1916: New telephone wire installed underground

115 Years Ago – Jan. 9, 1901

     Cold wave — A cold wave arrived Wednesday night and this Thursday morning, it was 12 degrees below zero.

     Handsome shells — Olof O. Nylander received Tuesday from D. Thaanum of Hilo, Hawaii, a lot of choice and handsome land and marine shells from that far-off place. They were given in exchange for Aroostook shells and fossils.

100 Years Ago – Jan. 12, 1916

     First game — The first basketball game of the Northern Aroostook Basketball League, composed of the schools of the towns of Caribou, Presque Isle and Fort Fairfield, will be played in Caribou at the opera house on Friday night, Jan. 14, when Presque Isle and Caribou high school teams will play.

     New telephone wires — The telephone company has had a crew of men at work for a couple of weeks now putting the telephone wires underground in the village. It is expected the job will require several weeks longer.

75 Years Ago – Jan. 9, 1941

     Nine leaving — Nine young men from the Aroostook No. 2 Selective Service office with headquarters in Caribou, left this morning for Portland, where they will be inducted for a year of military training. Of the nine selected, six were from Caribou and one each from Mapleton, East Limestone and Ashland.

     Popular couple — A wedding of two popular Caribou people occurred when Miss Alice Disy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Tony Disy, Caribou, became the bride of Dr. Sylvio T. Cyr, also of Caribou, at the Holy Rosary Church Monday morning with the Rev. Fr. Joseph Allard performing the ceremony.

50 Years Ago – Jan. 12, 1966

     Good year — At the annual meeting of the Aroostook Trust Company at the Hotel Caribou Monday, president S.W. Collins reported that 1965 had been the “most profitable year in the history of the bank.” This was due primarily, he said, to the “best potato year in the recent history of Aroostook County.”

     Jamboree time — A huge Aroostook County Square Dance Jamboree will be held in Caribou on Saturday, Oct. 29, it was announced today. Several hundred dancers and spectators will converge on the town from all over the state. It is expected, also, that square dance enthusiasts will come from other parts of New England. Three auditoriums will be used for the jamboree.

25 Years Ago – Jan. 9, 1991

     Kieffer elected — The Caribou City Council elected R. Leo Kieffer mayor and Galen Rockwell as deputy mayor during its organizational meeting Monday night, Jan 7. The council re-elected Sylvia Akeley as secretary. Kieffer received five votes as outgoing mayor Verne McKenney received one vote in the balloting.

     Gas war — The Citgo station on Bennett Drive in Caribou in front of Millers Department Store allegedly initiated a short-lived “gas war” over the weekend that eventually spread to the Bangor-Brewer market. The independent operator dropped prices as low as $1.24. The station ran out of fuel on Sunday and has not reopened.