Aroostook & Northern Penobscot Counties
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The 1838 Battle Of Caribou Black bear plays key part in the conflict by John Murray
D
remains of a large fallen tree. Upon settling within a crevice underneath the collapsed tree, the bear’s eyes were weary, and her urge to sleep was strong. It was nearing the end of December, and a typical black bear in northern Maine would have already settled into the long slumber of winter hibernation. Curled tightly up against her body was a cub bear, which the mother had given birth to during the last winter. The cub was one fourth the size of the mother bear, and the rapid continuous growth rate of the cub meant that the cub was always hungry. This insatiable hunger of the cub was directly linked to
uring the winter of 1838 in the forest landmass which would later become the city of Caribou, a verbal conflict had erupted between two groups of armed men. These armed men were loggers who were competing for timber territory. Unbeknownst to the men, a nearby bear would play a key part in the conflict that would be the catalyst for the Aroostook War. This bear was a female, and by all reported accounts was quite a large specimen. None of the involved men were aware that the female black bear had previously crawled underneath the
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