Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-01-08
W'ashin9ton Standard
4 QUEER COMMUNITY.
STRANGE LOT OF PEOPLE IN A
SMALL MAINE TOWN.
They Are Happy and Prosperous
Without schools. Law. Theology.
Medicine Taxes The only
Place Oh Its I\iud Oh Earth.

II the world could learn facts worth
studying by going to Norcross. The
settlements Of EskimOS on the coast
ui Greenland have their old men, the
tribes al Africa have their chiefs, and
even penal colonies recognize the au-
thurtv Of firearms and the lash. Here
the law-aloidin" people feel hut one
powcr-thc hurrying, u,i-ylnpathctic
care, Which bring everything that
comes to their homes and take away
everything that goes ont.
The distance from MilnOckct bridge,
which crosses the West branch east
of there. to Perkins Siding, which is
three miles west, Is five miles as the
railroad runs or the crows flies. At
and between these two points are five
settlements of new log and board struc-
lures, comprising about 40 buildings
in all. OF these one is a railroad sta
ton, one is Il small store, two are
small hotels, one is a sawmill, six are
good-sizcd sporting camps, eight arc
frame houses with shingles and clap
boards on them, and the rest are prim
tive log cabins with splits for roofing,
spotted poles for floors and boIghs for
Lcdding. One-half of the male inhab-
itants are either guides or lumbermen,
partly both, one-quartcr are mill hands
who saw spool bars and bowels at Per-
kin's Siding, and the remainder are
section hands and other employees who
work for the Bangor & ArOostook rail-
road. Though no census was ever
taken of the place there are about 200
people who live there the year round.
Among them are some % women and
nearly 40 children. This is when the
population is at low ebb. In July
when the West Branch drive comes
down the population swells to 400 or
500, and after open season for big
game begins it often reaches 1000
souls, besides Indians.
Having grown without government
tai restraint from one log camp to its
present proportions inside of three
years, Norcross has made itself the
most anomalous, community on earth.
1t is not town. 1t is not even a
plantation. On the old survey maps
it is named Indian township, No. 3,
so called by the surveyors to distin-
guish it from Indian townships Nos. l
and 2. The name of NOrcross signifies
nothing. 1t was so called in order to
locate station for railroad and a
pOstOflice for the hunters.
Though property that cost $1,000
is here and visible, the assessor and
tax collector never visit the place.
The children are born and grow up
without seeing the inside or the out
side of schoolhouse. There are not
two rods of bicycle and not 20 rods of
cart roads in the whole township. As
the nearest clergyman, lawyer and
doctor are from 80 to so miles away the
people get along very we'll without
them. When a couple want to get
married they take their bridal tour in
hunting up a minister and coming
home again. If person is sick he is
sent out to a doctor, because no physi-
clan can be coaxed to come and see
him; and, in case he dies, the body
must be transported more than 80
miles before it can rest in Christian
burying ground. There is no drug
store, no dance hall, and no barroom
or other place where liquor is sold in
the township. If two or more men
have dispute which leads to free
fight, the non-combatants stand by to
see fair play, without attempting to
interfere. In case the defeated party
feels himself wronged and wants to
take the matter into court, he cannot
afford to do so, because he would have
70 travel nearly all day by rail before
oe could find magistrate. Even the
game wardens who arrest men for kill
ing deer spend more money in taking
their prisoners to court than the fines
amount to when a conviction is Sc
cured. Once in its history, when a
murder was committed near here, a
Sheriff from Dover spent q week reach
ing here and getting back home. The
chances are it would take something
bigger than murder to take him
there again.
The person who reads this descrip-
ton of Norcross and thinks the inhab-
itants are degraded or immoral will
make great mistake. A mail four
times a day brings letters and papers
from everywhere. An enterprising
and considerate railroad carries away
all the people have to sell, and brings
in all they buy. Divine Providence
does the rest. The men are industri-
Gus and moral. The women are model
wives and excellent cooks. The child
rem are bright and well dressed. If
Norcross were formed into planta-
ton or incorporated as a town, the
residents would have to pay municipal,
county and State taxes. Now they
pay no taxes, they do not vote, and
every man is as good rs his neighbor.
The place is fairer than Utopia, and
sweeter than the dream Of nihilist.
1t has no counterpart on earth.
MRS. Wickwire-" The idea! There
is story in the paper about a woman
suing for $4,000 for the loss of only