Recollections

[Al B]

The following rememberance was written by Louis A. Cyr, age 84, of Madawaska, Maine.  He writes of his experiences and sends them to his family as emails.  I am not of his family, but do enjoy the privilege of reading them.

He has given his permission for me to post this one about "Firewood".  Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did.


Hi everyone,
>>      It is now getting to the point, that I have nothing of interest to
>>write about.  So I am going back in history and find something that most
>>of you don't know too much about, except maybe Paul, Greg and Mike.  I'm
>>not sure about Mark and maybe Ralph.
>>       Once a year my father and my Uncle Luc Hebert would join forces and
>>cut the fire wood needed for the  two farms.  My uncle had a big shed,
>>that we would fill up every year.  All split, piled and ready to burn.We
>>also had a big shed that we had to fill up.  My father would furnish
>>himself, our hired hand and me.  I was about 9 or 10 years old, old enough
>>to drive the horse used to twitch the trees to a yard where the trees were
>>piled up, prior to sawing them up into firewood length.  My unce had 4
>>boys, Claude, norman, Guy and Edgar. Edgar and I were the drivers for the
>>two horses needed.
>>      The senario would go something like this. Everything was cut with an
>>axe.  No chainsaws in those days.  So the first thing to do, was to
>>sharpen all the axes.  A whole days work.  We had a round cement wheel,
>>about 20 inches in diameter, mounted on a bench, a handle on the wheel
>>that someone had to turn, and someone who knew how, would hold the axe on
>>the  cement wheel.  Then we needed chains,  and the  necessary harneses
>>for the horses.  Edgar and I would ride the horses horseback.  It was
>>safer than walking,where we could get hit by the trees.  We did that for
>>many years and Edgar and I never got hurt.
>>        When the big day came, usually in the early fall we would get up
>>very early,, get on a wagon with all the necessary supplies , and head for
>>the woods. Felling trees with an axe is an art, and it takes a while to be
>>good at it. We would have what wa.s known as the yard keeper.  He would
>>clear a place near a road,and pile all the incoming trees in a pile, prior
>>to cutting each tree into firewood that would go into a stove.  Usually 16
>>inches in length.  This this was done with a rotary saw  driven by a paf
>>paf type ,one lunger which did the job quite well.
>>        This operation needed one man to  chop all the small branches off
>>the tree, two men to lift the tree onto the saw and the boss who would
>>actually push the tree into the high speed saw, at the right length. Many
>>people have been hurt doing this type of work, but we were very lucky, no
>>one ever got hurt.
>>         Now we go back in the woods where a  two or three men would fell
>>the trees.  Since it was all hand work, you can understand that we did not
>>cut big trees.  Just big enough so we could handle them.  The horse would
>>back up to two or three trees, chained together and the horse and rider
>>would proceed to the yard.  The yard keeper would unchain the trees,  and
>>the horse and rider would go back to get another twitch.  We would keep
>>this up until noon, when we would stop, build a fire, cook beens and
>>hotdogs, make coffee and tea (no soft drinks, probably couldn't afford
>>them), rest for 45 minutes and continue until nightfall.  This type of
>>  operation would usually fill up one shed.  Another weekend we would do
>>our thing again for the other shed.  Very hard work.
>>         Now the wood had to be hauled to the sheds, and be split, and
>>piled so it would dry,  You do not burn green wood.  All the wood was
>>hauled with trucks owned by my uncle Luke.  I guess he was well off,
>>because he had lot of equipment.  We did the above for many years and I
>>don't ever remember running out of wood.  For both heat and cooking.
>>       Today' most of you guys are lucky.  You want to cook, you turn on a
>>switch, you want heat, you turn up the thermostat.  You can even make it
>>cold if you want to.  Enough on wood, see you next time.  If you like
>>these let me know and maybe I'll write more.   Best Personal regards,
>>          Louis, Mon Oncle Peewee and Dad
>

[leweee]

Can never get too many of them oldtimer stories 8) 8) 8)

[Rockn H]

I could listen about the old days forever.  By all means, keep'em coming. ;D

[moosehunter]

 smiley_clapping
More, More !!!

[asy]

Hey Al,

Please pass our great thanks on to Louis. I felt very privelleged to be allowed to read this.

Please ask him whether we might be allowed to read a few more. They are fascinating. You could start a thread "Louis' ramblings" and post one every now and again...

The other thing is, is someone amassing all these into a book? If he's been writing heaps of letters, maybe someone in his family could collate them all and print them. I'll be first in line for a copy.

Thanks again.

asy :D

[Al B]

asy,

I have relayed a link to him, so he can read the comments and enjoy them.  I

I'm working on getting more posted.  Thought I'd do one a week, maybe.

[Al B]

   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following rememberance was written by Louis A. Cyr, age 84, of Madawaska, Maine.  He writes of his experiences and sends them to his family as emails.


>Hi everyone,                            April 7, 2002
>     The last time I wrote I was 9 or 10 years old.  This time I'm a little
>older.  I am 26 years old, got married, and decided to build a house.  So I
>bought a lot on School Street. and got started.
>     As you know I owned a big farm on Gagnon Road, lots of trees, so I
>decided to cut the framework there and save a few bucks.   I had already
>decided to buy all the boards from Fraser Paper where I worked.  Kiln dried
>boards, tongue and grooved cost at Fraser's, #50 per thousand board feet. 
>I could not do any better than that.  I gave my order to Fraser's, and will
>be told to pick it up when ready.  Their mill was in Cabano, Quebec about
>50 miles from Madawaska.
>     My father was in good shape at that time and he said he would help me 
>cut the trees, yard them up and haul them to a sawmill to make 2 x 4's,
>6x6,s, 2 x 8's, 2 x 10's and so forth.  The house would be 26 x 30 feet,
>would contain 4 bedrooms,  complete bathroom, upstairs, kitchen, dining
>room, living room, one half bath, and washroom, downstairs..  And a
>complete cellar.
>     The trees would be cut down with a two man saw about six feet long,
>very sharp, and when you know how to use it, does a very fast job of
>cutting.  Sharpening was very important and my father was an expert at
>that.
>     We used two horses, used as a team, provided by my uncle Luc,  that we
>hitched to a scoot.   A scoot is like a small winter sled, two wood runners
>very strong, with a way to hitch up the horses for towing. The front part
>of the tree would be chained to the scoot, and the rest of the tree would
>drag on the ground. All the trees that we cut were very big, some over two
>feet in diameter, and some bigger. We would normally put or chained two or
>three on the scoot, then I would drive the team to the yard, where I would
>roll them on skids, and make a pile ready for hauling to the sawmill.  Some
>were so big so that we could only haul one tree at a time. We probably cut
>most of the big trees that were on the farm at that time.  Not many big
>trees left.
>     Since we were both working full time at Fraser's, it took us many
>week- ends and days to get all the trees cut, and all very hard work.  At
>that time we did not have any chainsaws.  One was purchased a few years
>later. It was a Homelight and very heavy.
>
>     All the time that I was twitching the trees to the yard, I kept a
>small notebook, and kept track of the pieces we needed to frame the house.
>Finally, when we felt that we had enough logs for all the framing, we hired
>two men and a truck and on to the sawmill.  The sawmill was about ten miles
>from the farm, and was owned by Alphy Levesque.  He did all the sawing,
>then we hauled the lumber to my lot in Madawaska, Where it was neatly piled
>where it would dry and remain straight.
>     Since construction would only begin in the spring, we also hauled all
>the boards from Fraser's, piled them on the lot and waited for spring.
>               By Louis, Granpa and Peewee (all same person)

[asy]

Hiya Al,

Thanks again!!

