Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-07-17

wick. The road follows the river close.
ly and along the river bank on ths
American side, through the little
French American settlement
Just across the stretch of water is
the English village of St. Leonard
connected with Van Buren, by ferr,
a short distance from Van Buren, we
come to the church of st. Joseph and
ST Anthelin. a little house of Worship
4 erected in 1887. One sees on every hand
the same signs of prosperity and thrift
that is Characteristic OF a good farm
ing community. Comfortable dwellings
and well-kept farm buildings with
many acres under good steady cult
walton.
The party WIS fortunate in having
for a driver the clcvercst Frenchman
or half breed that ever drove for a
Iarty Of tourists in this country His
bright sal,ias of wit and clever remarks
were the source of much pleasure to
the part.
lie Informed us he was part In
jun, part Frenchman, "Dennic Bessie"
by name. l. years old. born at Little
Falls. and if George w Gable. whose
! power of vocal Interpretation of the
I Southern darkey and pickaninny that
has made him so famous. and Mrs
| DromCoolc. who has given to the
! American public some of the most de-
| liehrful character sketches we have.
could have seen our half-breed they
would have found in him fortune.
/ The party arr iyed at Grand Falls. the
| Niagara Of the lower Provinces. a
small village on the Canadian frontier
/ in the afternoon. The falls. some miles
in l"nSth. are magnificent. the upper
( fails being the largest with a width of
some 80 Or 60 feet and an abrupt drop
OF 80 feet or more, throwing the spray
in clouds like vapor over the suspen-
sion bridge some distance below.
| Farther down the river the IA lis mar
, row To about Is feet and one can stand
at the waters edge and look up the
s,de Of the rocky gorge some 80 feet.
The formation is a peculiar flint rock
with surface like cubes.
There is some talk that the Canadian
government viii take this entire tract
and turn it into a Provincial park. \
new hotel is being built near the fails
To- hc finished this month to accommo-
date the tourists who are attracted to
Grand Falls and the Canadian water
way.
Having finished our tour Of inspcc-
ton and sightseeing, the party, otter
resting. returned to Van Buren, by
moonlight where the night was spent.
At O'Clock the following morning.
"" commenced the ho,ncward journey.
Stops were made at Caribou. where
We had Il chance to meet the people
ana test their hospitality. At presque
Isle we fingered long enough ~ soc the
town and meet som" Of the people.
At Houlton. the shire town of Arons-
took the party tarricd some hours.
long enough to hear all the good things
being said about the Il. & A., and the
improvements about TO be inaugurated.
The party looked up some old friends
here who made their stay pleasant.
and, in the cool of the evening. made
the run down to Millinockct, the boom
town of Pcnobscot county. whore Mine
Host Randall. formerly of Augusta.
| and his wife bade us welcome to the
Great Northern hotel and its pleasant
| environments.
This is a Western town transplantcd
| on Maine soil The Great Northern
| Co is doing wonders for the town. me
paper and pulp mill employs some 900
| people and turns out $50 tons OF nm
| ished product and 80 tons of pulp, ev-
ery 10 hours. 1t is n beehive of in
dustry and an idle mans curiosity.
| New roads are being built. new streets
ara being laid out and houses are
springing up like magic The hotel IS
first class in all its appointments and
the party found rest and sleep under
its gable roof.
/ At 1880 the following day, we reluc-
| family turned our faces hOmeward, ar
irving at $50. well satisfied that we
had seen Aroostook county in all It's
| beauty.
In this brief sketch of the northern
| country very little mention has been
made Of the fishing and hunting along
the line of this great railroad system
| the only railroad running into Amer
| ira's greatest game region. There are
| nearly $1,000 square miles OF hunting
and fishing country in northern Maine.
opancd up to sportsmen by this road
and connections. and more thah lo'ooo
sportsmen annually visit Names great
game preserves. Through vestibuie
trains with Pullman buffet cars at
tached land the sportsman or tourist
in the heart of the wilderness. In 1888
there were shipped from stations on
the line of this road 1913 deer ana -io
moose.