News
Hardwood Flooring Company Opens for Business
The Willow Creek Hardwood Flooring Company opens with a ribbon-cutting and 85 employees, ushering in a new industrial era.
newsMill Construction Underway; 60 Men Employed
Construction begins on the Willow Creek Hardwood Flooring Company with a steam-powered planer and a rail spur to the Bangor & Aroostook line.
newsWilliam Thorne, Last of the Shipbuilders, Dies at 68
The third-generation shipwright who closed Thorne & Sons when the railroad arrived dies of pneumonia.
newsMill Race Inundates Thorne's Bend Boat Launch
Spring runoff combined with the new dam creates record water levels, submerging the old Thorne & Sons shipyard launching slip.
newsDam Completed; Pond Level Rises Four Feet
The Homan's Pond dam is finished, raising the pond's water level by four feet and flooding the lower portion of Thorne's Bend.
newsCourt Rules in Favour of Mill, Dam Will Be Built
Judge Merrill rules that the Thorne family no longer holds exclusive water rights, clearing the way for a dam at Homan's Pond.
newsHoman and Thorne Face Off in Water Rights Suit
Elias Homan and the Willow Creek Hardwood Flooring Company file suit against the Thornes to establish the right to dam Homan's Pond.
newsTown Musters Twenty Volunteers for Spanish War
Twenty men from Willow Creek volunteer for the Spanish-American War, departing on the Bangor & Aroostook line.
newsSilas Homan's Pond Stocked with Trout by State
The Maine Fish and Game Commission stocks Silas Homan's kettle pond with brook trout fingerlings delivered by rail.
newsLog Jam on the Willow Draws 50 Men to River
A major logjam at Thorne's Bend requires 50 men working three days to clear, one of the last major river drives before rail takes over.
newsThorne Family Marks Century in Willow Creek
A special Gazette supplement traces the Thorne family's 100 years in Willow Creek, from Ezra Thorne's scouting of the river crossing to the closing of the shipyard.
newsTimber Cruise Reveals Vast Stands of White Oak
A state forestry survey reports one of the last significant stands of virgin white oak in the upper Willow River watershed.
newsBank Failure in Bangor Felt Locally
The Panic of 1893 reaches Willow Creek when the Bangor Savings Bank suspends specie payments.
newsTown Debates Mill Race Scheme at Meeting Hall
Bangor investors propose building a hardwood flooring mill on the Willow River, citing abundant timber and the newly arrived railroad.
newsDeep Snow Paralyzes Road to Houlton; Railroad Keeps Running
A January blizzard drops 36 inches of snow on Willow Creek, stranding mail delivery for eight days.
newsShipyards Fall Quiet as Rail Era Begins
William Thorne officially closes Thorne & Sons Shipworks after 78 years, marking the end of Willow Creek's maritime era.
newsThe Willow Creek Gazette Prints Its First Edition
Harold Finch publishes Volume 1, Number 1 of the Willow Creek Gazette from a rented room above the General Store.