I just love reading these, not sure if one a week is enough ;)

Thanks also to Mr Cyr for allowing us the great privellege of sharing his stories. It is truly appreciated.

asy :D

[tnlogger]

Al thanks i'm realy enjoying this   8)
Mr.Cyr thanks. a good friend of mine now passed on was in the Madawaska area back in the early
1900s his name was adam Galuza i rember sitting hrs on end listening to his stories on logging, wine making, and living.  He was the one that made a map of the Appalachian Trail.

[moosehunter]

Mr Cyr,
Thanks for the stories, they are much appreciated. Kind of humbling to think of how our elders did by hand what we do with machines.
I have been to Madawaska a few times, a friend has a camp on Mud lake(Sinclair) and that is where I go Moosehunting when lucky enough to get drawn. Wonderfull country.
Moosehunter

[Norm]

Mr Cyr,

Thanks for allowing us to read your remembrances.

Thanks Al for posting them here.

[Al B]

The following rememberance was written by Louis A. Cyr, age 84, of Madawaska, Maine.  He writes of his experiences and sends them to his family as emails.

                                                         HEATING WITH WOOD
                                                                  By Louis A Cyr      84 years old     May 1st, 2005
   During the late 70's and the early 80's the US had an oil crunch and the oil prices went sky high,  which prompted  many oil users to go back to heating with wood.   Since I owned a large farm, with over 100 acres of woodland I decided to heat with wood for a few years, or until the oil prices stabilized.   I also thought that if I did most of the work I could save a pot of money.  I would have to do many things before I actually went in the woods to cut my first tree.   
   I had installed a nice fireplace when I built the house I live in.  So I looked into the possibility of putting the stove in the living room and stove pipe into the fireplace.  I had a piece of steel cut to the right size, and installed it in place of the fire screen, with a hole for the smoke pipe.
   With this done, I next had to purchase a stove.  All kinds in the market, and all at that time very expensive.  We ended up with a Nashua, a nice air tight  stove, and  it weighed about 400 pounds.  With this done I had to get ready  to  go in the woods and cut about 7 cords of hardwood, which is what I would need to heat  for one year.
   Since I already owned a farm, I had most of the tools needed to cut wood.  I owned a farm tractor, a couple of chain saws, a farm trailer capable of hauling 2 cords of wood., and a few other tools needed, such as axes, chains, peveys etc.
   I retired in 1980, so I could do the cutting at my leisure.  A usual day would go like this.  I would start around 7 AM, drive to the woods with the tractor and trailer, chop down the trees, limb them, twitch them to the parked trailer , cut them up in 16 inch lengths, and load them on the trailer.  Usually by noon the trailer was full with about one and a half cords of wood.  I would then drive back to the old farm house, and probably wait until the next day to split and stack the wood to dry.  Believe me, all this is very hard work. The Arthritis in my arms and legs did not help. The trees I cut were all hardwood.  Mostly yellow Birch, a few white  birch, Maples and white ash. The fact that years ago I had cut a roadway from the main road to the top of the mountain which is where all the hardwood was, made it easier, because making new roads in the woods is not an easy job.
   I learned one thing about harvesting wood in a small way.  In the spring, before the leaves come out, I would go into the woods, and cut down about 7 cords of wood and leave them there.  In just a few weeks, all the leaves would come out, and suck all the water out of the tree. This helped the drying process tremendously.   I learned that from an old friend of mine. About three months later I would twitch the trees to the trailer and cut them to fire size.
     Spliting the wood is quite a process.  In my case I did not have a wood spliter, so I decided to build one.  They did not seem to be too complicated  I bought most of the parts from Northern Hydraulics.  I needed a steel beam, a three foot hydraulic cylinder, a forward and reverse valve to activate the cylinder, hoses, a tank for the hydraulic fluid, a
hydraulic pump,  an engine to drive the pump, and a set of wheels to mount everything.
   I was a very good welder and inside of a few weeks the spliter was built, and if I do say so myself, it worked very well.  Now about 25 years later it still runs very well, and will split almost anything.  The  welds have all held up and it is very trouble free.  The engine and the pump develop over twenty tons of power to do the spliting. And twenty  tons will split almost anything.  In this day and age, we use it very little, but it is always ready to go. The spliter is mounted on a set of wheels, which can be trailered anywheres.
   I must digress here a little bit.  The above spliter was not my first attempt at building a wood spliter.  As you remember, I had a farm tractor, that had a hydraulic system on it.   Including a pump.  I did hook up the system to the spliter, but it did not work very well.  Many pieces I could not split.  Not enough power in the pump to split things like yellow birch which is very difficult to split.  So after a short time I decided to rebuild it on a set of wheels, with a new pump and an engine to drive it. Which is described above.  Since I was retired I had the time to do all this work and if I took my time, my arthritis did not bother me too much.  In fact the Doctor said it was good to do the work and exercises.
   At this point, I began to figure what all this was going to cost.  I have already spent over  $300 and I wasn't in the woods yet. I began to count all the steps necessary to do from start to finish, the last step being to remove the ashes from the stove and dispose of them. Step 1, would be to cut down the trees. Step 2. Cut up the trees to a 16 inch length for the stove.  Step[ 3. Load the trailer.  Step 4.  Drive to the farm.  Step 5.  Unload the wood and pile it outside so it could dry.  Step 6.  Early fall, load the wood and haul it to my two car garage. I have to say here, that I own two cars, and this means that one of them will have to stay outside under the snow for the winter.  Not very smart. Step 7.  Pile all the wood in neat piles in the garage.. Step 8.  Haul an arm load at a time for burning during the day.  At night I would fill up the stove and it would last most of the night. Step 9.  Every once in a while I had to clean out the ashes. Step 10.  Dispose of the ashes at the town dump.  Early next  spring I will start the process all over again for next winter.
   I burned wood for about 5 or 6 years, and did I save any money doing so?   If  I did, it wasn't much.  Good hardwood at that time sold for about $100 a cord.  Oil was under one dollar.  During the first year, I purchased a stove, $760, A chain saw,  $200, steel for the fireplace, $25, gasoline for the tractor and saw, $25, Misc. $20, I paid myself $1.00 per hour.  Hours unknown but at least one hundred hours, $100.  Add all these up and I'm sure I lost money the first few years.  Oh well, but I had fun doing it.
   .
   
   

[moosehunter]

Thanks again, I look forward to these stories
MH

[woodsteach]

Great reading! 

It sure makes me stop and think and be thankful for what I have.  I should make my students read them and show them that hard work won't kill you.

Keep 'em comming.

