The main stream of Salmon Brook rises in a beautiful little lake in the northern part of town of Perham, and flowing in a southeasterly course, enters the town of Washburn near its northwest corner. The east branch of Salmon Brook rises in the eastern part of Perham and flowing southeasterly across the southwest corner of the town of Woodland, enters Washburn through its northern border, about a mile and a half from the northeast corner of the town. These two fine streams, flowing in a southerly direction through the eastern part of the town of Washburn, gradually converging, unite in one strong flowing stream about a mile above its junction with the beautiful Aroostook River.
On the western bank of this stream is a lovely plain rising gradually as it recedes from the water until it terminates in a fringe of green forest at the top of the gentle slope. On the eastern side of the stream, below the mouth of the east branch, the land rises somewhat more boldly, but by no means steep, and presents a clean, smooth, verdant slope as it is seen from the opposite side. On the beautiful plain upon the west side of Salmon Brook is situated the principal part of the pleasant village of Washburn though the recent growth of the village has extended across the stream.
The town of Washburn was formerly know as Township No.13. R.. 3. W. E. L. S. It is a single township, six miles square, and is bounded by Woodland on the north. Caribou on the east, Wade Plantation on the west, and has Mapleton for its neighbor on the southern border.
The first settlers on the township, like those of nearly all the towns along the Aroostook River, came-up the river from New Brunswick many years ago and settled along the river bank.
The oldest settler of whom we can obtain any account, and probably the first white man who made a home in what is now the town of Washburn, was Nathaniel Churchill who came with his family from New Brunswick in 1826, and settled on what is now called Stratton Flat near the mouth of Salmon Brook. He remained there some five years, when he moved farther down the river and settled on Oakes island. He continued at this place until 1883, when his wife died and he returned with his children to New Brunswick.
In 1839, having married again, he came back up the river with his family and settled on the lot where his son, Job Churchill, now lives, some four miles down the river from the town of Washburn. When Mr. Churchill returned a number of settlers had taken up lots along the river and he was no longer alone in the wilderness.
In 1837 Thomas McDonald came from Miramichi and settled took about a mile above the mouth on the north side of the Aroos-Salmon brook. His son, John McDonald, still resides upon the lot which is now a handsome farm with commodious buildings and fertile fields.
Soon after that Wilder Stratton settled on the lot first taken up by Nathaniel Churchill and his children still occupy the farm, having a beautiful residence on the height some distance back from the river. Mrs. A. W. Stratton, an accomplished writer and a well known contributor to numerous publications, is at present living there.
The first settler in what is now the village of Washburn, and the pioneer business man of the town was Isaac Wilder. who came to Aroostook from the town of Pembroke in Washington County, about the year 1840. Mr. Wilder remained for a time at Fort Fairfield, where he worked on the barracks as a carpenter, then pushing on up the river he built a saw mill in the dense wilderness on the banks of the Salmon brook. At that time the only settlers upon the town were the few who were located along the Aoostook River in the southwest portion of the township.
As late as 1844, in the report of the commissioners of Maine and Massachusetts who in that year visited this section to adjust the settlers' claims, we find mention of but twelve of these settlers along the river bank in 13, R 3, now Washburn. These were Peter Bull, Nathaniel Churchill, Jabez S. Currier, Joshua Dunn, John Hickey, Lawrence Farrel, Wilder Stratton. Elizabeth, widow of William Mumford, Joshua Christie, Job Churchill, Stephen Harris, and Ebenzer Estey.
The state of Massachusetts then owned the town, as the mother state still claimed half each alternate township in this eastern wilderness.
At the time of Mr. Wilder's coming there was no road in the township, the river being the only thoroughfare. The mill contained an up and down saw and a clapboard machine. The boards and other long lumber were rafted in the water, and upon the were piled the clapboards, and the rafts were floated down the stream to the Aroostook River, thence down the Aroostook Falls where the lumber had to be taken from the water, hauled by the falls, rafted again below and thence floated out into the St. John and down the river to Fredericton.
With Isaac Wilder, came his brother, Charles Wilder, who settled and commenced a clearing near the mouth of the stream.
In 1843 Charles O. Stoddard came from Perry, in Washington County, and settled on the bank of Salmon Brook stream a short distance below the mill. In the same year Robert Wilder, brother of Isaac, came from Pembroke and made a clearing next above Stoddard, and with him from the same town came Samuel Bugbee, who settled on the adjoining lot below Stoddard.
In 1843 also came Hiram Braddock, who moved from Calais and made a home on the north bank of the Aroostook. about half a mile below the mouth of Salmon brook. Soon after these settlers came they cut the road through for the mill to the Aroostook River, at the mouth of the brook. This was for some years a road through the woods hardly passable for teams in the summer and was not turnpiked until 1846. In 1845 the road was cut through from the south bank of the Aroostook, opposite the mouth of Salmon brook, to what was then called the "State Road," leading from Presque Isle to Ashland. By fording or ferrying across the Aroostook, the settlers near Wilder's mill had communication by means of this road with Presque Isle, where much of their trading was then done.
In the winter of 1844-1845 the township was organized as the plantation of Salmon Brook and the same year a school was established in the house of one of the settlers. Some three years later a school house was built near where the village cemetery is now located. In this house religious meetings were held from time to time and occasionally a faithful missionary penetrated these wilds and preached to the settlers.
In1850 a road was commenced from Wilder's mill toward Caribou. Later on this road was continued to Caribou village and is now a fine, smooth turnpike running through a magnificent farming section.
In 1850 Gould Crouse and his sons, Jerry, Abram, and William, came from New Brunswick and settled on the Aroostook River in what is now known as East Washburn.
Joshua. Dunn, a brother of Elbridge Dunn, Esq., of St. John, then lived on the lot which is now the beautiful homestead of Mr. Jerry Crouse, and sold the lot to the elder Crouse.