By George WhitneckAugust 17, 1939
One of Caribou’s oldest but less familiar industries is the Caribou Woolen Mill now on Water Street, which was first established at the mouth of the Otter Brook in 1882, and is currently operated by W. Dale Currier. This woolen mill is the only one of its kind north of Pittsfield. It has a long history behind it with such events as the burning of one mill and an award of first prize at the St. Louis Exposition in 1900 for the best domestic yarn exhibited there.
T.T. Crockett came to Caribou from Springfield, ME., in 1882 and built his first mill at Otter Brook. Mr. Crockett had been in the wool business for years and his sons worked with him in the mill.
The first mill was much larger than the present one as ten looms were operated. It employed fifteen girls and four men, where a crew of ten is all that the mill on Water Street can employ and no weaving is done at present.
For many years T.T. Crocket ran this mill with his son, Wilbert, in the business with him. After the death of the elder Crockett it was run by Wilbert Crockett with another brother, Clyant. It is Clyant who has been foreman of the mill this summer, although there have been many years between the time he last worked in the mill and his return here last spring to take charge.
Making wool was once a major local industry.
Then in 1905 the business received a severe setback in the destruction of the mill by fire. It was two years before the mill was rebuilt at its present site on the bank of the Caribou Stream. For a period after that Wilbert Crockett was running it alone, although Clyant was working for him from time to time.
The mill passed to a son of Wilbert Crockett, Dana, following the death of the father, and was run by him until his death in 1934. For many years, especially during the decade of the 1920s, very little wool was produced in Aroostook County and the Caribou Woolen Mill did only a small business.
With the closing of the mill at Madawaska last year, it is expected the Caribou Woolen Mill will do its biggest business in many years.
The operations of the woolen mill in making the yarn begins with a picker and dasher which partially cleans the wool. It is then washed by hand and put through a drier equipped with fans which blow hot air through it.
Then the wool goes through another picker before it is oiled to make the fibers soft and easy to work. Finally another trip to the picker and it goes into the card where it is carded both ways, running through three breakers which pull it off into short fibers. When ready for the mule, it is in what are called rolls. It is these rolls which the 320 spindle mule spins out into yarn. The mule at the Caribou mill is as large as is commonly used in any woolen mills.
A spooler winds the threads from the bobbins onto the spools after which the twister makes two, three or four thread yarn. The yarn at this stage is on a large spool from which it is run off into skeins. The skeiner weighs the yarn so that just a fifth of a pound goes into each skein.
The yarn is ready for market except for one fact — that it is dirty and greasy. The oil must be removed in a scourer for the final wash. If it is to be colored, it goes into the dye vats, then dried and bunched into five pound lots for shipping.
Custom spinning has always been a major part of this mill’s business and most sheep raisers in this area send wool to the Caribou Woolen Mill every year to be made into yarn. This custom spinning is carefully attended to by the management.
