This is part two of the story of two of Millinocket’s pioneer ladies…both named Emma. A young Emma Florence (Randall) Miller (about age 18) came to Millinocket to join her husband Burdette D. Miller, owner of The Millinocket Times newspaper.
Emma Miller (like Emma LePage of last week’s story) was interviewed by a reporter for the local Millinocket newspaper. This interview was conducted seventy-two years after Emma stepped off the Bangor and Aroostook train.
“I thought this had to be the most God forsaken country in the world up here. There were very few houses and we were so isolated from everyone else. There were three or four bars or saloons here and they were always full of lumbermen. The Great Northern and the Foundry were here when we got here, but about the only other business was the coal yard. There were two or three cars here, but the streets and roads were rutted and almost everyone rode in one-seated buckboards or the flat-bedded log wagons called diggers.”
Emma had met her Army husband in Portland where he was stationed at Ft. McKinley. After seeing an ad for the Millinocket newspaper and printing company being for sale, Burdette Miller went to Millinocket to look at it, bought the paper and sent for Emma to join him there.
The Millinocket Times and Weekly Exchange came out Fridays, sold for 5 cents or $1.50 for a year’s subscription. At first in the Bishop Block and then the first Newberry’s location. There was a fire and the paper moved to a new location across the street (above second Newberry’s).
“We used old tin-type presses there and I had to climb up on top and feed the paper in one at a time. On the old printing press, it had a large foot-pedal on the front and it seems like I sat there for ages working that pedal. My legs would get so sore I could hardly walk. We lived over in The Flats, so I didn’t have any trouble getting around selling papers, collecting ads and helping with the news.”
The Flats was the name given to the area along Millinocket Stream and was open land from the stream to Penobscot Avenue until houses started appearing. Later the Miller family lived on Bowdoin Street.
The Miller’s owned the newspaper from about 1912 until 1917. When WWI began, the Millers sold the paper to a man from Blue Hill because Burdette Miller wanted to enlist. However, he was turned down because he had several children (15 to be exact)!
The Millinocket Historical Society has portions of two fragile copies of The Millinocket Times from 1917. Frank Miller, one of the sons of Emma and Burdette Miller has visited the museum and viewed these artifacts. Grand-daughter June told us that her grandmother’s name never appeared in the newspaper even though she did much of the printing work!
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