Compiled By Barbara Scott
Staff Writer
100 Years Ago: Dec. 8, 1910
• It is reported that there are 24-25 inches of snow in the woods.
• George V. Brown, Master of the Caribou Grange, has been appointed as chairman of the agricultural committee of the Maine State Grand Lodge.
• The house, barn and farm machinery of Felix St. Peter were burned Sunday forenoon, Nov. 20. The loss is estimated at about $4,000.
• The first few days of this week have given us some genuine winter weather. Monday was the coldest day, the mercury registering six degrees below zero in the morning. A fairly strong wind prevailed throughout the day and the thermometer indicated about 10 above.
• Potatoes still remain at 90 cents per barrel.
75 Years Ago: Dec. 5, 1935
• Mr. Simmons’ Caribou High School band will play for an audience of 800 farmers who are meeting to discuss the Warren Potato Bill.
• Home room 103 at the high school has acquired a new set of maps which will be used by the U.S. history classes. Each week a Room Improvement Committee is appointed by the Home Room President, Annalda Cote. This committee looks after such details as washing the boards and dusting.
• Adolphus Brewer, of Perham, who has reached the advanced age of nearly 91 years, was able to ride out over some six miles and take dinner with the family at the home of his son, Claude Butterfield, on Thanksgiving Day.
• Richard W. Sullivan, Harvard sophomore, CHS class of 1933, has been chosen to represent Harvard College in a debate with Columbia University this Thursday evening in New York.
• Postmaster Floyd Smith tells the Republican that he expects business at the local post office this Christmas season to be much larger than for several years. Extra help is already lined up and those who assist this year are Glen Vincent, George Derrah, Burnham Belyea and Payson Snow. Mr. Smith commented upon the fact that last year the roads were open to allow the carrying of mail by automobile up to Dec. 27 and he is hoping that the same conditions will obtain this year as the work of delivery will be very much hastened if this is so.
50 Years Ago: Dec. 8, 1960
• The Caribou Board of Trade is geared for one of its most active Christmas programs, Will Bell, president, reported today. Keynote of the pre-Christmas days will be “shop at home,” he said and added that local merchants have gone all out to stock their stores with complete lines of gift items in an effort to keep Caribou dollars in Caribou. Starting next Monday night, all retailers will be open every night until and including Friday, Dec. 23. Christmas music is being arranged for the business section and additional Yule decorations are in the planning stage.
• Kenneth L. Irving, a Caribou dairy farmer, was elected president of the Northern Maine Fair Association at a meeting of association trustees at Presque Isle this week.
• Mr. and Mrs. William Madigan and daughters, Susan, Mary, Doris and Patricia; Mr. and Mrs. N.P. LeVasseur and Miss Louise LeVasseur, all dined together at Green Acres on the holiday.
• It has been announced by the Caribou Jaycees that they will sponsor a Christmas Lighting Contest this year. Committee chairman Olin Hemphill indicated that there would not be any particular theme for decorating homes. The accent will be on beauty and originality. Residents of Caribou are urged to decorate their homes, as this will add to the spirit of Christmas, not only for local people, but for outsiders who visit the community.
• The Prestile Terrace Motel in Caribou received recognition in the 1961 edition of the Duncan Hines Travel Book, “Adventure in Good Eating.” The Prestile is one of 4,500 eating places in North America recommended by Duncan Hines.