Paul

[gary]

Nice stories. Reminds me of when I used to live in Hamlin Maine . The firewood story makes me remember why I moved to Pennslyvainna. It gets real cold there.

[Al B]

Sorry to be gone so long.  I do have some more "recollections" from Louis,  and I will once again try to post them.  Here are a couple to start.

                                                             WINTER DRIVING

   It is amazing, that most people driving in winter do not know what to do, and what  not to do, under many varying conditions.   Most are very good summer drivers, but as soon as the roads become icy or covered with one or two inches  of snow, they seem to forget that a car weighing more than 3000 pounds, can be controlled as easy in winter,  as it is in summer.  It cannot. 
   Another misunderstood concept, is that you need to install studed snow tires in the winter.   I can understand if you have a rear wheel drive car, then you probably should install winter tires.   But, and I emphasize, that you don't need winter tires on a front wheel drive car.  I have been driving cars for over 75 years, and  I stopped buying snow tires in the 50's when front wheel cars began to be popular.  If you know how to drive in winter, then you can go almost anywhere, where the roads are plowed.    And most roads today, are kept in good condition in winter.
   So you get up one morning, and the roads are covered with two inches of snow.  There are two kinds of snow, dry fluffy snow and heavy wet snow.  Both need a different kind of driving.   It also depends a lot on where you live.  If you live in a heavy traffic area, then all bets are off.  Heavy traffic will tap the snow, and repeated driving will eventually become ice and then the fun and fender benders begin.   Of course, if the town or city, covers the road with salt, then that makes it again a different kind of driving. 
   One of the worst device ever installed on a car, and most cars today are installed with the ABS device, which should be banned from being sold in the northern part of the US.  If not banned, then ABS systems should be installed with an ON-OFF  Switch, so the owner can do as he wishes to use it or not use it.  ABS systems, lock and unlock  the wheels if the brake stops them from spinning.  And on snow, it does not take much pressure on the brake pedal to lock the wheels.   I know a lot of people who remove the fuses that operate the ABS system, and they have excellent brakes on snow.  It takes a little bit of know how to operate the brakes in winter, but don't use the ABS system.  You will have a fender bender.
   I tthought thatI could write one time, and be able to cover the subject of winter driving, but now,  I can see that it will take more than a few letters.   So I will close this and see you next time. 


 
April 2006                                                                       Farm8

   I was going to write about building the big garage and Mike's office, but I will wait until next time.  I will write today about living on the farm when my sister and I were toddlers.  Rose was also born on the farm, but about that time we moved to Madawaska on 7thAve ,so Rose  never realy lived on the farm, except when we were moving up every summer to do some farming. Our life changed dramatically when we moved to Madawaska.
   As young kids we naturally roamed at large on the farm, however, there were many places, where we could not go. I remember we could not venture into the woods  behind the house /  There was a road behind the barn which led to Lea Albert,s  farm, but it was through the woods , and I suppose we could get lost.  So it was tabou. Another was Dufour Road.  Our first school was on that road,and that was tabou.  We could go on school days.  We knew where we could go and not go, so we towed the line.  As we grew up, we had enough chores to keep us busy.
   Picking up eggs was one job  I did not like.  Some hens did not like us reaching under them to get the eggs.   Twice a day I watered the horses if they were out of the barn working.  I was big enough to drive them down to a small brook nearby and let them drink there fill.  Cleaning the animals in the barn was another bad chore.  It was heavy work for a small kid, and I don't remember Lilly helping out.   Going to the potatoe house to get potatoes for the various meals.  Going in the fields to pick yellow weeds,  Picking up the beatles in the potatoe fields and burning them.  Another bad job was turning the butter making machine.  It was a small barrel, mounted on a frame of wood, we put the cream inside, and Lilly or I would turn the barrel with a crank until the cream turned into butter, and then my mother would finish it by hand.  A long process.  We  also had to help my father with the milk, which had to be put in  a machine, called a separator, we turned a crank, and it would separate the cream from the milk.  With the cream we made butter.  My mother also made soap.  We had to help.   In season, we also picked raspberries, strawberries, cherries (to make wine),  hazel nuts in season, apples had to be picked up.  I think we had 7 or 8 trees behind the house We also had  small trees that produced groiselle (french word), high bush cranberries, (pavina) french word,  rhubarb for pies, and I suppose many other things my mother grew that I don't know about.
   In reading the above paragraph, I can't believe we did all those things.  But I'm sure we did most./  On almost every 4th of July we would pile in the Model t and go down to van buren for the celebration.In the early 30's, Van Buren was  a nice town and I remember my father would buy us an ice cream cone.  That was a real treat, one we did not get very often.  Also, once every summer we would go on a picnic, usually around Long Lake .  Sometimes we even had watermellon.   Something not too often. 
   In winter, when we were on the farm,  Lilly and I were very young,  but old enough to slide down the small hill in front of our house.  The winters were long, and we probably spent most of the time inside the house, playing with the phone. The phone had a horn to talk into, and an ear thing to listen, and if you put the ear thing on the horn, it would make a horrible noise, and my mother would scold us for doing that.  Anyway it was a lot of fun, because the phone was a one line deal and everyone could listen to everyone else, excpt when we put the ear piece on the horn, no one could understand anything. 
                                                    To be continued

[beenthere]

Interesting stories. But can't agree on your take on winter driving. I find the ABS brakes work their best on snow and ice. Just can't pump them, like one needs to do without the ABS, but apply them steady and let them do the 'pumping'.   
But carry on as you like.........

[SPIKER]

Interesting stories. But can't agree on your take on winter driving. I find the ABS brakes work their best on snow and ice. Just can't pump them, like one needs to do without the ABS, but apply them steady and let them do the 'pumping'.   
But carry on as you like.........

I agree with NO ABS on ice/snow, worst scare I ever had was due to ABS kicking in     nearly had to clean my shorts!!! I was only going a couple MPH in a parking lot heading towards a busy road.   driving the boss's brand new 1 ton dually barely pushed the brake when it kicked in I thought the dang thing would never stop.  and almost got a fence to boot.    I'll manage my OWN brakes than you very much!   that dang computer may be able to PULSE the brakes faster than me but I don't need PULSING I need STOPPING!.   I can tell when a wheel is locked up and or sliding and I can correct for that pretty easy.   and while it MAY be able to stop faster in a panic stop on DRY pavement I'm sure it can't in as now/ice.   Its even a statistical FACT that there are more accidents with cars that have ABS than with out in recent reports.   Some claim it's because the car has ABS that people don't pay enough attention, but it sure wasn't the case for me back then I had plenty of room to stop if I had locked all 6 tires up, but that dang ABS kicked in and I ended up nearly in middle of street before it stopped.  luckily no one was coming!



Mark M

[Paschale]

I agree...I feel ABS is more dangerous in winter than without.  You can feel the way a car is braking, and pump as needed...but when the ABS is going hogwire, you have no control whatsoever.  I always skid WAY further with ABS than I do on cars that don't have it.  I agree with Louis:  they should have an on/off switch.

[Furby]

Same here!

