News
Aroostook Valley Lumber Closes Logging Spur; End of an Era for Rail Transport
The 14-mile logging rail spur connecting the upper West Branch to Willow Creek ceases operations, as truck logging renders the short line uneconomical.
newsFire Damages General Store; Community Rallies to Rebuild
A grease fire in the General Store's kitchen threatens the town's oldest business, but a community fund drive and volunteer labor have the store reopened within weeks.
newsIce Storm Paralyzes Town for Three Days; Gazette Delayed
A devastating ice storm on December 22–23 knocks out power across southern Aroostook County, testing the resilience of Willow Creek families during the holiday week.
newsGranite Marker Dedicated at Thorne's Bend Shipyard Site
A granite historical marker commemorating the Thorne & Sons Shipworks is unveiled at Thorne's Bend, preserving the memory of the town's first industrial era.
newsMill Sets All-Time Production Record: 2.4 Million Board Feet
The Willow Creek Hardwood Flooring Company reports its best year ever, surpassing even wartime production levels as the post-war housing boom drives unprecedented demand.
newsTelevision Arrives in Willow Creek: General Store Installs First Set
Seamus O'Donnell's new television set draws crowds to the General Store on Saturday nights, marking the beginning of the television era in Willow Creek.
newsPrivate First Class Leonard Dumont Killed in Action in Korea
The first of two Willow Creek casualties in the Korean War, Private First Class Leonard Dumont is remembered as a quiet mill worker who answered his country's call.
newsReturning GIs Find Mill Jobs Waiting as Post-War Housing Boom Takes Hold
Unlike the aftermath of the First World War, returning veterans find the mill ready to hire as the post-war housing boom creates strong demand for hardwood flooring.
newsWar Ends; Town Hall Bell Rings as Mill Whistle Blows
The end of World War II is announced by radio at 7:00 PM. The town hall bell rings continuously, the mill whistle blows for a full minute, and the Gazette prints a victory edition.
newsD-Day News Reaches Town via Radio at the General Store
News of the Normandy landings reaches Willow Creek by radio broadcast as residents gather at the General Store, where Seamus O'Donnell places a radio on the front porch.
newsRationing Board Reports 100 Percent Compliance in Willow Creek
The local rationing board, chaired by James O'Donnell, reports full compliance with federal rationing of sugar, gasoline, and meat as the Gazette launches a weekly 'Rationing Recipes' column.
newsEzra Thorne II, Bridge Between Eras, Dies at 74
The fourth-generation Thorne who worked 32 years as a millwright at the flooring mill dies at home on River Road, his obituary tracing the family's arc from shipbuilders to mill workers.
newsWar Declared; Town Mobilizes for Blackout Drills as Mill Shifts to Munitions Work
Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, Willow Creek holds its first blackout drill within a week as the mill converts to wartime production of hardwood components for munitions crates and military vehicles.
newsDraft Registration Held at Town Hall; 60 Men Register
Sixty men register for the draft at the Willow Creek Town Hall as the Gazette prints the names of all registrants on page one — Ezra Thorne II's son Walter among them.
newsMill Race Dam Repaired After Spring Flood Nearly Breaches It
Heavy spring rains nearly breach the Homan's Pond dam for the first time since 1900, requiring $800 in emergency repairs and reinforcing the spillway with granite blocks.
newsHurricane of '38 Fells Trees Across Town; Mill Roof Lost
The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 reaches Willow Creek as a severe windstorm, toppling hundreds of trees and tearing the roof off the mill's main building.
newsPolio Outbreak Closes School for Six Weeks
Three cases of polio reported in Willow Creek force a six-week school closure as the Gazette runs public health notices on the front page for the duration of the outbreak.
newsTenth Annual Ice-Out Draws 200 Entrants; Out-of-Towner Wins
The Ice-Out reaches a milestone tenth year with 200 entrants — the largest field yet — as a man from Pottersville wins, sparking a debate about out-of-town entries.
newsWPA Grant Brings Concrete Sidewalks to Main Street
A $4,200 federal Works Progress Administration grant replaces the worn wooden boardwalks on Main Street with concrete sidewalks, employing twelve men for four months.
newsEzra Thorne II Objects to Pond Naming at Heated Town Meeting
Ezra Thorne II formally objects to the adoption of 'Homan's Pond' as the official name, arguing the pond should reflect the town's heritage rather than one family's good fortune in living beside it.