Dam and Power House, Caribou 6

Dam and Power House, Caribou 6

A view of the Aroostook River in Caribou, Maine, showing water pouring over a low dam and the buildings of a power house on the adjacent bank. The Caribou Waterworks was established in 1889 as the Caribou Water, Light, and Power Company. The dam was built in 1888 for water service and fire protection, replacing an old system of buried wooden pipes conducting water from springs above Elizabeth Street to watering basins with public spigots for individual collection by residents. Overflow went to watering livestock and horses. The Town and Water Company signed a contract in June of 1888 to create the 425-foot dam out of piles, wooden crates filled with rock, creating a pool with a 14 foot head. Large work crews spent the summer digging trenches and laying cast iron pipes to carry the water to customers throughout town. The project and a new power plant, supplied by JF Hubert of the Maher Electric Company of Boston, brought electric light to town that same year. ["A History of the Caribou Water Company, Caribou Electric Light Company and the Caribou Utilities District 1889-2009." cityofcariboumaine.org]