[logwalker]

Forgive my ignorance, but what is "twitching". That one has me stumped.  :(

[Sprucegum]

"twitching" is the word for dragging the logs out of the bush to the trail or landing, whether you use a horse, ATV, or skidder.

Also "twitching" is what I do when my ABS kicks in because I know I'm not going to stop where I want to!  >:(

Some new fangled SUVs now have automatic 4wd so if you are driving along in 2wd and hit an icy spot - go into a skid - turn your wheel to correct it - then the 4wd kicks in and yanks you into the ditch    >:(  ???

[Mooseherder]

Wow, interesting read. Thanks for bringing this back up.
When I saw the Cyr name on the board along with Madawaska, I had to look into if I knew or was related to these people. This is my Father's old stomping ground, his name was Cyr Cyr.(No joking)  I have an uncle named Louis, but has been deceased for 25 years or so. Uncle Armand Cyr owned the restaurant on Bridge Street across from Frasier Paper. Grandpa John Cyr lived with Armand and Family up until his death above the Restaurant. We still have a few cousins around. Met up with one last summer while on the way to the mill.

[Al B]

                                                            FARM No. 4
                                                                                                                 March 2006
   
   I hope that all of you family members received the first three chapters.  Let me know if you didn't.  It took me quite a few tries, but I think I now have it down to size.
   The last time I wrote, I ended up at how we got the farm. Around 1845 and 1850, I know that Government Surveyors would grant land to setltlers who had any parcel cleared  of trees.   I suppose up to a certain amount of acres.  I also heard there were  some who  would clear the land by burning.  I know of a farmer by the name of Solomon Beaulieu, who set fire somewhere around Phil Dubois's farm and the fire stopped at Long Lake.  He owned a large farm. 
   We did not plant only potatoes, we needed oats, buckwheat, barley, corn, apple trees, rhubarb, and many other things, because you could not run down to the store.  A short story here on how we would acquire things we could not grow.   By the time I was old enough to go on one of these ventures, a few stores started up in the Madawaska area, which made things much easier. 
   This was told to me by my father.  I was probably 8 or 10 years old. A small group of farmers would get together once a year and make the trek to River Du Loup.  This was a rough and tumble trip, because it was done by the St. John river to St. Francis, up the St. Francis River to Escourt, via Beau Lake, and from what I understand, they would rent or borrow wagons and drive there teams of horses to River Du Loup.  The teams of horses would pull some kind of bateau to Escourt, against the current, because  the St. Francis River flowed into the St John River, and down to Madawaska.   All downhill from Escourt, and the horses would have an easy run. 
   You might ask, what did we buy in River Du Loup.  Only the bare necessary things I'm sure.  Sugar by the barrel, molasses(Small Barrel), Some type of flour,  some spices,  some dishes, knives, bottles,  and I,m sure many other things that were needed.    This trip would take over two weeks if everything went well.  Axes, saws, hammers, files, shoes for horses, and also clothing for the Madam and the Mr.  Which includes needles and thread. 
   I try to visualize a trip like that today and it is hard to understand how tough they had to be to do those things.  You had to be tough and that is why kids did not
go along.
   

[DanG]

Thanks for posting these, Al.  That's some great reading! 8) 8) 8)  I hope there are more! ;D

[Al B]

A couple more....

                                               EARLY FARM LIVING  No. 2
                                                                                                            Feb.2006
   Our farm probably came into being around 1845.  If you look at the Geneology of my father, Paul, you start with  Louis  (1921), Paul (1895), Olivier  Circa (1875), Vital circa (1850), Alexi, and then Belonie..  That is as far back as I can go without guessing a lot.   I don't really know who built the big farmhouse that was torn down when Mike built his office.  The big shed was built two years before that , and a few years later we added the 12 foot by 60 foot section on the north side of the big garage.  More on the big garage and Mikes office later.
   The farm was rather large, over 250 acres.    Most farms in the area were around 200 acres,  Our farm began after the St. John river farms.  In our case we were the second tier away from the river. The farm ran along the  now existing Gagnon road., to the next tier, now owned by Albert Farms.  On the East side now owned by a  Mr. Couturier.  Mike, our excellent  surveyor, can furnish any of you with maps and deeds much better than I can.
   The farm house,  was built the old way, with pine blocks, some as wide as two feet, and some much smaller to fit in the proper spaces.. They were all about 4 to 5 inches. thick.  Since they were too poor to buy insullation, none was used.  Maybe none was available.  In any case the house stood up very well and was in use for a long time. 
   The house had a fairly large living room, a small bedroom on the side, a big heating stove in the center, hardwood floors. Two more bedrooms on the east side (I was born in one of them) and a big wide porch around everything. There was a narrow stairway, where the hired hand slept on the second floor. His name was Fred, and later on another was Donat.  In the living room we also had a Telephone, which we played with constantly.  My father and mother did not like it.
   On the North side of the house was a large Kitchen which was attached to the house, with a doorway entrance to the main house. This kitchen  had what we called a pantry, where food was kept,  a stove in the middle, a large table for eating and a sink where water ran continueously.  I know it came from a well or spring on the East side of the main house.  It was all piped with wooden small trees 6 to 10 feet long, the end cut into a V and sealed with gum from trees,.  Weren't they smart people?..  (  When we built Mike's office, we found some of these pipes still in fair condition.).  We had also piped the barn for the animals.  That also ran summer and winter.  Next to the kitchen was another addition which housed a large fireplace, big enough to hold a big cauldron, used to boil water, make soap, cook potatoes to make food for the pigs, and I'm sure used for many other purposes.  The upstairs was used to store flour, corn, buckwheat and other stuff.  Outside on the sideof a small hill my  father had built a small enclosure to keep meat fresh during the winter and part of the summer.   No "fridges" in those days.
   Closer  to Gagnon Road, my father had also built a Potatoe house.About 20 X50 feet and it had 4 bays divided to separate the potatoes. It sort of fell down, and I burnt it  in the early 60's.
   The old house was torn down by Romeo Cote just about the same time Mike decided to build his office.  We found out very quickly that it was very well put together..  Tearing it apart did not come easy.  Everything was tongue and grooved. A few pieces were saved which are stored in the big garage.  (to be continued)


