Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
On March 15, 1902, Albert Hendrickson, son of Eddy County Treasurer Hendrickson, was visiting relatives near Sheyenne. He misjudged the intensity of the storm and started out for another relative’s home a short distance away. He was caught up in the thick blizzard and wandered in the snow for three hours before he found shelter. His badly frozen face and hands would require a long time to recover.
About 11 p.m. that day, the delayed passenger train arrived with 83 passengers. After the hotels filled up, the other passengers found rest in one of the coaches which was left on a siding. When that filled up, some passengers had to stay in the depot waiting room. The train then backed down to Jamestown since the tracks north of Sheyenne were blocked. The next day the 10 sacks of mail left by the train kept the New Rockford post office staff busy all morning.
The “Transcript” characterized the blizzard of March 15 and 16 as the worst since the winter of 1896-97. The storm came in slowly, so ranchers and farmers were able to get their stock in and sheltered. All trains were halted after March 15 and did not resume operation until March 20 after the rotary plow went through the day before. Some drifts on New Rockford streets were ten to twelve feet high. It took merchants several hours of digging to reach their doors.
On Sunday, March 16, John Dodds and James G. Dailey were in town.
On March 17, the school ran out of wood for the steam heating plant. That evening the dancing club sponsored a St. Patrick’s Day dance. The class met from 8:15 to 9:15 p.m., with the dance beginning directly after. Extra admission for non-members was 10 cents. The event was well-attended.
On March 18, Oscar Irwin and Will Skidmore broke through snow drifts to get to town from Tiffany. John Hitz broke through some large snow drifts to get to town from his farm in Wells County. Martin Endres from west of town, Paul Noack and Paul Duda were in on business. Henry L. Litcher left for Minneapolis, where he would be a bookkeeper for a large machinery business. Elmer Lindquist notified the public that two promissory notes dated Dec. 1, 1900, for $75 to Sven Pehrson and one dated Nov. 2, 1901, for $30 to Ole Pehrson had been lost or stolen, and he warned the public not to buy either note.
On the evenings of March 18 and 19, Newman, the hypnotic comedian, appeared at the Hotel Davies. Admission was 25 and 35 cents.
On March 19, Dr. J. Ross McKenzie came up from Carrington on the rotary plow to visit with the New Rockford doctors. The plow blasted out a huge drift in front of the depot, breaking three windows in Rodenberg & Schwoebel’s store front across Chicago Street, plus a looking glass in their hat case. The front of the store was filled with snow. A large chunk of snow went through the upper story window of Baird & Dresser’s office, striking Dresser’s knee and causing considerable pain. Everyone with a camera was out to take pictures of the plow and the flying snow. It took 12 hours for the plow to power through the drifts near Sheyenne. The plow reached Leeds on March 21; W.O. Baird was on board.
George Pike had been on his way to Fargo for the Elks’ convention, but was reportedly snowed in at Jamestown [he was not; he made it to Fargo and was initiated]; he returned to New Rockford on the March 19 train.
That day, Nick Majerus came over from eastern Wells County. Frank Graham came in from Tiffany. T.K. Everson was in from his farm southeast of town and J.R. Craig and F.H. Goodrich from their farms west of town, all on business. Fred Martin came in from his farm. Martin Larson of Barlow, Elmer Lindstrom and William Chamberlain were in on business. Major F.O. Getchell of Fort Totten was on the storm-delayed train, having been to Washington, D.C., Northfield, Minn. and Bismarck.
On March 20, H.P. Halverson returned from two months in the East. L.J. Philleo, a traveling salesman for the Erie Refining Co., visited H.L. Lyon, who knew him back in Michigan. Robert Vivra, George Burnett and Peter Crane were in from Tiffany. Verne Goodrich was in on business. John Collins and K.K. Moe were in New Rockford, the latter limping due to rheumatism. Jamestown attorney Fredrus Baldwin was up on legal business.
The March 21, “Transcript” said there were a few cases of mumps in New Rockford, including J.R. Winslow. James MacLachlan suffered a highly inflamed arm after blood poisoning set in after a vaccination.
Mr. and Mrs. A.W. Cady of Perry, Ind., had moved into the Hester house in south New Rockford. Mr. and Mrs. C.A. Lathrop had taken up residence in their new home on Lamborn Avenue. Mr. and Mrs. James MacLaughlan [MacLachlan?] were moving into the Severtson residence on Stimson Avenue. Mr. and Mrs. A.D. Tomlinson returned from their western trip. Major F.O. Getchell of Fort Totten and C.J. Maddux had been in Washington, D.C., for meetings on reservation business; they had started for home on the B&O Railroad.
The Powers Elevator was delivering wood to its city customers free of charge. H. Peoples was selling Double Disc Drills.
Erick Lindstrom had resigned as a clerk in Rodenberg & Schwoebel’s; he was planning on leaving for his Bowdon homestead in a few days to farm.
A few days prior H.G. Hudson was shoveling snow off the roof of his store when he saw C.J. Maddux of the “Transcript” approaching. When Maddux walked below him, Hudson tossed a shovelful of snow on the newspaperman, who had the last laugh because Hudson then slipped and sprained his wrist
