115 Years Ago-July 20, 1898
• Work laying rails on the Van Buren extension of the B & A commenced Monday.
• The cool wave now prevailing will prevent potatoes from rusting and is, consequently, of great value to Aroostook.
100 Years Ago-July16, 1914
• Trade-in: horses for automobile — The advertisement from Hopkins Bros. of Fort Fairfield reads: “We will trade you an automobile and take your driving team. Write or telephone us. Draft horses and driving horses on hand. A good assortment.”
• Fox farming — A new industry seems to be taking root in Aroostook — that of raising foxes. Perley Merithew of Caribou is the first so far as known to make a start at this enterprise. A new farm is about to be started near Fort Fairfield on land belonging to William W. Boyer. Elbridge Merithew, one of Fort Fairfield’s well known businessmen, will furnish the animals. He is the brother of Perley Merithew.
75 Years Ago-July 20, 1939
• Governor dedicates Nylander Museum — Dedication exercises for the Nylander Museum will be held Thursday, July 27, when Governor Lewis O. Barrows will give the dedicatory address.
• Snow drift in July — Road Commissioner Russell Getchell stopped at The Republican office Wednesday morning to show several large chunks of snow he had loaded in the back of his delivery truck and obtained at the gravel pit on the Limestone Road.
50 Years Ago-July 16, 1964
• Flowers for Sweden Street — The Chamber of Commerce plans to further beautify the downtown business district by suspending giant flower pots from brackets on utility poles, with $250 earmarked for this purpose. Real flowers will be used this year, and if they fail to stand up under weather and other conditions, the artificial variety will be used next summer.
• Bypass progress underway — Howard, Needles, Tammen and Berendorf, consulting engineers of New York, have men laying out the route of the six-mile-plus Caribou bypass. The State Highway Commission expects to have traffic flowing on the Van Buren Road-Limestone Street section of the artery by the fall of next year.
25 Years Ago-July 19, 1989
• A Caribou Balloon Festival — The advertisement lists: Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, at Spruce Haven, Caribou on July 21, 22 and 23; balloon ascensions each day; admission for the three days, including parking is $3; sponsored by The Aroostook Association of Chambers of Commerce.
• Bald Mountain mine purchase — A Swedish mining company is currently making plans to purchase Aroostook County’s Bald Mountain mining project located about 12 miles west of Portage Lake. Officials at Chevron Resources Co. of Portland and Boliden International Mining, a member of the Swedish Trellenborg group, announced that a preliminary agreement has been reached.
