The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-14
AN AMERICAN SWEDEN.
THE MOST FAMOUS COLONY EVER
PLANTED IN THIS COUNTRY.


Settlement Has Grown From ~
TO ZOO in Numbers-They Are the
Greatest Potato Raisers in the
MorId-The COIOny's One Tragedy.
scenes in Days Drive Among the
Farms.
Caribou. Me. Nov u.-"From here on
its all Sweden"
The driver indicated by a sweep Of his
arm all the farms to be seen ahead Of
us From Caribou it was eight miles over
a road as smooth and hard as asphalt
and now we were on the edge OF New
Sweden, the most iourishing colony ever
planted on American soil. A King foster
ed il. Because of it, its protector was
subsequently, made minister to Sweden by
our government, and its remarkable sue
cess is recognized by the social economists
of two hemispheres.
From the lower waters of the Penob-
scot it is a weary climb of 200 miles on
the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad,
through the great pine woods of Central
and Northern Maine to the uplands Of
Aroostook county. The train carries you
through the home of the deer, past the
runways of the Moose and Caribou, by
lakes and trout streams, always up hill;
by the doors of hunting camps, sports
mems hotels bare and most attractive
~ desolate, and around the foothills of
hoary old Katahdin, whose peak may be
seen in shadowy outline through riffs in
the forest. Then when least expected, the
primeval woods give place to man-made
groves of second growth, orchards and
plowed fields. Instead of log camps farm
houses come into view. The railway sta
ton, water tank and solitary tavern de-
velop into villages with railroad, avenues
and Main street, and at length the tourist
steps from the car at Caribou-the gar
den spot of the great Northeast.
Founding the Colony.
Hon. William Wigerly Thomas, ex-min-
lister to Sweden, founded New Sweden in
1870. He had been appointed a war con-
sui to that country in 1868, and then the
idea of bringing the hardy and frugal
Norseman to Maine occurred to him. He
aroused the interest of both the Swedish
and the Maine state authorities, and aft
er some years of delay, he secured a grant
of 100 acres of land in Aroostook county
TO the 0GdQ OIL GdcH IdnliiNs anu dlu unLll
his first crop could be harvested. Mr..
Thomas was also appointed commissioner
of immigration by the state of Maine, and
had personal charge of the colony until,
in 1873, the settlers voluntarily relinquish-
ed state aid.
On June %, 1870 under his guidance,
fifty-one Swedes sailed from Cothenberg
to America. The colony was composed OF
twenty-five men, eleven women and eigh-
ers, and many of them were also skilled
in other trades and professions. Among
them was a lay pastor, a blacksmith, a
civil engineer two carpenters, a basket
maker, a wheelwright, a baker, a tailor
and a maker of wooden shoes. Il was
sturdy, stalwart party of picked appli-
cants. There was not a physical blemish
on one of them, and no one had been ac-
cepted whose character had not been prop
erly vouched for. They came from nearly
every province In Sweden and were pro-
vided with money enough TO pay their
passages to their new home. After an
uneventful journey, the immigrants
reached the borders of Maine on July %.
As they crossed the line from New Bruins
wick, the American flag was unfurled and
the party was greeted by a salute of can
non by the citizens of Fort Fairfield.
Began Work the Next Day.
The day after reaching their destination
the Swedes began converting the wilder
ness into homes. To put them in the way
of earning their living by their own labor
MIR. Thomas set them to work Telling trees
cutting out roads and building houses, pay
ing them one dollar day in provisions and
tools from the state fund provided for that
purpose. At the close of the year, through
births and additional immigration the col
en- miles of road had been cut, 26 dwellings
built and about 300 acres of land cleared
and partly sowed in grain. A number of
the dwellings were erected by the state
and were paid for in labor
These buildings were of peeled
logs, and contained three rooms
each. They were also furnished with cook
ing stoves. The same year a public build
ing, called to this day THE Capitol" was
erected wherein all public functions not
given in the various churches are held.
1t was hard work, but every one aided
In the fields the men and women worked
side by side, and the potato field was the
playground of the youngsters. They rose
with the sun and went to bed at dusk.
Founder Thomas is fond of relating the
following incident showing the indefatig-
able industry of these pioneers.
II met once" he says "a Swede woman
6foot, carrying on her back a. bullying sack.
What have you got in there?" / ask
ed
" -Four nice pigs
+" Where did you get Them?
" Two miles below Caribou
THAT made twenty miles walk, and the
good wife was smiling TO herself to think
what nice pigs they were.
Results of "A Years Toll.
That is the way they worked and that
is also the way they work even to this
day. So hard have they labored and so sue
cussful have they been that to-day there
are more than LOO Swedes in the colony,
which now extends over seven townships
They have more than 700 buildings and sc
miles of turnpike roads. They own about
$50 900 worth of live stock, and in 1894 their
farm products were valued at $l73, 100 That
same year the total value of buildings
clearings, tools, stock, factories, mills
and farm and mill products reached near.
ly 600. When one considers that a quar-.
ter of a century ago this territory did not
produce a dollar, these figures are elO-
quent. To-day there are upward of 4,O0C
Swedes in Maine, who are the direct re.