but had they not had the
assurances of others who had gone that
way before, there is little doubt that most of
the party would have gone on their knees to
Mr.. Atwood and prayed to be taken back to
Bangor. For mile after mile, until the boun-
dairy line has been passed some time, the
country is too wild to produce even decent
forest. Fires have ravaged until there is
little left but scrubby evergreens and rocks.
Boys vary the monotony, and huge boulders
excite the wonder of the traveller. About
MacAdam Junction, which is just across the
line from Vanceboro, these boulders are so
large and numerous that the bushes have
somewhat the appearance of growing in the
crevices of an extensive ledge. One of the
party recalled a very original and accurate re-
mark which the late Governor Coburn once
made while passing MacAdam with party
of railroad men. The old gentleman eyed the
rocks for some time with wonder, and then
turning to his party, exclaimed: 'Gentle-
men, this is the first time / have been out of
sight of land" 1t is ia miles from Bangor
to Vanceboro; the waste between Malta
wamkeag and Vanceboro extends for So
miles.
UP THE ST. JOHN
AT MacAdam the Exploration Party passed |
into the hands of the New Brunswick railway. |
The private car of the General Manager of |
the road was attached to the train, while |
several engines from the round house blew |
salutes with their whistles From the sta |
ton the American and English flags were
displayed, and two young, black bears ca
pered on the platform. A bear did not look |
out Of place in that region.
From MacAdam the New Brunswick Rail- |
.Itnrr has thraA hrqnn hAc-n,3n- -gain0 to ST
John, another south along the Maine border
to Calais, and third north along the st. |
john which is near or on the Maine border, |
to Edmundston, away up by Madawaska. At |
Debec, 40 miles north of MacAdam, a short
branch runs across the line to Houlton; at |
Aroostook Junction, 106 miles north of Mac
Adam, another branch goes over to Fort
Fairfield, Caribou and Presque Isle; while
the main line extends on So miles farther to
Edmundston, opposite the MadawaSka settle |
ments. The New Brunswick Railway con-
trolls in all 445 miles of road and the ArOos- |
took is one of its most important tributary
regions.
The railroad reaches the st. John river at |
Woodstock, short distance beyond Debec |
Junction, and 81 miles above MacAdam. At |
Woodstock also the Meduxnekeag river joins |
the st. John, after having its rise in Maine |
and flowing past Houlton and across the |
boundary line. The So miles of railroad be- |
tween Woodstock and Aroostoek Junction,
at the mouth Of Aroostook river lies along |
the banks of the st. John. For the whole |
ing country. The land rises rapidly away |
from the river on either side until it reaches |
a considerable height. The river is broad /
and placid, and the farms lie in green slopes |
on either side. There are few villages, and no
large ones; but farm houses with large barns /
abound. Cattle, sheep, and horses with the |
long bodies and short legs peculiar to the |
ClydeSdale breed so much used in New |
Brunswick. pasture ON the slopes, and, as |
the sun gets high, lie in the shade of elm |
trees or cross the narrow intervales to cool |
themselves in the river. On almost every /
farm there is little woodland, and this /
sometimes extends down to the river, and |
sometimes lies up the sides of the valley and |
crowns the horizon. Little white churches |
are frequently passed, and at distances of |
few miles huge ropes are extended across |
the river to guide lazily moving ferry boats. |
Very frequently curve will give the travel /
Ter view up the valley, where the cleaning |
river winds down for miles from source |
which appears to be far up among distant |
and hazy mountains. At Newburg Junction,
six miles above Woodstock, there is such
view, the valley lying open for twenty five
miles.
IdE AhOOSIOOh hlNEh
AT Aroostook Junction 55 miles above |
Woodstock and the mouth of the Meduxne-
keag which flows from Houlton, another
much larger river comes in from Maine and
joins the ST. John--the Aroostook river. This
river lies almost wholly within the State of
Maine. Its head waters are in Northern
Piscataquis county, but with devious north
eastern coursei it flows across the most central
portion of Aroostook county. Its valley is as
beautiful as that of the st. John AS it APP
proaches the Canadian line it makes alb
rupt turns forming letter V, the apex lying
towards the north. The branch railroad
from Aroostook Junction runs along the riv-
er on the inside of this V, reaching first Fort
Fairfield at the extremity of the southeast
ern leg of the V, then Caribou at the apex,
and finally terminating at Presque Isle at the
extremity of the southwestern leg. Each
village is about dozen miles from either of
the other two, and all three are well situated
thrifty and ambitious. Each thinks itself
smarter than its neighbors, and when the leg
islature undertook to locate a superior