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History of the Region

Acadians and the St. John Valley
If you have read Longfellow's "Evangeline" and you have wanted to know more about the story… experience her culture and people first hand here in the St. John River Valley. Read More >>

Houlton Pioneer Days
Houlton, first settled in 1807 by John Putnam and Joseph Houlton, was the chosen place along the Meduxnikeag River to establish a new school of higher education. Putnam and Houlton first set off in 1801 from Boston for Bangor and then to areas of the state yet uncharted in search for land. Read More >>

Micmac Indians
The Micmac Indians were among the first native North Americans encountered by European explorers to the New World. Their initial contact with Europeans in the early years of the 16th century gradually changed their way of life forever. Read More >>

The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians (HBMI)
The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians (HBMI) is a small band of the larger Maliseet Nation, a Native American Indian tribe of North America. The aboriginal ancestors of the 590 present (1996) Band members traditionally lived and hunted off the land in the Saint John Valley watershed and throughout Aroostook County. Read More >>

Swedish Colony
You think you know about the US Civil War? Did you know that Abraham Lincoln and Civil War General Joshua Chamberlain were responsible for the Swedish settlement in Aroostook County? Read More >>

Aroostook "Bloodless" War
Although the "Aroostook Bloodless War" resulted in a treaty that was signed between the United State and England with no military action other than some serious posturing, at the time it was dead serious. Read More >>

National Defense
Throughout the Crown of Maine's history the United States military has played a significant role in the development of this region, starting with the opening of Hancock Barracks in Houlton in 1831 to help resolve the northern border dispute. Read More >>

The Maine Potato
The potato is northern Maine's primary agricultural product and in the 1940's Maine's potato production was tops in the nation. By 1994 however, Maine had fallen to the eighth ranked potato producer and the seventh in the number of acres devoted to potato cultivation in the United States. Read More >>