Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-06-26
NEW SWEDEN
Continued from 1st page. ]


days sickness of man, woman or chlif
in New Sweden.
1.-THE fame of New Sweden in Maine
was soon noised abroad in the Fatherland,
and with the opening of navigation in the
spring of 1871, the immigrants with theil
ponderous chests of baggage came pouring
in upon US first, in little squads then in
companies of 90, 30 and 40, till the i'm
migration of the year eliminated in the
last week of May, when 100 Swedes arrived
via Houlton and Pressure Isle, followed
within five days by goo more by the St
John river. They filed the hall of the
capitol, tho stable, and one squad of 80
from the province Of Jentland, camped
under shelter Of boards at the cross
roads.
Hon Albert A. Burleiga with a com
pany Of surveyors ran out lots for the new
Corners as rapidly as possible. Roads were
first laid out in all directions from The
capitol, then lots laid off to face them
Straight lines were not deemed essentia
to these ways, an easy grade was every
where maintained, and hills and swamps
avoided. Working parties of newly ar
rived immigrants. each in command of al
English-speaking Swedes were detailed t
follow the surveyors and cut OUT the roads
Thus avenues were opened up in all direc
tions into the wilderness. Bands of i'm
migrants eagerly seeking their farms fol
lowed the choppers, and lots were taker
up as fast as they were made accessible
Some entcrprising Swedes did not wall
for The working parties, but secured
choice lots by ranging the woods in ad
ba ni,,la Of 90 Gr-f {,rc.
served having been adopted in the dis
tribution of these prizes of land.
CAS- soon as the earth could be made tt
produce grass or fodder,the Swedes began
to provide themselves with cattle, horses,
sheep and swine
"They bought, however, no faster thar
they could pay. If a Swede could not
afford span of horses he bought only
one; if he could not afford horse BIT
provided himself with an OK; if an on
was beyond his purse, he got steer, and
if steer was more than he could afford,
he placed a rope harness on his only COW.
and worked around with her till he could
do better
Americans driving in laughed at these
nondcscript teams, but all the while the
Swedes were teaching us lesson-to live
within our means.
'"One great cause of the rapid success
of this colony has been the active help the
Swed ssh women have rendered their huS-
bands Every Swedish wife was indeed a
heipuiatc. She not only did all the house
WORK but helped her husband in tho clear
III ga amid the blackened stumps and logs.
Many of the Swedes cut their logs into
lengths for piling with cross-cut saws.
Whenever this was the case, you would
see that the Swedish wife had hold of one
end Of the saw, and she did her half of
the work, too.
"Once riding out Of the woods, I met
one OF our Swedish women walking in
with u heavy sack on her back. As she
passed l noticed a commotion inside the
sack.
"What have you got in thcrc?' said 1
I" -Four nics pigs she replied.
"Where did you get them?'
"Down river, two miles beyond Carl
bou.'
1.-TWO miles beyond Caribou was 10
miles from New Sweden. So this good
wife had walked 20 miles; 1G miles out,
and 10 miles home with four pigs on her
back, smiling all the way to think what
nice pigs they were.
Another wife, when her husband was
sick, with her own hands feIled some cedar
trees. sawed them up into butts and rifted
out and shaved these butts into shingles,
one bunch of which she carried three miles
through the woods on her back to barter
at the corner store here for necCssarics for
her husband.
"By such toll was this wilderness set
tied. But that bunch of shingles has be-
come part of the history of Maine. 1t
occupies, today, an honored place in the
Capitol at Augusta and a Maine poetess
has rendered it immortal in her verse. -
Names Swedish colony is situated to-
day ON seven different but adjoining
towns forming thus one compact settle
men, which numbers no less than 1852
Swedes, divided as follows; New Sweden
(town). 7l7;; Woodland, 279 Caribou,
1903; Perham, 10; Westmanland, 100;
Stockholm, 157; No. 16, Range 4, s;
total. 1852. More than 90 times the little
band of pilgrims that entered these woods
25 years ago. An increase OF over $500
per cent
From statistics compiled it appears that
from the date of the settlement of the new
town there have been 102 marriages, 481
births, 40 deaths, including many who
died in other places but Were inferred at
New Sweden. There have been 1880 &C res
Of forest turned into farm land The
colonists have erected CSC buildings, built
II miles of road. Swedish settlers now
own live stock to the value of So, 045. In
1895 the dairy products amounted to $4,000
wool, $500; eggs, 5000; crops in '94, s16l,
$50; total value Of '94's farm products,
sl7s, 80.
1.-The tide of settlement was ebbing
away from these woods, when a wave
from across the Atlantic turred the ebb to
flood. 1t has been flood tide ever since
1.-THE founding of New Sweden in the
backwoods Of Maine called the attention
of our own country, as we'll as Sweden,
to our State its resources and advantages.
The files of the land office show that
in addition to the Swedish Immigration.
American settlers upon our wild lands in
creased in 1871, the first year after the
arrival of the Swedcs, more than 500 per
cent
Mr.. Thomas was given three cheers at
the close. Hon W. W. Thomas, Senior.
was introduced as the grandfather of tn Z.
colony and spoke briefly saying that til,
State was glad to have the Swedes as fit