March 2006                                                Farm5

   I suppose by the living standards in the area, our farm was fairly well equipped.   The house was quite big, we had a telephone, no bathroom.  If you took a bath, you did it in the kitchen in a big wash tub.  In winter it was quite a chore.   But we did, and we survived.  I'm sure we burned a lot of wood,  because the winters were very cold, but my mother was a good seamstress and she always dressed us well.   A couple or three pairs of woolen stockings in shoepacks kept our feet warm.
   My mother was a great smugler.  We did not have many stores, in fact we had none, where you could buy cloth to make dresses or pants, so my mother would go to Edmundston.  The bridge to Edmundstoon was built in 1921, and then it was easy to cross the border.   Before the bridge one had to take the ferry.    This was located next to June Daigles store, down the hill, there was no Fraser's at that time, and my mother would go to a store in Canada, buy what she needed and smugle it, paying no duty.  She would take the rolls of cloth, and roll it around her hips, and be able to cross with no problem.  I suppose it was easier to cross in winter on the ice, since the custom officers did not like to stand out in the cold.   Since I was born only in 1921, I  only know what was told to me.   Some true, some not.  I do however remember going to Canada when I was 5 or 6 years, in our 1926 Ford, when my mother would make her purchases, pack the stuff on her, or sometimes on us and we would cross with no problem.  My mother smugled all her adult life and I don't remember any one getting caught, or paying a fine. I also think that the custom officers were not too strict at that time.
   While talking about smugling, my father and I also did our share.  When growing up for a while I suppose our butter was made on the farm.   Around the early thirties, and the great depression, butter was much cheaper in Canada,  so we smugled butter.  There was a company in St. Hilair, about ten miles north of Edmundston that made very good butter, the St. John river was nearby, easy to cross, summer or winter.   I never crossed any in winter, but I helped many times in summer in a canoe or small bateau.  I suppose in    winter the tracks would  be evidence for the cops.  In any case we would go the butter company, buy 4 or 5 cases of butter, each case would hold 50 pounds of individually wrapped butter.   We always had a couple of neighbors, who would help us in the endeavor.  The company would transport the butter to the river,  in the canoe and across we would go.  We always had someone meet us on the other side, with a car, we would load and down to Madawaska and the farm.  Poor people in those days, would eat Margerine instead of butter.  Most farmers were poor, but we always ate the real butter.   I remember Margerine was bought white, but  you were supposed to color it before eating, usually yellow.
   In the early thirties,there were other smuglers.  Liquor was in high demand  and high quatities were crossed illegaly.  I had one cousin, named Oniel who worked for Fred Brissio and some Fred Levesque. All three were big time bootlegers they owned fancy cars and at one time even owned an airplane.  Most of the liquor came from some Island at the mouth of the St. Lawrence river.  I think it was called ST. Pierre de Mikelon. It was cheap and easy to buy, and you could make a lot of money selling it in the states.  From what I understand, you could take one gallon of St. Pierre de Mikeon  add water and make four gallons and it would still be strong enough  to knock you out.
                                                To be continued
      

   
   

[Mooseherder]

Wow, I know of the surveyer Mike,(never met him, but receive the local paper he advertises in) the author speaks of. :
Our friend's son Spencer works for Mike. He is a well known in the St. John Valley area, surveying in all the surrounding communities. He was called in to settle some property line disputes while the we were dismantling the mill this summer. The mill owner was selling the property separately from the mill. He has also surveyed my brother's property.
I think alot of people used to smuggle during the depression. My Uncle Clayton used to cross Livestock, cigarettes, butter and lord knows what else. ;D
One night he almost drowned crossing a cow.
He is 81 now and we love to hear his stories. Nothing like calling attention to himself, at 18 years old during the depression, he was driving a new car. :D

[Al B]

I believe that Mike the surveyor, is Louis's son.

[sawguy21]

Bootlegging was a big business then and fortunes were made by people such as Joseph Kennedy. ;D  The stories are fascinating.

[Al B]

A couple more stories......


April 2006                                                                Farm6


                          Farm 6, will continue with the smuglers.   Fred Brisio and Fred Levesque were quite famous in the Madawaska Area.  And they  both knew my mother.  Many times when I was very young, probably around 10 years old, those two bootleggers would come to our house in Madawska,plop twenty bucks on the table and have my mother cook them some ployes.   (I will tell the story later re our house on 7th Ave in Madawska. ) I also remember Oniel's mother, Aunt Agnes who became wealthy when Fraser bought much land from her husband, and he died soon after.  My Aunt, suddenly wealthy, went crazy and spent a lot of money foolishly.  She remodeled her house, bought a new limosine(at that time) hired a uniformed chaufeur and got a new boyfriend from Van Buren, NAMED Tuffiil Therien who helped her spend her money.   We had a very modest house on 7th Ave and my Aunt would come and visit, with her Limosine, chaufeur and all and put on the dog for my mother.  But she was always welcome.
   About the house on 7th ave. When    1925 rolled around, my father got a job  at Fraser's  during the construction of the mill. During all this time, my  father was still farming.  During the first few winters, it was very hard for him to travel from the farm to the mill.  So we got a rent from Thomas Hebert, who owned a store where "Roland's Rendevous" now exist.  We would move back to the farm in the spring, do the plowing, and planting.  The roads were open and my father would travel with his Model T.  And in the early times, when I was about 5 years old, my sister Lilly and I would go to school on now Dufour Road, near Levite Hebert's house, a one room schoolhouse,no bathroom, six grades, one teacher named Marianne Dufour. I went to school there one or two summers.  School only in summer.   After a few years,probably 1927 or 1928, Madawaska built Evangeline  School and then all the students were bussed to school. Antoine Picard was the first Principal, and a man , last name Martin was the superintendent  My father also built our house on 7th Ave, and then we continued to move to the farm during  summer and back to 7th Ave in the winter.  When I was 6 or 7, we were still living the winters in St. David and for a while we travelled by horse drawn sled, covered and a pot belly stove inside for warmth.  During the winter.  In the spring and fall, a truck had been installed with seats and for a while we travelled with that...When Evangeline School opened, and when the house on 7th Ave was built, all that travelling stopped.  We could walk to school.  Much better.   I should add here, that when I went to school, to that one school house, on Dufour Road, we walked to school.  I was only 5 years old.  How did that happen. In any case, I continued with school and graduated from High School in 1938.
   I will continue with the farm stuff, when I write again.  I want to talk about three other buildings on the farm.  A fairly big barn, a place to keep our sheep, and a Blacksmith shop, where we shod the horses and the bulls.


April 2006                                                                      FARM7

