La Saint-Jean in Lewiston-Auburn

  Pope Pius X made Saint John the Baptist the Patron Saint of the French in North America in 1908.  The textile and shoe mills in Maine, and New England, drew masses of French-Canadian workers.  Several cities Lewiston, Biddeford, Saco, Auburn, Sanford and Westbrook had large numbers of French Speaking people, the Franco population in Lewiston reached over 60 percent of the total population of the city.  The Franco-American people still celebrate La St-Jean Day each June.

La Grande Hermine, the ship that brought Cartier to America is celebrated with
this replica in 1897. - click to enlarge
Photo: Franco-American Collection via www.mainememory.net

Alfred Auger dressed as Ste Jean Baptiste in 1897.
The boy from Minot became an entertainer in Atlantic City, New York and Boston
as an adult.  St. John is often characterized as a child. - click to enlarge
Photo: Franco-American Collection via www.mainememory.net

Franco-American military men, there were many, march in the American Legion Parade in 1941. - click to enlarge
Photo: Franco-American Collection via www.mainememory.net