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Staff of Le Messager pose outside their first Lincoln Street office in Lewiston in 1908. Le Messager became the oldest and longest-running French newspaper in New England. It began printing in 1880 and ran through 1966. The operation was later moved to a larger location at 223 Lisbon St., where the outlines of the name “Le Messager” can still be seen on the facade. Pictured from left, front row, are: Jean-Baptiste Couture (editor); P.S. Guilbault (foreman); Henri Carpentier; Omer Gauvin; Arthur Brunelle. Second row, from left, are: F. X. Guay; Albert Bedard; Odule Laplante; Joseph Belanger; N. L. Gendreau; Mr. Runneau. Back row, from left, are: Corine Gauthier (Dumais); Loretta Vachon; Blanche Verville (Sutton); Camille Lessard-Bissonnette. Lessard-Bissonnette would go on to write the book “Canuck,” which was printed by Le Messager. Courtesy of the Franco-American Collection, University of Southern Maine Libraries 

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