History of New Rockford: Sept. 24, 2018

About 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 11, 1901, Alice (Mrs. J.W.) Rager and Mrs. Sarah A. Bacon went to the depot to take the passenger train to Sheyenne. After waiting around an hour, they complained to the ticket agent about the late train. He then informed them that the passenger train had left at 12:01 p.m., its scheduled time, but he could get them on a freight train, which was due in a little later. The ladies thanked him, but declined his invitation, intending to go to Sheyenne on the train the next day.

Miss Ewald, sister of F.B. Ewald of Barlow, shopped in New Rockford between trains. Mrs. Fred Hanson of Barlow was in town, as was J.R. Engberg, who stayed between trains. Mrs. E.T. Guptil and granddaughter, of Foster County, shopped in New Rockford. Ole G. Golson came in from eastern Eddy County, went to Jamestown, returned to New Rockford on Dec. 12, and drove out to his farm the next day. James Graham came into town, as did Henry B. Johnson of Plainview. Fred Zimmerman Jr., and his sister Miss Freda visited friends in New Rockford. Mrs. John Schaefer, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. George Hickey, left on an eastern trip which would take them to their old home New York State for three months.

On Dec. 12, a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. S.O. Lee east of New Rockford.

The Dec. 13, 1901, “Transcript” noted that former New Rockford resident Dr. E.S. Miller was the Past Exalted Ruler of Flagstaff (AZ Territory) Lodge #499, BPOE (Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks).

It was reported that former resident J.M. Patch was considering moving his family from Indianapolis to Minneapolis early in the spring; Patch was also thinking of building a brick or stone block on his lot between the Bank of New Rockford and Rodenberg Bros. the following spring. It would be two stories and have steam heat and a basement.

County Superintendent of Schools Grace B. Putnam had appointed D.Y. Stanton to the New Rockford School Board to fill the position of M.B. Hersey, who had resigned.

The previous week, Mrs. O.W. West and her daughter Miss Katharine went to visit at their old home in Indiana; they would also visit their daughter and sister Mae Scott at Council Bluffs, Iowa, and relatives in Chicago. Also that week Matt Mattson Jr., bought 150 head of yearling heifers and sent them out to his farm; he planned on buying another 100 to 200. At 2 p.m. on Dec. 13, the American Yeomen Lodge gave a banquet for its members; H.M. Clark, correspondent. Merchant tailor William Miller left for the holidays in Lancaster, Ohio, with his family. That evening there was a dance in the Hotel Davies dining room, which was described as “A very pleasant time…”

On either Dec. 14, 1901 [Dec. 20, 1901, “Transcript”] or December 15, 1901 [obituary in a May 2003 “Fargo Forum”], a son [Walter Hubert] was born to Mr. and Mrs. H.F. Rodenberg. [He died on May 15, 2003, in the Lutheran Home of the Good Shepherd.]

On Sunday, Dec. 14, at 8 a.m., L.J. Brown, 38, died at home of Bright’s disease. His funeral was conducted in the Congregational Church, Rev. J.R. Beebe, under the auspices of the B.P.O.E. (Elks) on Dec. 17 with services conducted by Elks Grand Exalted Ruler Hale of Fargo; interment was in the cemetery north of New Rockford. [I have not found evidence of his grave or gravestone.] “…the funeral was the largest in the history of the county.” Officers of the Elks came up from Fargo and were assisted by members from Carrington, Jamestown, and several other area towns (sixteen Elks were from Fargo and Jamestown). The New Rockford Masons attended as a group.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown had been living with Mr. and Mrs. D.Y. Stanton and were getting ready for breakfast. He had been diagnosed with Bright’s disease some time before and was told he could die at any time. He had been in Fargo just a few days before his death. Someone asked him that morning how he felt, and he replied that he felt better than he had the previous few days. Brown died within the next two minutes. He was born in Harmony, Maine, on May 26, 1863. Both parents died shortly after his birth, so he was raised by an uncle. He went to college and then moved to Mellette in what became South Dakota. He opened a business there, but lost it in the Panic of 1893. In 1896 he came to New Rockford and took charge of the H. Peoples’ collection and land business until he resigned to take a position with the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company [late August or early September 1901]. L.J. and Lila J. Lathrop were married on April 17, 1901, in New Rockford. He had reached the Shrine Degree in the Masons and had joined the Elks in 1900.

On Dec. 16, Peter Prader returned from his business trip to Harvey, where he also attended a Masonic installation, banquet, and ball. Pat O’Keefe and Dennis O’Keefe were in from west of town. Knute Vick and L.C. Ofstedahl came down from the Sheyenne Valley. Alonzo Neutzel was in on business from his farm near Lake Coe. James Hobbs drove in from the Tiffany Flats. The Eddy County Commissioners met and voted to pay the bill of Sheriff J.E. Bennett for taking Minnie Laasch to the state asylum at Jamestown; $4 to Charles F. Culp for work on the court house; and $60 to W.C. Hayes for two months’ salary as court house custodian. That evening George Lovell and James Hobbs became Third Degree Masons. [However, it had been stated in an earlier edition of the “Transcript” that on January 21, 1901, Fred Martin and George Lovell had become Third Degree Masons.]

On Dec. 17, Clayton Hall and North Dakota State Veterinarian Dr. F.W. Tompkins of Oberon were in New Rockford. Mr. and Mrs. Otho Lathrop left for an extended visit to St. Paul. Richard White left for his old home, Moundsville, Mo.; he would visit relatives in Arcadia, Wis., on the way. John Hogan left the Tiffany area for a winter at his old home in Chatham, Ontario. Misses Caroline and Harriet Waters returned to the Sheyenne Valley after a week visiting friends. That afternoon Mrs. C.F. Sewery lost a lady’s black Astrakhan cap between the Congregational Church and the Hotel Davies.

On that day Drs. MaLachlan and McNamara, assisted by Dr. W.A. Denia of St. Paul, performed an appendectomy on Andrew Johnson, Jr., to remove a gangrenous appendix. Before the operation the young boy had to endure the 14 mile ride into town. He came out of the operation in good shape.

That day the following were selected to the jury list by the Eddy County Commission: Eddie Anderson, Ezra Anderson, John A. Bailey, Christ Bakstad, Ole Barkland, John Bennett, A.W. Blasky, Andrew Borgerson, George A. Brown, Gilbert Bymoen, P.J. Carlson, H.W. Clark, John Clave, A.J. Cline, H.H. Clouser, W.A. Cornish, C.F. Culp, C.F. Dalthrop, Hugh Davidson, James Davidson, Andrew Eckland, George Fahrer, Valentine Fertig, Frank Graham, Steve Guler, J.T. Ham, Christ Hauge, Robert Henry, Charles Hutchinson, Andrew Jensen, R.M. Kennedy, J.P. Knox, Martin Larson, Peter Larson, George B. Mansfield, H.H. Moen, John Myers, Carl Myhre, Peter Nelson, Ed Nystrom, John Nystrom, George O’Connor, Pat O’Connor, John Olson, W.W. Overton, C.J. Parker, Ed Randolph, William Randolph, F.R. Reddish, A.J. Richter, Helge K. Rud, A. Samuelson, John Shaffer [Schaefer?], John R. Shutz, W.J. Stanton and William Starke. They also appointed C.J. Stickney as a constable.