   Back again.  This time I will write  about our barn, situated just about where the big garage is built and behind Mike's office.  The barn was a square bldg. On one end had stalls for 4 horses. A team of blond Morgans, and a team of mules.  I have no idea where they came from.  The were small compared to the Morgans but they were strong for their size, but very balky.  On the same end we had room for two cows,  and room for our horse to pull the sleigh or the summer buggy. He did very little other work.  Most farmers always had  a smaller horse to do this work.
   There was an aisleway  behind the animals where the manuer fell on straw,and was swept out the small door onto the manuer pile.  Which was outdoors.
Next was a big partition to store the hay and sometimes oats. Then another aisle and another partition to store more stuff.   All this was done so that the animals could be fed and cared for without too much work.   In those days, there was no heat in the barn, so the part where the animals were kept  was built a little better and warmer than the rest of the barn.  By the way, we also kept pigs and I'm not sure where they were kept, but they must have been near the horses and cows.  Of course we always had chickens, geese, rabbits, who all ran wild around the barn.  The chickens and geese made places where they would lay eggs, and we would look around and usually find the nests and pick up the eggs.
   Except for the stuff we went to River Du Loup for,we raised almost everything else.    We were not rich, but we always had plenty of food on the table.  And my mother was an excellent  cook. Sweet stuff and cookies were plentyful.
   I will now switch to the barn for the sheep.  This was at the north end of the big barn, was 20 or 30 feet square, was built of round logs, with a small door a roof of logs and a picket fence to keep them in line when outside.    The also had access to water from a small nearby brook.   Water was always a problem on farms, and I'm not sure how they survived in the winter.  In the  main barn we had running water which ran during winter and down to the nearby brook. By the way we also had running water in the house, which also ran continueously, very smart people. 
   Every spring we had a sheering party at the farm, where we cut the wool from the sheep, and  Sold it to Martin's woolen mill in Madawaska.  This mill was located where the Tastee Freeze now exists
   Just in passing, I will mention, for the record, the little hole in the ground near the Barn and kitchen with a door and a lot of dirt on top, where we kept vegetables fairly fresh during the summer and winter.   My mother was the keeper of this place.  It must have worked because , as I said before, we always ate well. 
   Behind the kitchen, and towards the woods was another small bldg. Called the blacksmith shop.  Many tools were in there, used to shoe horses and bulls.  My father knew how to do that, I never learned the secret, how they did it on split hoofs.
I used to play during many  hours in that small bldg..  WE HAD BIG BELLOWS IN THE  place and someone had to man these, to produce enough fire to melt steel or soften the steel so it could be shaped in shoes.  If a farmer, you had to be a master of most trades or you would not survive.  At the age of 8 or 10 I was probably big enough to run the bellows but I do remember it was hard work.  The bellows were about 3 feet in diameter, with a long wooden  handle used to pump it up and down, the fast air was routed underneath the coal fire, which would heat the steal parts.  My father could make links to repair broken chaines. I never tried that.  I just use an electrical  welder, when needed.  Besides  , chaines today seldom break because of good steel.
The barn lasted until,  about 1954, when I decided to build a camp at Long Lake on a lot I purchased from Marie Martin for $350.  I needed some big timbers for the footing and I used those in the barn.  By that time it was pretty much gone and parts were falling down.  Just a few years later the potatoe house sort of fell down and I burned the rest of the timbers.   I don't really remember what happened to the sheep barn.  The blacksmith shop also fell to ruin, and disappeared.     
In 1987, we decided to build a big garage, where it now stands today.  It is 42  x 60 feet , and it is fairly well built and should last for many years.   We store all kinds of stuff in it.   A few years later we built Mike's office and before we did that we decided to tear down the old house and kitchen.  There are a few pieces of this old house that are stored in the big garage.   Mike knows where they are. 
         (More on the office and garage later)      

[Mooseherder]

  Many times when I was very young, probably around 10 years old, those two bootleggers would come to our house in Madawska,plop twenty bucks on the table and have my mother cook them some ployes.     

If your wondering what a ploye is :D
They are a very popular food stuff up in the Acadian Heritaged St. John River Valley.
They are Buckwheat Floured pancakes. Not like pancakes you get at a restaurant.  More like a cross between a pancake and a tortilla, only alot better.  Usually made with dinner/suppertime ;D   mmmmmmmmm...mmmm
Momma makes me a batch with other fixins every time I am near her. ;D
I miss momma. ;)

[Al B]

     

If your wondering what a ploye is :D
They are a very popular food stuff up in the Acadian Heritaged St. John River Valley.
They are Buckwheat Floured pancakes. Not like pancakes you get at a restaurant.  More like a cross between a pancake and a tortilla, only alot better.  Usually made with dinner/suppertime ;D   mmmmmmmmm...mmmm
Momma makes me a batch with other fixins every time I am near her. ;D
I miss momma. ;)

They are indeed quite tasty.  Every trip up to the "county", I would try hard to frequent the little diner in Fort Kent, right across from the border crossing bridge - over the St. Johns River.  I liked their health food.  Such as those french fries with gravy and cheese :D  I know what they are called but it eludes me at the moment.  My mind gets eludded a lot!  :-[

[Al B]

Also....in regard to "bootlegging", there is a History Channel show on Route 1, which begins in the Fort Of Kent and runs to Fla.  They spent 20+- minutes on illegal hooch crossing the St Johns River and runnin' down Rt. 1.  Interesting, profitible and sometimes dangerous.

[Mooseherder]

Them Fries with Cheese and Gravy is called Putzins'
Yeah Baby....I'm hungry. ;D

[isawlogs]

  Poutine ... ya got to have them at least once in your life ..  ;) 

[Mooseherder]

We also make Poutines (Flour and Water) when we make Chicken or Beef Stew.
You make a Batter of Flour and water in a bowl the consistency of dough.  Make little nuggets outta them about the size of a silver dollar. They usually go in the pot last when everything is almost done in a semi boiling pot.
You'all might call em' dumplings. :D

[Al B]

  Poutine ... ya got to have them at least once in your life ..  ;) 

I would prefer to have them once a week!  There's healthy food and then there is food that is just good................

[Mooseherder]

  Poutine ... ya got to have them at least once in your life ..  ;) 

I would prefer to have them once a week!  There's healthy food and then there is food that is just good................

They're easy to make. Pour Hot Brown gravy over Hot French Fries and load them with shredded mozzarella. digin_2
Them're real good for ya. ;D

[Mooseherder]

Seems our Mr. Cyr is busy writing again. ;D
I received my old hometown paper today. It usually arrives 3rd class mail 2-3 weeks after print, sometimes doesn't arrive at all, but I still look forward to gettin' it.

Mr. Cyr writes a letter to the editor of the St. John Valley Times Feb. 7 issue. :D
The Title is  "Car-doo?
This guy is my kinda grampa. ;D

To the editor,
What is a car-doo?  Let me give you a little history about myself, before I tell you about a car-doo.

First of all. I am 86 years old, or will be this coming April 1, and I have severe arthritis in my hands and feet, which allows me limited walking and doing work with my hands.
I can still drive my car, which drove me to use a car-doo.

I believe I was the first one in town to have a snowmobile that could go 90 miles an hour on Long Lake in the late 1950s or early 1960s. From there I progressed to many more machines, where in my later life, these machines could easily go 100 miles an hour.  the only problem was that with my arthritis, I could not handle a Skidoo at those speeds.

So, at 86 years old, I decided to do something that would take me out of the house and into the fresh air: a car-doo.

A car-doo is a play on the word "Ski-doo".  If you own a car, then you have a car-doo.  Even better if you have a convertible.  To get started, you open all the windows, open all the vents, and close the heater if you want no heat, and you are ready to go.  Fresh Air even at low speeds.  There's one more thing you must do.  Put on your regular Skidoo suit, helmet, boots and heavy gloves or mittens. It does get cold.

Please understand, the above is only a suggestion, and does not guarantee any type of results, good or bad.  In my case, it was a good way to get out in the fresh air.

Louis A. Cyr
Madawaska

[sawguy21]

 :D :D I remember some local lads who had a car-doo. They got likkered up and ran into the back of a working sander on a gravel truck. The car, a small English convertible, kinda lost it's top so they spent the rest of the winter roaring around in snowmobile suits.

[Al B]

A couple more from wartime.  WWII  "The war to end all wars"........

