The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1902-07-26
LIVE WITHOUT LAWS
MAINE FAMILIES WHICH ALSO GET:
ALONG WITHOUT RELIGION OR
MEDICINE !
PRIMITIVE COMMUNITY |
TrF-% OF STRANGE PEOPLE
About Equally Divided Between Montreal
French, and Nova Scotia scotch-oriqi-
naily Took Up Four Full Townships OF
Thirty-six Square Miles Each-story
of the AIIegash.

BANGOR. Me-, July 5.-Among the
Strange sur let, and primitive communities in the
interesting than the settlement of farm
ers and lumbermen that has existed for
ticook stream with the st. John river.
The settlement is in Township XVI,
RRange II owned by the Great Northern
Paper company, but the matter of owner
ship does not seem to worry the settlers
at all-they go on with their farming and
other pursuits just as if they were the
The twelve families are about equally
divided between Montreal French and
Nova Scotia Scotch, and formerly their
OF trouble. Long ago. however, they eff
tected a compromise agreeing to get along
WI y, any religion, and ever since that
mony. with neither priest nor minister
Nearly century ago. as it is told on
the II St: John, a few families from Scot
legash, having a patent from the English
king to hold as much territory as t.ley
{ e2uld inclose within the span of moose
ed end to end: They killed a huge bull
moose and all one winter the women
worked at pairing and stretching the strips
far as possible When the men Went out
on the crust in March to survey the land
to to o Which o they We're entitled by the deed
OF gift the made the shredded moose hide
encompass SO. OGO acres equal to four fun
11%Wnsh lips OF thirty square miles each:
cleared up land for farming
Went Well Until 1910.
All went well until 1910, when Edward
Kent the Wing candidate, was chosen
governor to succeed Reuben Fairchild. the
Dem2cratiG incumbent of the office. hot
the Democrats wishing to redeem the
state in November, called a special session
f OF the - Legislature and organized new
each of which was given the right to vote
IN state and national elections 1t was
hoped that as the inhabitants of the plan
tatlons We're strongly Democratic, their
vote, added to the regular party vote in
the cities and towns. would stem the Wing
f Mae,o ana redeem the state but when the
was found to have cast her vote for Har-
rlson, nearly every Democrat in the AL
legash settlements became Wing "out Of
sp1te,' and those few who refused to do
SO SO were forced to emigrate; Three fami-
lies packed up and moved to Township
SINCE ra Aag ii here they have eyer
under their township form Of government
every. man of voting age is a Democrat
showing that these exiles have remained
Allegash plantation at the last election
every. one of the ffty-three votes was
| cast for, the Republican ticket, which
shows that the great turnover in 1910 is
still in effect.
Allegash has a stage line, postof1ce
and a;;, root and herb doctor as evidences
II, is still in primitive innocence The
nearest doctor, lawyer or clergyman lives
at Fort Kent; sixty-two miles away to the
! northeast. There is no church nor post
office, nor store Of any kind in the town.
ship. A two-acre plot on sunny hillside
serves, as common burying ground for
the villagers, whose graves are surround
ed by strong stump fence. The residents
are all farmers or lumbermen. The
Whoh they sell at high prices sa to i he oaas
| Der operators of the region. For six
months after April and for three months
In midwinte s.I supplies are brought to the
on sleds over the ice. During the other
! three months the place is as inaccessible
| as the back side Of the moon:
the richest man in the village, who owns
g o farm Of 300 acres. Yielding annually
stacks to lumbermen at SIS ton. King
Castleton; as he is called, fixes the amount
that each ehon resident sid It, must pay in money
and roads and to meet general expenses.
He makes the assessments, and his sub
| jects never question his decisions.
French contingent at Township XVI.
does a prosperous business in cutting tim
Der for the Fort Kent mills. Having no
b three daughters to the business and takes
them every winter to the camps, where
each has charge of a crew Of loggers. The
Of snowshoes and the rifle and can ham
die ak or cantdog better than most men.
The company that owns the township
of these squatters, or to their clearing
up farms and using what wood and timber
| they need. It is convenient to have them
against forest fires getting beyond control
and partly to raise crops Of fodder corn
for wood horses, thus saving the heavy
Expense Of sending supplies so far into the