The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1886-08-26
Men and Things in Aroostook.

| There is no part of Aroostook of which so
| much has been said as New Sweden Plantation
s miles northwest from Caribou; not because
this township is more fertile or prosperous
than other sections but by reason of the sue
ceSsfu establishment of a foreign colony in
| this remote portion of the State. Hon. w. W.
Thomas, Jr. Commissioner of Immigration. is
the father of the colony. which was settled by
fifty colOnists from Sweden in 1870, and six
years later organized into Plantation. For
statistics of its growth, etc, the reader is re-
ferrcd to the Maine Register. The colonists
have outgrown New Sweden and spread over
the adjacent portions of Caribou, Woodland
and Perham, and in 1880 numbered 7s1 souls
The morning was overcast, with occasional
showers, as party of four newspaper men
started from Caribou for drive to New Swe-
den. The route lay through rolling country
not differing much from other sections of the
state. nor showing indications of exceptional
fertility save in the huge barns which quite
oIcrShadowed the adjacent dwellings. Haying
had Just begun and the little hay down had suf-
fered from wet weather. Our route took us to
story frame building with country store be-
low and hall overhead in which meetings are
held. As we drove up a man was hosting the
Stars and Stripes on tall flagstaff before the
building, for later Il celebration, deferred to
await the arrival of the AroostcOk expedition,
was to be held in commem0ration of the settle
ment of the colony. Time did not permit the
81 tp pf anr In, lry
the township we saw here and there the log
houses of the original settlers erected by the
State for their occupancy, and now reIegated
to Use as ellis to modern farm buildings or as
outhouscs. We did not see the best farms but
on every hand there We're evidences of comfort
and prosperity. The withdrawal of the boul-
ty from the state caused some dissatisfaction
at first, and occasionally there is departure
for Florida or the West. but new comerS from
sweden take the places of those who 60 A
gentleman who has had business relations with
the colony says he knows of but three members
whom he would not trust for all they are will
me to buy, and many have money in bank.
They lack the 5o-aheadativeneSs of the Yankee,
but can beat him in raising children, and fami-
lies of ten or twelve are not uncommon.
y few words about ArooStook weather may
be in order. Most of the visitors were expert
enccd travellers and 50 prepared themselves
for whatever the elements might have in store.
The cool weather which prevailed was, how
ever. something of surprise 1t was over
coat weather most of the time, and the nights
We're decidedly, and As the inhabitants told lis
exceptionally, cold. 1t was a week of showers,
and while it rained every day, thus laying the
dust and contributing much to the comfort Of
railway travel, the rain did not interfere in thc
least with sightseeing in the hour, devoted to
drives about the country, while The landscape
was fairer and fre>her from is frequent
sprinkiing>. On the whole the visitors had no
cause to grumbIc at ArooStook weather.
Now for few statistics. In Gen. Halls 4th
of July address at Houlton this summer he
gave the following figures from the census of
lSr0 to show the proportion of Aroostook pro-
ducts in comparison with the whole State;
State. .ArooStOok
Hay --------..-.-.1,lo o0,0O0 tons. $1,000 tons
Wheat ----.---... 66G.60O bush. 39S,000 bush.
Burkwheat. t...---.- s}SsOOO = DOS 600
oats .--------.-... 2.3noOoa = G29.Oo0
Rye - .------- 26,ooo " 1000
The exports for the year cndng July 81,
lsSt. from the four stations in the county, as
coIacd by Mayo Of the Fairfield journal, are
is follows:
IIoulton-l5 94o 900 shingles; 179,71S bushcI,
potatocs-4oo carloads; 32G0 casks >tarch-S6
carloads pos tons hay-29d carloads: 3,607 900
feet Of lumber; 1850 casks extract of hemloc<