100 years ago, 1915
The problem of parks confronted the Auburn Board of Trade, Monday evening. Charles S. Allen, editor of the Auburn Free Press, recalled a recent editorial in the Lewiston Evening Journal, which he referred to as pertinent to the park question. This editorial suggested that the Franklin company might be a factor in Auburn, as it recently had been in Lewiston. Mr. Allen applied this suggestion to the “clay bank,” so called, in the rear of the post office. It was also pointed out that the city, instead of a private company, should own the Auburn Athletic field. The park possibilities of the Dennison street gully were also noted.

50 years ago, 1965
The final shipment of equipment for the county-wide dual channel radio network arrived at the Androscoggin County Civil Defense and Public Safety headquarters today. CD Director Normand J. Vermette said when the system is functioning the county will be the only one in the State to have a dual channel setup. The dual channel system allows the county units to beam in on the municipal network and be able to shift over to the state network as well.

25 years ago, 1990
A very surprising spotting of a hawk-owl provided a high point for Saturday’s Lewiston-Auburn Christmas Bird Count. Overall, the count tallied 43 species of wintering birds, up two from last year, but short of 1987’s record 45 species. “We did get a few warm-weather birds lingering. We had two mockingbirds, some yellow-rumped warblers, a king-fisher and a great blue heron. We got two northern shrikes, which we haven’t had in recent years, and we got both barred and great horned owls. But of course, the star was the hawk-owl.” The hawk-owl is an inhabitant of northern spruce forests that is rarely found south of Canada. This long-tailed owl, which often hunts by daylight and otherwise behaves like a hawk, was spotted in an apple orchard on Perkins Ridge Road in Auburn.

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be edited.