Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-03-29
AROOSTOOK---V.
Thriving Towns in the Aroos-
took Valley.
Historical Sketch Of Presque Isle and
laysIills.
One fGIn TVelVe siIss BY Six!
P.fh Article by Hog. Edward Wig sin
One feIn TVelVe siIss BY Six!
P.f;h Article by Hos. Edward Wig sir

nothing IN regard To TIE maDufsciufing In
dustri.. of pre.4as tsle- ttisnot TO be ex
pec.ed that in fhs. description of the differ
ept towus Of Araostosk. Se can rsme each
merchant and call attention to his pArticu
lar business. We shall hosever try 70
speak Of the man ufactu ripg establishments
and tell something Of what is being done in
this direction, ard of what induce ments
may be offered for the investment of CAPT
tai in this county. The grist mill at Presque
Isle is one of The best in the State. IL Is
on the site of the first mil erected
north of Hoult0n. but the old mill in which
Ar Fairbanks was wont 70 grind all varie-
ties 4 feed in one run Of stones, has given
Say TO a first class Touring mill, where the
wheat If this section can be made into hour
which il favor and texture will rival that
Of she famous mills If the West. 10 1858
Mr.. 4. X Gould Of Bangor. bought the
saw mill OF Johnson & Phair, aad maze ex
tensive repairs and additions. Besides
manufsei orin2 lumber for the home market
Mr.. Gould has shipped to Bosom m -usiiy
more than million feet of long ,un
Der and 3 million Of cedar shingles
He has recently put ia lew
edger at an expense Of over 5000, for the
purpose Of fitting lumber for the Boston
market Mr.. Gould has unbounded faith
in the pr.cticabllity OF manufacturing the
product If our AroOsfook forests in our own
county. 4 has demons rated that the bust
n-ss car be done at profit even with our
present transportation faclii les He is this
year cuttiag 5000 .0oo feet of logs suitable
for manufacturing into shipping lumber.
The piaaing and moulding mill Of W. ID.
II huay pIaea unI tlak.a
large ourpu, each year. Three of the seven
large starch fscsories owned Dy Hon. I
4 Phair. are located in Presque Isle
One Of these (the first built in the town. il
near the saw mill and Is run by wafer power
The others are run b: steam and of these
one il located near ihp Aroostook bridge
and the other in the south part of the tow u
on Axeley brook. Mr. Phair has made this
ear in his seven factories nearly 1000 tons
Of starch aui has pad TO the farmers the
handsome sum of about $4,000 for pota-
toes Hon Z. Par4hurst has a large
starch factory in the north Part of the town
On the line of the n. B Railway which ac-
com niodates the farmers OF that section.
| The cheese factory 10 :ated near the village
consumes large quantity of milk annually
and turns out an article which sells
readily at tie highest market price.
Orders are received each year al
this factory from points as far ives,
as Ohio and the cheese is sold each year as
high AS twelve cents per pound al the fac
tory. The carding mill near the dam. the
tannery and lsrrigan factory of Mr.. T. W.
Kenney and Thompsop's Marble Works are
also fourishing industries. In speaking of
the hotel accommodations of Presque Isle
in our last letter we omitted to mention the
Brooklyn House which is one of the mos,
comforts ole hostilries in the county. We
will dev jte the mainder Of this letter to
the agricultural portions of this thriving
town. In the whole county of AroostOok
there is no better farming tow than Pressure
Isle. The original formerly known a.
township F, X. 2 contains very little land
that is not suitable for farming purposes
The mail route from Houlton runs the en-
tire length Of this township and all along
the road are fine farms with broad and fer
tile fields stretching away ba X on either
eide with No stump or stone to interfere with
the working of farm machinery. The
farms are cultivated close up to the trav
elled road. and in the summer and autumr
the grass and clover OF the meadow and thu
grain and potatoes of the cultivated fields
co ne close up 10 the highway With no un
slightly piles Of stumps. stones or refuse te
mar the beauty Of the landscape. The
farm buildings are neat and tidy and have
an air Of pleasant home comfort. and al!
