Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1888-01-07
AROOSTOOK MATTERS.
What Has Been Done in the
Town Of Presque Isle.
Early "reminiscences Of this Rapidly
Growing Section.
Interesting Facts From the Aroostook
Correspondent OF the Kennebec
Jou rnal.

sissippi:" Large towns and great cities in
the west never grow up in localities selected
by early explorers and spectators for theiI
sites, but immigrants 60 and sit down on
some spot without hardly knowing why"
This tendency of immigration is illustrated
| by two cases known to the writer of this, in
western growth.
| Within his recollection, young man, q
brick maker in Franklin county, left his
home in Maine and with his face towards the
setting sun started off to find, as he supposed.
better land than this. He travelled on and
on, hardly knowing whittier he went, until
he came to some of the head waters of the
Ohio. somewhere in western Pennsylvania.
He floated down that river on catamaran
or other extemporized craft until he came to
what is now the great and opulent city of
Cincinnati, then only miserable hamlet
in the woods, of less than 1000 people which
had then been some thirty years in growing
to what it was. Here this brick maker
stopped and went about his business Of brick
making A few years ago he was still living.
and one of the wealthy men Of that opulent
city.
In 1850 on a pleasant morning in June, l
saw a man leave one of the towns of Penob-
scot county with span of horses, harnessed
to heavy wagon, covered with cotton cloth,
under which were seated his wife and children,
with bed and bedding slowed on boards, and
go on his way towards Minnesota. After
a long and toilsome journey he came to where
is now the great city of Minneapolis and
stopped. Probably he had no means of going
further. He took section of government
land which is now the centre of that city and
worth millions of dollars. He died few
years ago a wealthy man. Maine, and
especially Aroostook county, and more
especially the valley of the AroOstoOk river,
are not without instances of mems building
better than they knew. Presque Isle is a
town in which men live of that class. A half
century ago none but few explorers of
timber land knew anything about the latent
wealth of the valley of the Aroos-
took, and they but imperfectly Be
fore the final settlement of the north
eastern boundary question in 1912, only
45 years ago, it was gravely proposed in the
Legislature to let England have all the land
claimed in Aroostook, for the reason it was
not worth the expense of keeping it.
In 1884 heard the Hon. John Holmes, one
of Names honored statesmen, and then re :
Gently Senator in Congress, remark that the
permanent interest of Maine would be pro-
NOTED by giving up the whole of Aroostook
to position. He said the money value of it to
the rest was not then one dollar, and its polit-
ical jurisdiction would inevitably be tax
upon the State and the country to maintain.
In case of an outbreak with England it wO uld
require m lions to defend it. This was the
feeling of many of the wise and patriotic men
of that day.
But as early explorers and spectators can
not compel working men to remove to new
country, SO they cannot keep them away.
The people go or stay just as they please. II
has been eminently SO with the valley of the
Aroostook and in no town more SO than in
Presque Isle. Its very earliest settlers were
few poor men, who came up the st. John
and the Aroostook rivers from New Bruins
wick for the purpose of cutting the splendid
pine timber growing so near to the banks o1
the river that it could be fOated down the
stream without the aid of horses or oxen.
In 1928 came Dennis Fairbanks from Troy,
Waldo county, and sat himself down upon
land OH which now is the village of Presque
| Isle. lie ndu HeltleI PiSshBSi
huence or any thing else to induce others to
come also. For about twelve years, up to
the time of the Aroostook war few others dig
come. Fairbanks remained here
"a monarch of all he surveyed,
| His right not one did dispute"
After the Aroostook war men began to
drop in and settle here. But they were meT
without money, until within very few years
never heard of man coming to Presque
Isle and bringing with him $1,000 There
have been men here who were worth that ans
more but they have made it here. The terri
tory which is now Presque Isle, formerly tina
town and Maysville, had in 1860, about ,3O(
inhabitants, and valuation of Sl33.7l3
about 100 dollars on an average to each per
son.
Each of the towns were incorporated IL
1859. In 1884 Maysville was annexed Il
Presque Isle. In 1886 the assessors valu
alton of the town was S574 $500, and tn
number of polls $40. The valuation by tn
assessors. however, was not half of the actua
value of the property in the town.
In May 1884 nearly the whole of the busi
ness portion of the village was destroyed b
fire. At least Sl25, 900 worth of propert
was consumed by the flames. The Who'll
has been rebuilt in better style than it wa
before the fire.
During the past year wonderful improve
ment has been going on, such as was neve
seen in any ArOostook town before. Th
railroad depot has been greatly enlarged, an
vastly improved.
The former track has all been taken uI
graded anew, and extended so as to accom-
modate a very much larger business tina
heretofore. All the old buildings have bee
torn down and removed. A new and very eli
CANT passenger station has been erected wit
all the modern Improvements, equal, il M
superior to any of the country stations on tn
Maine Central. The freight station whic
was formerly under the same roof with tn
waiting room for passengers, has been re
moved some distance away and greatly eI
larged The old round house has been tor
. down, and another which will accommodat
7 twice the number of engines that did th
: former, has been erected. A new, elegant
. and substantial turn table takes the place {
the former one, and the whole works al
done up in a style which would be an hont
to city.
How much money has been expended
have no means of knowing definitely, b'
judging from what it costs me to tear dow
: and build anew nothing comparatively,
: guess $40, 600 has gone in these changes
I'.Wnere the WOOQDlne tWluetu.
t Another great improvement we have wi
:, messed during the year passed, is our watt
e works. There has been a scarcity OF watt
here at times, and great difference OF opil
+ ion as to how to prevent its frequent occu
s renee; how to prevent the scarcity occurrir
' when we most needed water. Finally, son
/ men who live somewhere as l suppose, but
e cannot locate them, who were jOurneying ov'
n the country to find people who like the Den
y ocratic party are thirsty, found Us, withol
. liquor shops, and at once concluded that
y would be safe to invest money in supplyir
II us with water. They accordingly damned
brook on the hill back of the the villag
, which has its source among springs of liviI
Il water, at an expense of % 500, and laid
II least two miles of main pipe to and in Il
6 village. They have had large crew of 1T
e ians digging bitches all the summer and IA
J. and have brought to Us all the water We ne'
re to assuage our thirst. save our buildings fro
!, the flames, keep us clean and do many 9th
e desirable things, for all Of which, We desi
N to be duly thankful.
After water comes the next greata