History of New Rockford - May 7, 2018

On the morning of August 22, 1901, Logan & Farley opened their restaurant in the old courthouse building and former Headquarters Hotel building with R. McDowell as the cook. It was on lots 4 & 5, block 17, on Chicago St., now 8th St. N., where the Do It Best Hardware is now located (2008). Charles Ohrner of Kidder County came in to work the harvest and was hired within twenty minutes. Miss May Renfrew came over from Harvey before her departure for the Pan American Exposition. Frank Parker was in town, saying he had threshed his best oat crop yet the previous week. Mr. and Mrs. C.J. Maddux and family returned from their eastern trip with Miss Ethel Albers of Wabash, Ind., who stayed to visit for a while. Some participants in the Teachers’ Training School (Misses Thomson, Garvin, Monahan, Regan, Houlihan, Messers, Groves, Kline, Trainer, and Snider) went to Fort Totten.

On that day Melissa Hoffman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hoffman of Tiffany, married W.C. Bright, lumber dealer from Akron, Ind. They were married by Father McDonald in Carrington and planned to take a wedding trip to the West Coast and then live in Akron.

The August 23, 1901, “Transcript” stated that Vol. 1, No. 1 of the “North Dakota Independent,” Charles F. Chase of Hamilton, editor, had arrived. Litchville was mentioned as a new town. It had been started in 1900 by the Northern Pacific in Barnes County, but was not viable until October 1900 with the establishment of a post office.

The editor said that some people had jumped the gun and were already hunting prairie chickens and that the game warden should be on the lookout. That issue complained that hoboes were stealing chickens from unlocked coops and potatoes and corn from gardens. Also there was a lot of petty thieving going on in the community.

On the evening of August 15, someone cut a hole in the east door of the NP depot’s freight room, reached in and shot the bolt, opened the door and stole a case of liquor. The thief unpacked the case in W.C. Hayes’s backyard. The authorities reportedly had a lead in the case.

On the night of August 17, a thief got into George A. Brown’s cellar and stole six juicy spring chickens and all the milk, which was what Brown had planned to serve his Sunday night dinner guests at the Hotel Brown.

The businessmen of New Rockford had hired Otho Lathrop as a night watchman.

Clure Implement had sold sixteen Champion binders so far that season. H. Peoples & Co. had sold thirteen Gaar Scott threshing machines.

M.B. Hersey managed the Johns & Powers Lumberyard. Olof Lundquist and his assistant E.A. Markey were busy from “dawn to dusk” at the New Rockford Machine Shop. Logan & Farley, a “first-class restaurant,” was open twenty-four hours. On the bill of fare was “prairie chicken in and out of season.”

It was announced that James A. Lahart would buy grain for the 45,000-bushel Pake Elevator in New Rockford and the new 50,000-bushel elevator in McHenry. He also had scales along the railroads for twelve to thirteen buyers.

Fred Walker was up from Steele to work the harvest, but in September became a clerk in Mulvey’s Hardware. Miss Ellen Mattson had signed to be the principal of the Sheyenne School for the fall and winter terms.

George Schwoebel had been laid up all week with typhoid fever. David Gerry’s bad eye acted up during the week, but was getting better. John Schmid of Barlow had been sick a week, but was recovering rapidly.

During the week, M.F. Anderson came in from eastern Eddy County and bought a Milwaukee binder either in New Rockford or Barlow.

On August 23, telephone man, attorney C.E. Leslie, registered at the Hotel Brown. That evening there was a large crowd at the Degree of Honor ball in the Hotel Davis in honor of the teachers. There were amusements for non-dancers.

On August 24, there was a tennis match in New Rockford against players from Valley City. Some Carrington players accompanied those from Valley City. There was a storm that night near Lake Coe and lightning killed three cattle belonging to E.M. Morris.

On the morning and evening of Sunday, August 25, Rev. H.J. Sheridan conducted Episcopalian services in Maddux Hall. Albert Doughty and Miss Maggie Sheehy of Carrington were up to see her sister Kathryn Sheehy. Walter Schmid drove up from Carrington to see his sisters. Mr. and Mrs. E.S. Severtson visited Carrington. At 4 p.m. there was a Union Service of the Tiffany and Morris congregations at Stephen Roberts’ Grove, G. Stanley, pastor. There was Sunday School at 3 p.m.

On August 26, the Northern Pacific resumed regular passenger service on the Devils Lake branch line with the following time card: #133, northbound, leave Jamestown at 9:30 a.m.; in New Rockford at 11:55 a.m.; #134, southbound, leave Leeds and arrive in New Rockford at 4:10 p.m. and Jamestown at 6:30 p.m.; #156, northbound freight, in at 12:20 p.m. (except Sunday); #155, southbound freight, in at 11:20 a.m. (except Sunday). For the mixed train on the Oberon extension and the Bowdon branch, it was #143, in New Rockford at 11:25 a.m., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and #144, return at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Five trains per day were passing through New Rockford.

That morning S.J. McCue was up from Carrington, inspecting the telephone line. James A. Dodds of Melville was in town. Barlow barber R.L. Allison was in New Rockford. J.E. Tate was in from his ranch at Plainview; Gene Oard was also a Plainview visitor. Mrs. William Cahill went to Jamestown, where her brother, James Burke, was ill. Mrs. Charles Clure returned to her home in Hastings, Minn., after visiting her son A.J. Clure and family. L.J. Brown went to Fargo, where he met his wife on August 28. That evening, Miss Nora Kennedy and her cousin returned after visiting her sister Mrs. Ben Larkin south of Bowdon. That evening elevator man H.G. Gage went to Jamestown to meet his wife; on the next day’s train they arrived in New Rockford and took up living in the J.W. and Alice Rager residence. That evening Mr. and Mrs. S.N. Putnam entertained the teachers at their Lamborn Ave. East residence with a lawn social and decorations of flags, bunting and Japanese lanterns. Ice cream, sherbet and cake were served, followed by a dance in the Hotel Davis dining room. A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. Ed Roach.

Also that evening Prof. J. Newton Moore of Kansas City, Mo., organized a singing class at the Congregational Church, with another meeting held the evening of August 30. Moore had twenty-five years of musical experience, and he would give private lessons that fall and winter in “Voice Culture, Thorough-Base, Harmony, Theory, Organ, and Piano.” He had “studied under eminent European and American teachers."