                                                             
                                                   BOCARATONCLUB
   After Radio School, in Madison Wisc., I was sent to Radar school in Boca Raton, Florida.  Population at that time was 9, all black, and there was a Holy Roller church in the middle somewheres. 
   There was also a luxury club, built my an oil mongul ,  who lived in Pennsylvania.  He was very rich, but he came from the wrong side of the tracks. There were many clubs in Palm Beach and along the Florida coast.    But none of them would allow this oil man to join their clubs.  SO
   He went to Boca Raton, and built his own.   It became the most luxurious club on the East Coast, and I guess it still is.  Many rich people at the time became interested and wanted to join.  He would let a few of them join,  just so he could have some fun.   He had a real nice movie theater, where in the center of the floor, he had his own seat, and when the movie was to start, music played, an in great display, and sometimes 15 minutes late he would walk in with his entourage, he would  wrap his cane on the floor and the movie would start.  I also heard the he charged $55,000 to join and so much per month. 
   The reason we were there is because he let the Military use his large swimming pool  for water training.   
   While in Boca Raton, another short story. 
            A runway had been built, near the ocean, where Pilots and crews were trained.  I'm not too sure of the particulars, but on one flight the pilot  had advised the crew, that he would blow a horn in case of an emergency.   On the first blast, the crews would put on their parachutes.  And they should jump on the second blast.  Well, there is always one nut in the crowd.  On the first blast, he put on his chute and out the door.
   This runway ended near the Everglades, which is a jungle.,and he landed somewheres.  The Air Force had the whole field out in force to find that man.  Well, it took two days before he was found, and I'm sure he must have received some kind of punishment.  Oh well                                                               
                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                        ISLE OF CAPRI
   After we had been overseas for about one year, the military felt that we were tired, and we should go visit the Isle of Capri, to rest.   At the time I was stationed in Foggia, and I was  chosen to spend two weeks in  Capri at the governments expense. The whole Island had been taken over by the Military.  A great deal.   I would leave on a Saturday and return in two weeks.
   To get to Capri, I had to travel 90 miles to the harbor of Naples.    There I got on a small boat, 20 pr 30 people, and on to Capri, 20 miles away.  A small Island in the harbor of Naples.  We landed in the small town of   Marina Grande ( a new name)  We proceded to our hotel, name The La Palma Hotel, unpacked and walked around the town.   Near the dock was an elevator system, which could take  us to an elevated city above the waterfront.   Tha name of the system was  FENICULI, FENECULA.   When one went up, the other went down, and so on and on.    The elevated city was named ANNA CAPRI. 
   I was told to be sure and visit the Blue Groto, which is a small cave about one mile from the waterfront.  I rented a small oar boat, and a person to row me out to the cave.  When we got to the cave, about one mile away,  we had to time our entrance with the waves, because the entrance was small, and the hole was  only big enough to let us in when the wave was right.  A tricky maneuver.  Anyway, we made it in and the sight was all blue and very nice indeed.    To return we had to judge the wave in the same manner.  The total cost was very modest.
   One morning, I was told I could take a ride on a small donkey, and go to the castle on top of the mountain where a king of Rome had a castle.   His name was TIBERIUS CEASER. He lived quite a life.  He would bring young virgins from the mainland to his castle, rape them, and then throw them over a cliff nearby, 300 ft deep into the ocean.    According to our guide, this is a true story. 
   On another occasion, we walked up to  Anna Capri and entered through a gate guarded by two marble lions.  One on each side of the gate.  The lions have been there for many, many years.  It is considered good luck to pat them on  the rear as you pass by.  The guide told us that since Europeans are shorter than the Americans, they patted lower on the lions back, and that had produced a worn place on the lions back.   Americans were taller, and the worn place was higher.   Very evident.  We visited more, and then returned to the waterfront and the hotel.   If I remember right, the name of the hotel was LA PALMA. 
   Water on the Island was very hard to come by, so we drank wine most of the time.  So we all were tipsey most of the time.  The military had converted a building into a USO, much like a night club, where you could hang around, eat, once in a while a dance,and listen to music.  The person who ran the place, was the wife of a famous lawyer from Naples.  I only saw him twice.  But his wife was from France, and she spoke fluent French.  We had long discusions about the war.  And besides she had a very pretty daughter about 16 or 17 years old who was living with her.  She also could speak fluent french.   ( I also remember at one point, I ran out of money, but I had brought 4 or 5 cartons of cigarettes which I easily sold for $20 a carton.  Again easy money.).
   Naples was a very bombed out place.  The Germans bombed it, and we bombed it.  The harbor was full of disabled and bombed ships.  They  were not removed when I was in the area.   Maybe later.  Anyway after two weeks of resting I returned to Foggia, where it took two weeks to recover from my vacation.   I will remember the ISLE OF CAPRI for a long time.            LOUIS A. CYR

[Al B]

A couple more.  Kinda out of sequence, but still a worthy read....

                                                          Farm 3.doc 
______________________________________________________________   Hello everyone,    
   Here I am again and I think I have the sending and attachment finally working.   So I will continue. 
   Last time  I was writing about the potatoe house that my father built. As I was growing up, I spent many hours  in the building. On top, towards the house was a large door, opened in the summer, but closed in the winter. On the bottom part was  a smaller door, and a sort of entrance where we kept a stove to heat the building in winter.   The stove had a flat surface, where we could peel potatoes and slice them and cook them on the flat surface..  If you have never tried them  cooked that way , you should try it.  Very good.   We also cooked thin slices of Salt Pork that way.  Maybe that is why we grew up so strong.  Remember, the strongest man in the world at that time was Louis Cyr from Montreal.  Oh well, another story.
   In the spring we had to cut the potatoe seed by hand.  We had a rack, where we shoveled the potatoes, they would roll down the rack to a stop, and we would grab them and cut them up.  Every piece had to have an eye on it, because if it didn't, it would not grow when put in the ground.  This was all done on the bottom part of the building, near the stove.  No other heating system.   I forgot the part where we would cut the seed with knives made by my father.  He would take a small file, grind it down to the wanted size, mount it on the rack, and we would slide the potatoe thru the file, and cut the seed with the eye in it.   We had two knives, one on each side of the rack.  The seed would fall into a potatoe barrel.    Nowadays, they have a nice  automatic machine to do the job.  Many times faster.
   In the early days we would plant 25 to 30 acres. Not a whole lot of potatoes.  However as I was growing up, when I was about 4 years old, my father decided to get a job at Fraser's in Madawaska.    This was in 1925.  The mill was being built and they were hiring all the people who wanted to work.  Potatoes in those days were not selling very well, and from what I gathered later on, my father would have probably lost the farm, because he could not pay the taxes.  Only an ambitious man would earn money from a factory, so he could keep the farm.   I'm glad he did, because of what he did, the farm stayed in the family. 
   A short story about how we got the farm in the first place.  My grandfather, Olivier, married Eulali Albert, who lived nearby, who I believe gave Olivier that piece of land.  I'm not sure about this, and Mike seems to have another story about this.  In any case, there is not much paper work to have the real story.             (TO BE CONTINUED)



Aprill 2006                                                                  FARM 11

