Houlton, Maine
Washington county. This town is situated on the east line of the state and of the United States, on the border of the Province of New Brunswick. It lies 120 miles N.N.E. from Bangor, and about 75 W.N.W. from Frederickton, the capital of New Brunswick. The town was first settled in 1808, and for twenty years it was entirely cut off from all communication with the western part of the state by a dense wilderness of nearly 100 miles in extent.
In 1829, a military post, the "Hancock Barracks," was established here by the U.S. government, and in 1834 the military and state roads between Bangor and Houlton were completed and opened for travel. The great thoroughfare between the United States and the British Province of New Brunswick is through this town. The roads between Bangor and Houlton are excellent: stages pass and repass from Bangor through Houlton to Frederickton, three times a week. Frederickton is 80 miles N.N.W. from St. Johns. A good road between Houlton and Calais, on the river St. Croix, about 90 miles distant, is now opened for travel. This town is well watered by branches of Meduxnekeag river, which empties into the St. John's. The garrison is located about a mile north of the village and has generally contained four companies of infantry. In this town the courts of probate are held, and the office of registry of deeds is kept for the northern district of Washington county.
The soil of Houlton and its vicinity is of a superior quality. Twenty-five bushels of wheat to the acre is an average crop; 40 bushels to the acre is frequently obtained.—Houlton, with a population of 667, raised 5,869 bushels of wheat in the year 1837.
We have heard it is said, that persons might go so far "down east" as to "jump off." If Houlton is the jumping off place, we advise some of our western brethren to go view the precipice.
