Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-08-21
Aroostook County Will
Observe the Centealda|
Of First Settlement In Eastern
Maine, Made at Aou|ton.
Balloon Ascension, Ball Game and
Other Features on Program.

~ q
Houlton, Me, Aug 2O.-James Hout-
ton of Boston and his family pushed
into the Wilderness of northeastern
Maine 100 years ago this summer ana
settled on what is now the site Of tr.e
town bearing his name. "Wednesday
and Thursday all of Aroostook county
. and much Of eastern Maine will help
+ the municipality celebrate the ccnten-
: NAL anniversary of that event.
The occasion also offers an Oppor-
. tunity to observe Old Home Week and
!, it is expected that hundreds of tn"
sons and daughters will return to JOIN
= in the festivities, for which elaborate
preparations have been made.
At o'clock Wednesday morning the
residents Of the town will be awaken
ed by the ringing of church bells and
The booming Of cannon and after
breakfast, there will be a band con-
cert on the Common. followed by Il
balloon ascension. At 10 o'clock There
p will be a parade, headed by thn fire.
a men. and including an extensive dis
play Of the fine hurscficsh for which
horses ami pony outfits. Various
trades of the town will have Il repre-
sentation.
At | O'Clock brass bands will again
= rcgalc the populacr, and at . o'clock
p. H. Gillen Of bangor will deliver IN
Grafton. after which senator Bccchcr
3 Putnam will make Il short address. IN
hour later Il baseball game between
teams in the hroOstonk County League
will be played, after an Introductory
band concert, and at ) o'clock another
aeronaut will ascend with a balloon
and descend with a parachute. After
supper the bands again VIII be called
into service and ut s O'Clock will s":hc
the closing event OF the day, Il reccp-
ton and ball at Mansur's hall.
Thursday morning a third balloon as
dav from II tNvo-WvckS' visit in Lii, IT \
cert followed at 10 o'clock by an auto
mobile parade ana nj II o'clock by Il
shaw battle hctWcfn two d"tachmcntS
% Company I. of the y. G. s. NJ. At |
O'Clock there viii hr NOR" music, ut . Il
second baseball game. At : the fourth
balloon ascension, NJ additional mu-
sic ana 1T : o'clocI, In" celebration Will
end with Il display "f fireworks.
The committee having in charge tho
81 ,rrvancc consist; Of r.. l.. cleveland
Mcharl NJ. Clark. Ali:crt y. iiurl"iSn
Charles II. j'nGg. simon Friedman
: james Gillin, John =. Madisnn, Charles
j. Merritt. Albert r. Putnam and
+ Frank w Eearce.
I'll" committee has worked zcalouSly
for the success of the celebration, but
the cn,clvur has not been entirely
Cgswllhout difficulties. Tho town app ro-
priatcd $500 for the observance and
y Ave public-spi,ited citizens contributed
s 500 each. total of $1,000. l. was f'li
\ desirable to have Gov. cobb attend tho
exercises. and it is believed he would
have accepted an invitation. but this
would involve also requesting the at
tendance Of members of his #tatt. @nf
Z tne committee came to the conclusion
that such drain on its financial re
\ Sources would result in cutting out thu
& balloon asccnsions.
80 Notwithstanding the limited re
Sources allowed the committee To pro
vide an entertainment for thousand.
the enthusiasm Of the people Of th'
town and its nciSEborS is unh"unI"d
First because II is the first lmp"rt2n
natal celebration ever held in ArooStooi
4 county, and. second. because HoultoI
has developed during the past decad"
and is developing in manner un'N
ceilcG by any other Maine municipality
and Unparalleled by any agricultural
centre in the State.
1t is Tho metropolis Of Aroostoni
county ana has boon identified with tn
wonderful progress Of northeastern
Maine t. q greater extent than any "th
rr of the towns in that section. tnti
the railroads broke into the wilderness
il was. too. practically the only means
10y which the pioneers could ENJOY com
municatinn with the outside world.
When James IIoulton in 1904 journey
cd L. what was known as the salem
land grant. he went by schooner to s.
John. y. t.. and then MP the 81. JONI
river to a point at what is now Wood
stock. ~ r. Here he built Il tcmporlr,
camp and left his wife ana several chill
drcn. striking on to his destination
few miles To the westward with his son
In August he was Joined 10y his VIII
and the rrmaindcr Of his family. tn
party hring pilutcd Ivy a friendly pic
nr"r. Who settled rear IN. In tn" IA!
Mr. Ilnulton had 4 house CONSTRUCTED
on what was known rs tho Cook land
ana the following spring other settler
took M rcsiherc" III that vicinity. $
that the second year there was quit"
Furnishing community Of workers de
termincd to wrcSt 4 living from III
Wilderness They mot with an CNcellCn
degree Of success during the next fcv
years AMI in 1926 the population WhiC'
was sufficiently large to warrant tn
organization Of q plantation. which wa
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