Christopher Columbus COBURN, the diary began Jan.
17, 1903, in Crystal, Maine part seven



Contributed by wagga719@idt.net (Sally Ruscio)
Copyright. All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm

Jan. 17, 1903, our subject went to Caribou and after
seeing Oren located in Warren BILLINGWOOD's moulding
mill he moved his household goods to Portage.  After
shipping his goods he went up to Peram and Jan. 23
struck out through the uncharted forest direct for
Portage, by compass, arriving the next day.  The
first half of 1903, with Allard, jobbing aound, made
some snowshoes, cut wood and cleared up a houselot.
Also started building a house.  July 10th his
youngest son, Arthur, came up from Moro and they all
went to Caribou for a few days.  Returning to
Portage Arthur went home and the routine continued. 
He had moved into his new house May 19th although it
was not completed.  He changed works with his
cousin, Arthur COBURN, who was also building himself
a house on the shore of Portage Lake, this summer.
Mr. Coburn had learned to ride a bicycle and Sept.
16, 1903, he started for Caribou on his wheel.  When
within five miles of that village, while coasting
down a hill, he was thrown by hitting a stone in the
road and had to be carried to town.  He did not
know, until several weeks later, that he had
fractured his hip, and without proper care that leg
constracted so that ever after he walked with a
limp.  He lay two weeks in bed at the Widdow
SUTHERLAND's before he could get out.  He was not
able to go back home to Portage until Oct. 15th.
... He visited relatives in Lincoln: Sidney and Will
WARREN, Stephen DILANO and Leonard DOBLE.  He went
to Old Town May 2, 1904, and from there to Patten
where he says he got lodging and breakfast for 50
cents.  He arrived at Portage May 6 where he fell
into the old rut of cruising, fishing and working
for his neighbors.  He dug and stoned up a cellar
under his house.  June 10 he went to Caribou, again
going through the woods.  He worked around Caribou
until the 18th of July when he went back home.  His
work around Portage was as usual until the 16th Of
Sept. He says he saw a bull moose Aug. 2 while
fishing up Mosquito Brook.

Sept. 17 he went to Caribou and worked for C. H. DOE
& Son.  Oct. 17 he went back to Portage and spent
the rest of the month hunting.  He worked about his
home town the month of November and then hunted
during the first half of December.

December 19 he again went to Caribou and worked for
Merl VARNUM the rest of that year and up to middle
of January, 1905, going back home by rail on the
16th.  The next two month he was busy around the
village. From the 14th to the 25th of March he took
a trip to Presque Isle, Caribou, Island Falls,
Sherman and Patten.  The next trip he took was to
Caribou to his cousin, Arthur's and Smyrna Mills and
Patten.  Arthur had lately moved to Caribou.  When
he returned home, May 6 he bought two cows and went
into the milk business in a small way.  He made a
fence and cut hay this summer.  August 7 to 24 he
spent most of his time fighting fire for the town.
The week of Sept. 23 to 30 he made a trip down to
his old hunting ground on the East Branch of
Penobscot.  The first week in October he made
another trip to Caribou and Washburn, and the 18th
he went to Stacyville to meet a hunting party headed
by Norman BARNES from East hampton, N. Y. and take
it to the East Branch territory.

.... April, 1907, Allard took in the family of a Mr.
CLARK and our subject says he and son Ferdinand sold
their Portage place to Fred DOBLE and he went to
work on a lot purchased by F. R. Coburn on the shore
of the lake.