History of New Rockford: August 13, 2018

The November 8, 1901, “Transcript” mentioned the “Donnybrook Mirror.”

Mr. and Mrs. P.J. Hester and family were preparing to move into the former Brownell residence in northwest New Rockford. Mr. and Mrs. G.W. Brownell had purchased the Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Hohl residence, which had hot water heat, cement sidewalks, and “a thorough water system.” The house had cost around $10,000 in 1899. Mr. and Mrs. Hohl were ready to leave for a visit with his parents in Iowa and then go on to southern California.

Many farmers were taking advantage of the nice weather to bring their flax to market.

Donald Niven had begun making his own mincemeat, liverwurst, Cambridge Sausage, Hamburg steaks, head cheese and fresh tripe. James Hamilton, the manager of his meat market, was selling a lot of it.

Fred Sonnenberg was in Jamestown a few days that week. Burton Hulbert was in Jamestown a few days, also, before the Pension Examining Board.

Mr. and Mrs. H.W. Clark, Mr. and Mrs. A.D. Tomlinson, and Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Chamberlain were getting ready to go to southern California for the winter.

In school news, the gymnasium was open all the time. During the week Teddy Syftestad entered the fifth grade, Clarence Onstott joined the seventh grade and Anton Bonney became an eighth grader. Blanche and Lawrence Butler were anticipating joining the fifth and sixth grades respectively. The Omoth boys had left school. Absentees that week in the second primary were George Cahill, Willie Dresser, Sallie Holland and George Anderson. The primary students were learning Thanksgiving songs. Another row of seats had been added to the grammar pepartment. The Latin class was learning the inflection of adjectives. The physical culture students were doing exercises dealing with the proper carriage of the body. The physics class was studying gravitation. The grammar and high school students joined together for morning exercises, and new songbooks had been ordered for them. Various classes were using the office as a recitation room during the cold weather. The book “In His Steps or What Would Jesus Do” had been added to the school library. [“In His Steps” by Charles Monroe Sheldon was published in 1896; a book of religious fiction, it has become one of the best-selling books of all time.] Rhetorical work had ceased as the students prepared for a Christmas entertainment.

On November 8, John Hitz and Peter Schuster were in from Wells County. Charles Scott went to his homestead near Bowbells for the winter; Mrs. Scott was going to join him soon. Robert Larkin from Wisconsin, his father, and Jay Larkin started overland for the Bottineau country to look over land filing possibilities; they returned on November 12 with three quarters of good land. Robert Larkin returned to Wisconsin on November 14.

On November 9, E.M. Morris came in from Morris, Went Mcgee was in from his Tiffany farm, and John E. Setz was in from eastern Eddy County. J.E. Renfrew came down from northwest of town. Peter P. Hallquist came down from the Sheyenne Valley. Gabriel Guessbacker drove in from Wells County to buy supplies. J.E. Tate was in town after moving his father to their new home near Bowbells earlier in the week. Mrs. J.C. Fay went to Velva to see her husband, who was a track-buyer of grain there. That evening a daughter was born to blacksmith and Mrs. John Olson.

On Sunday, November 10, jeweler F. Howard was in Jamestown. Homer Allison and Dennis O’Connor visited in Carrington.

On November 11, William West came up from Barlow; Michael O’Neill came down from the Sheyenne Valley; Jack Haley was in from Tiffany; Andrew Larson was in from his farm. Mrs. David Henry came in to shop. Miss Minnie Noble of Chicago arrived to visit her cousin, jeweler Frank Howard. Mr. and Mrs. W.S. Johnson of Twist stopped in New Rockford on their way to visit their son Charles in eastern Eddy County. The biology students handed in their herbariums and drawings. Pehr Mattson entered school that morning Ralph Beebe was absent from school.