their surroundings betoken thrift and pros
perity. In the south part OF the to IN
about a mile west Of the Houlton rOal, il
the beautifu' little village of Spragueville
nestled cosily in among surrounding hills
by the side of placid lake which is
overlooked by the wood Gro rned heigh
| of Quaggy Joe mountain. At the foo
of this lake is fine steam mil
aud other manufacturing industries
The village has q large schoolhouse
and fine ne = church built by the Metho
dist Society last season. The centre line
road of Pressure Isle has some exec ptionxlly
fine farms, and here hundreds of acre.
might be enclosed in one smooth level field
The town farm is located upon this road
and under the judicious management of the
overseers, has proved a profitable invest
ment for the town. On ali the roads in thi,
part of the town are broad and beautiful
farms with comfortable d~sllings, and big
roomy barns which are filled each year witt
ample stores of hay and grain. The soil i.
deep, rich and free from stones, and large
fields of potatoes are easily cared for by
labor saving machinery. Broad fields Of
wheat and oats are also seen in summer
and in the harvest time The self oindins
reaper may be seen cutting wide swa,h,
through the ripened grain, and almost with
the defines, of the human hand, binding i
into bundles ready to be hauled to the barn
In 1883 the town of Maysvile was an
| T.Ia l..
town IL miles long by 6 miles wide. Mays
vile Was incorporated as town in April
1859. AMI hal in 1880 a population of 1l4l
and a valuation of shout 1925 900 The
population Of Presque Isle proper at the
time of the annexation was something vel
1900. aud the consolidated town had il
1888 fully 300 inhabitants. The old town
Of Maysville, township c., r 2, is one OF
the best farming tosas in New England
and when united with PresqIe Isle. make.
q town second to none 10 point of enterprise
intelligence and agricultural salue. The
Aroostook river er terra the old town of May $.
vile near its northeast corner and fl iwiua
in southessterly direction through beau.
tiful verdsnt intervaies and encircling nu-
merous wooj friDged islands after receiv-
irg the tribute OF the swift flowing Presqne
Isle stream sweeps around in a graceful
curve and doubling on its course f,ws IN a
northerly direction through nearl; the whole
length of the town leaving it at the Carl
bou line when it receives the waters of Har-
wood Creek. As he river thus swee D.
around through what Was + .rmerly NAYS
vile it furms an OK bow" eicioslug near
Iy one half of tie town and inclu ling rs
fertile a section of farming and as the
sur shpes GU The soil IL deep rich veg
etable mold with An underiy ns bed rock of
limestone which from its p, rors character
affords almost perfect natural drainage.
Oae # the early settlers of Naysvlle was
Capt Henry R1lfe from whom We have
received much information concern
ing the settle ment OF the town. Can't
Roife vas veteran of the Arpostook War
having marched to Fort Kent in 1899 in q
militia company commanded BY Capt. A .
viz Nye. In June 1910 h. settled on the farm
| where he now resides which is on the road
from PresQue Isle To Carbon about half a
mile from the cost Office at Msysville Gen.
tire. When Capt Rolfe took mp his lot i,
va in the midst of dense wilderness, with
no road in all this region. and nothing but Q
spotted line TO guide him on his way to the
river The town then belon ged to the State
of ssaehusetts the towns being owned
alternately by hat State an the State Of
Maine. There we're a few retilsrs IN either
bank of the Aroostook river who had made
email clearinss asd buiIt log houses and
barns The settlers did large part of
their trading at that time in New Bruassick.
The custom was to cut the timber which
gre upon the bank of the river and could
be easily rolled into the ~ster. drive it 70
Fredericton and boat back the supp les
purchased from the sale Of the timber.
Capt. RoIfe used 10 carry his wheat on hi.
hack Two milaa IN the mouth of psasnn.