CARIBOU, Maine — In the late 1820s, Alexander Cochran built a gristmill on the Caribou Stream — but it wasn’t called the Caribou stream at the time.
It was, however, the stream where Cochran’s son shot a caribou, thereby granting the waterway its new moniker of “Caribou Stream.” The mill was located on Caribou’s very first road, which is now Water Street.
To commemorate the hunt that gave way to the city’s name, and the signage to commemorate Cochran’s mill that gave the city its roots, city and chamber officials teamed up during Caribou Heritage Day on Sept. 27 to unveil signage signifying Cochran’s historical significance to the city.
Caribou Heritage Day manifested itself with a car show and vendors at the downtown mall, a sign ceremony for Alexander Cochran on Water Street, and live music followed by the fireworks at the Caribou High School.
Sherry Tracy, of Caribou, is related to the late Alexander Cochran and lives in the original homestead of Cochran’s son. Having lived in different parts of the country since graduating the Caribou High School, Caribou has a special place in her heart.
“It’s home — especially now that I know my heritage, it means a lot more to me,” Tracy said on Saturday afternoon. “It’s very homegrown, you don’t have to worry about crime, it’s beautiful, people are friendly and they’re very down-to-Earth.”
As Tracy has spent her own time researching the family lineage, she found that she learned more about who Alexander Cochran was as a person.
“I think he was kind of a wanderlust person; he didn’t put too much value in things,” she explained.
Fellow history buff and friend of Tracy, Joan Theriault, had a big smile as she stated her opinion of who Alexander Cochran was as a person.
“He acquired stuff and gave it away,” she said warmly. “He was not a sentimental person.”
While Caribou Heritage Day celebrated the historical significance of Alexander Cochran, the celebration itself was a nod to the community closeness of yesteryear.
“This reminds me of, as a kid, I couldn’t wait until Friday nights because that was the night you went to town, got your groceries, walked up and down the street and went to Newberry’s (a small department store),” Tracy outlined during the Saturday afternoon festivities at the downtown mall.
With a car show, a band and local vendors, the mall was abuzz with event participants, like Meril and Mona St-Onge, from Saint-Jacques, New Brunswick.
Meril said he’s only been to Caribou a handful of times, but he loves it.
“I love Maine, I love the street — the activity and the people,” he described. “I like to go to car shows every once and a while, and today and tomorrow are probably our last days to really enjoy the weather and a car show.”
While the St-Onge’s planned their trip in advance, Connor resident Elmer Gunnerson attended the Caribou Heritage Day on a whim after he got tired of working in his shop, where he repairs classic cars.
Originally from Stockholm, Gunnerson graduated from Caribou High School and has a lot of local pride.
“You go from here to any city, any state and say you’re from northern Maine — you’re hired on the spot because they know northern Maine people have good ethics about working,” Gunnerson said.
Being knowledgeable about antique cars, Gunnerson estimated that one vehicle quintessential to Caribou’s history would probably be the Model T or a Model A — types of old cars that you see a fair number of today around the area.
Car show participant John Trask of Easton didn’t drive a Ford — he had a 1968 GM Pontiac GTO — but he was still full of Aroostook County pride during Caribou’s Heritage Day.
“I like the history, especially the older history of the early settlers, back when they didn’t know where the borders were and they had to build forts to defend the area,” Trask said, standing in front of his car.
Though Trask enjoys history, it was the folks of the area that drew him to Saturday’s events.
“It was a chance to meet everybody, talk to everybody and renew old friendships,” he said with a smile. One of his oldest friends could very well have been that 1968 Pontiac; he bought it brand new and it’s been with him ever since.