On November 12, the physics students studied the oscillation of a pendulum in the laboratory. S.W. Lyman was over from McHenry. A.J. Richter was in on business, as was Robert O’Neill. Martin Larson came in from Plainview. Perry and Charles Blomquist were up from Barlow, as was Guss Carlson from west of that community. Mrs. Margery Nunn was in town shopping. Sheyenne lumberman P.B. Anderson, Sheyenne newspaper owner C.C. Manning, George Nunn, John Nunn, James Dafoe, L. Sontag, Matt Konzack, S.A. Olsness, Charles Hensel and Aslak Aslakson all came down from north of New Rockford. Thomas Hrack was in from his farm, as was E.B. Thomson. E.F. Roach came over from Wells County on business. Miss Gertrude O’Connell was up from Minneapolis to visit her parents; she returned on November 16. George Cochrane came in from Fargo for a couple days; he had opened a music store in Fargo. James and Daniel O’Connell went to Minneapolis to attend school during the winter. Morris O’Connor left for a winter at his old home in Pennsylvania. Fred Johnson left for Adel, Iowa. Henry Johnson went to his old home in Wisconsin. That afternoon Rev. C.F. Sewrey rode his bicycle to Carrington.

On that day, the partnership of Flater & Son Foundry & Machine Shop (Nathan Flater; George Flater) was dissolved. George Flater, the son, retired from the business and Nathan Stanton, a brother of Mrs. Flater and who had just arrived from Canada, took his place as a partner in the Flater & Stanton Machine Shop, which did blacksmith and repair work.

On November 13, P.A. Berge was in town. Patrick O’Connor came in from his farm west of New Rockford. C.H. Baris arrived; his family would follow as soon as housing could be arranged. Baris was a new clerk at R.R. Woodward’s general store. Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Hohl and family left New Rockford with a large crowd saying goodbye from the depot platform. J.W. and Alice Rager accompanied them as far as the Twin Cities, where Mr. Rager would purchase goods for his harness and saddlery business; the Ragers returned on November 16. The Hohls went on to Iowa to see his parents and then arrived in Los Angeles around December 18, by which time he had gained t10 lbs. Captain C.B. Culver returned to his home in Chetek, Wis., after a couple months checking on his farming interests in the county. That morning a daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. C.S. Hatch. Vinnie J. Bonney and Elton Aldrich were married at the home of the bride’s parents Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Bonney by Rev. J.R. Beebe; the couple would live in Indiana. That evening the Merry Minister Company presented “A Fool for Luck” in the Hotel Davies. While it wasn’t the best location, the performers did a “very creditable” job. The crowd was “packed to suffocation.”

Also that evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Zimmerman, four miles northwest of Barlow, Emma Zimmerman and Fred Hanson were married; the groom was a Barlow blacksmith.

From November 13 to 16, the Leonide meteor showers were visible in Eddy County.

On the morning of November 14, as Walter Priest was putting the storm sash on at the school, the board upon which he was standing broke and he fell, suffering some bruises and also cuts from the broken glass. Frank Lies was in from Kiner, and Ole Skustad was in on business. H.P. Halverson was down from the Sheyenne Valley. Peter Pister came in from his farm west of town on business, as did William Erdelbrock. Hotel Mattson clerk J.W. Young was out on the Young ranch near Tiffany. Jacob Chamberlain, his son Mack, and Miss Estella Van Ostrand left to live in San Diego, Calif., for the winter. Mrs. Chamberlain would join them in Portland, Ore., and they would continue south to within 17 miles of Mexico. Anton, Olaus, Annie Olson and their mother left for their home in Mondova, Wis., after a summer of visiting their brother and son Ole H. Olson on the farm northwest of New Rockford. Mr. and Mrs. George Treffry and family returned to their former home of Marshalltown, Iowa, for the winter. Sheyenne Valley Ole Melang left to visit his old home in Norway. Katie (Mrs. Thomas) Turner, son Carroll Turner, and Miss Harriet Turner left for the old Turner home in Corry, Pa.; Thomas Turner was scheduled to join them there just before the holidays for a family reunion [he left on December 19]. That evening John Gooden came up from Barlow to visit. D.D. Dailey came in from eastern Eddy County on business.