   At this point in my farm stories, I think it is time to build Mike's office. We decided to make 24 X 36 the finished size it should be.  It would have a full cellar, with a couple of windows, the main floor would be one big room, except for a small bathroom, with a toilet, lavatory, and a fan for the ceiling.  We also decided that the walls would be well insulated, as well as the ceiling, and the walls of the concrete foundation. 
   Now  we need some lumber.   Mike has a good connection with the Irving people from Canada, who happen to have a lumber mill in St. Leanord, N.B. across the St. John River from Van Buren.   So Mike's good friend advises  us, that they have good lumber, un-planed full 2 X 9's, almost any length we want.  This was a surplus left over from a big order from Japan.  And Mike could have it for a very good price.  So we rent a tractor-trailer and we haul it to the farm near our big garage, which was built in 1987.  Mike also bought some cedar planking to be used for the walls inside, from the Allagash region. .    Most of the needed materials were purchased at the local Central Supply Store in Town.
   We then hired a power shovel from Ed. Pelletier and Son, with an expert operator who dug the foundation in very short time.    Next step was to hire a good concrete man to lay the foundation, pour the floor with a proper drainpipe, and an exit for the sewer pipe, and an entrance for water and power. While digging the foundation, we found old wooden pipes, which were used to bring water to the barn.  These were small trees, about 6 feet long, and were bored with a special auger, were put end to end and sealed with some kind of tree sap.   After all these years, they were still in very good condition.
   Good carpenters are hard to find, especially on a short notice.  But I was in luck.  My good friend Albert Ouellette operates a big General Construction Company.  He told me that three of his best carpenters were laid off for two or three weeks, because of a slow down period.  So I hired all three of them.  Albert Michaud, Pitt Michaud and Bee Michaud, all brothers.   The foundation had cured, we had installed two inch Blue Board all around the concrete, so we were ready to raise the office structure.  I also had five men, who would be helpers to those master carpenters.  I did not want to pay a high price to those masters to do walk around and look for material.   The helpers were Mike Cyr, Louis Cyr, Greg Cyr, Herman Cyr, Al Hebert, and maybe a few others.   We were a good crew. 
   On a given day work was started.  7 AM.  The floor and the stairs to the cellar was first.  In having master carpenters, Pit decided to build the stairs outside the foundation.   He took a few measurements, we went outside, I was his helper, and in no time the stair was built, and what surprised me, was that we took it to the office and it fit the first time.   Now we put up the walls.  . Remember all the lumber was plus two inches thick and nine and one half inches wide.  So the walls were very thick.  Under normal building, we usually us 2 X 6's.  Albert said we were wasting lumber, but we convinced him that we had paid very little for the big lumber. I remember he grumbled all the time about the big lumber.  The walls were surrounded with plywood, all the joints were sealed, and even insulation on the outside was installed.  The inside walls were finished, and super insulated.   Then came the roof, then the outside vinyl, the eves and within three days the outside of the office was complete.  An amazing job.   This included the doors, the Anderson Windows, a small porch, and now to finish the inside, and build a chimney. 
   The inside needed a small bathroom, a toilet, a lavatory, a small water heater for hot water, and the finish for the walls and tiles for the ceiling.  Another two days and this was all done. The plumbing was done by Mike and I, so was the electrical, the phone system and the heating system.  We did a lot of the work without the master carpenters.  Only Bee did a lot of the finish work.  He was a master at that.   Herman and I installed a VENMAR system for air circulation because the building was so tight.  .  Mike also had a rug installed on the main floor.   The whole office was furnished with excellent material from Loring Air Force base, who was having auctions almost every week.  Map cases, files, safes, tables, drafting tables, and many things needed to furnish an office.   All very high priced government material, which we bought for peanuts.   Mike has probably the best looking and the best equipped surveying office north of Bangor. 

   The complete building cost around $40,000.  The building is easy to heat in the winter, and is cool in the summer.  It was built in 1989 and Mike moved in around July 4th.   As it stands today, February 20, 2006,  it is it top condition and it will be 20 years old in 2009.   His business is very good, and most lawyers believe he is tops in his field.  I do too!!!
   
   

[Al B]

April 2006                                                                         FARM9

   It was not often, but I remember we had a death in the family, and we had a wake in the house .  My Grandmother Eulalie, died and as it was the custom in those days, we kept the body for three days before the funeral.  There were no funeral homes in the early days, so everything was done in the home. I remember it was winter, because Lilly and I and the neighbor's kids were sliding on the small hill in front of the house.  I should add here that Come Albert lived at the bottom of the hill from our house, and his farm was on the other side of the road.   He had quite a few kids, Jeanne, Cecile, Annette, Conrad, George, Levite and there was a Grandpa living with them.  The mother's name was Zabetha.    They also had a big house, and a big barn and a few small sheds and a lot of animals.
   Up the road from our house, living at the bottom of Pelletier Road so called, was my Uncle Regis Hebert, and he also was a farmer.    He had an employee named Donat who used to work for my father once in a while.   He was always soft on his daughter Annie.  I remember my father and mother had a party one night in winter at our house.  Our house always seemed to be a great place for parties.  Anyway, Donat was still in love with Annie.   It was winter, and all the people who came kept their horses in the barn.   After the party, Donat volunteered to drive Annie home.  So my father and others dressed up a man, who wore a big fur coat, a big fur hat, and Donat drove up with the sleigh and started the one mile ride to Annie's house. One thing led to another and Donat started to get amorous. By the time they got to Pelletier Road, Donat had figured out the ploy.   He was quite disturbed, got Annie home, came back to our farm, and no one saw him for three days.  He kept to himself and slept in the barn.  My father always said he was a very good farm hand.
   A little up Pelletier Road was another small farmer named Gilbert Michaud.   He did not do much farming except work for other neighbors.   The next neighbor up that road was Paul Bouchard, also a farmer.  He lived just about where Mark McDermott now lives.   That road continues and comes to Madawaska by 11th Ave,. 
If you continued on Gagnon Road, past Pelletier Road, the next farm on the left side of the road was Rene Hebert.    On the left side was a blacksmith shop owned by Mathias Albert.  His place was one of the few places to get your horses shod.  Continue on and on top of the hill was Fortune Hebert, an other small farmer.  From there I get lost with the names of the owners./   But there were farmers all the way to Beaulieu Road.  Near Fortune Hebert, was Dionne corner which connected with Frenchville.    Also many farmers on that road.
   It took many years for Gagnon Road to develop the way it is.  When my father died, I started selling lots on Gagnon Road, and now most lots have been sold.  The farm has been divided up and in the future, I suppose more lots will be sold.

                                             To be Continued 

[Mooseherder]

Some sad news to report about Our very special Mr. Cyr. :(
Looks like he led a very extra-ordinary full life. I hope we have more of his Stories coming.

http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/aroostook.aspx?articleid=148750&zoneid=175

[Al B]

Mooseherder, thanks for posting that.  I knew it was there, but  had trouble finding it, for some reason. 

He was my, soon to be daughter in law's, grandfather.  Sadly, her other grandfather passed away only 3 day's earlier.

I will post more of his writings.  Have just been off my feed lately.