Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
On April 29, 1902, Mrs. W.E. Curtis of Tiffany and Mrs. Ed Walsh shopped in town. Mrs. Martin Walsh visited in town. Peter Michel was in from the Guler district. Sheyenne Valley carpenter H.H. Moen was in New Rockford. S.A. Olsness of Sheyenne, Bismarck attorney M.T. O’Connor, and Joseph Christ were in town, the latter on business.
On April 29 and 30, Rev. C.P. Shanafeldt, general Baptist missionary for North Dakota, was in New Rockford; he was preparing to select a pastor to replace Rev. Samuel Van Tassel, but it was proving difficult since Rev. Van Tassel was “a most popular gentleman.”
On April 30, the new drug store building was begun between R.R. Woodward’s general store and J.W. Rager’s harness shop. The older building was moved to the rear of the lot and would be used as a storeroom. The new building would have a full plate-glass front.
That day, Cathay farmer August Schwenk and Ed Seastrand of the Sheyenne Valley were in on business. Hans Peterson was in from the Eden area. Nels Farr came in from Tiffany. Dennis O’Keefe came in on business. James Hobbs was in town. That evening, E.M. Myhra received a telegram informing him of the death of his father in Seattle; the next day he left on the train for Davenport, Iowa, his former home, to be with his family.
On April 30, the Bank of New Rockford had resources (assets) of $106,152.42, down $5913.80 from the $112,066.22 of Feb. 25. Checking accounts amounted to $67,778.42, down $7790.29 from the $75,568.71 of Feb. 25.
On April 30, the Eddy County State Bank had resources (assets) of $26,160.95, down $1612.77 from the $27,773.72 of Feb. 25. Checking accounts were $12,015.54, down $3517.89 from the $15,533.43 of Feb. 25.
On May 1, Peter Ewals was in town; he said his fields were very wet. Moses Reames was in from the George Schwoebel farm. H.G. Gage returned from Minnesota; his wife remained behind to be with her father, who was very ill. Elevatorman Benjamin W. Rantz went to Minneapolis on business. Mrs. O.W. West and Miss Caroline left for a winter in their former Indiana home. Mrs. Ada Unruh, national organizer and lecturer for the WCTU, lectured in the Congregational Church on “Temperance” and “Purity.”
On the evening of May 1, Rev. M.P. Burns preached in the Methodist Church.
The May 2, 1902, “New Rockford Transcript” carried a masthead: C.J. Maddux, Publisher; A.C. Olsen, Editor and Manager. The name “H.L. Lyon” no longer appeared. That edition mentioned the following newspapers: “Cando Record,” “Fargo Call,” “Harvey Herald,” and “Steele Ozone.”
Prader & Goss sold Emerson and Rock Island Plows. Frank Parker was a salesman at Prader & Goss. H.A. Buffington had 100 acres of cultivated land for rent two miles south of New Rockford. Verne Goodrich had for sale a 1,000 bushels of first-class millet seed, a 1,000 bushels of good seed oats, and a five-year old full-blooded Durham bull.
That issue said that Devils Lake had been drying up for at least 19 years; the long arms and bays were dry; the water had become saltier, and fish began disappearing around 1888 to the point where they were practically non-existent at present.
Materials were being hauled for the construction of a house for Eddy County State Bank cashier Shroyer just west of the Mr. and Mrs. R.U. Austin residence on Villard Avenue West. The creamery building was “coming right along.” The “Transcript” commented that the fire department building on Villard Avenue needed to be completed; it was not in very good shape. Philip Ackerman was hauling lumber for a 16x48 addition to his barn.
L.C. and H.M. Kennedy, two young men from Austin, Minn., had rented the Ed Starks farm east of New Rockford.
Captain A.J. Clure and manager Dr. Charles MacLachlan were getting the baseball team into shape. Games had been scheduled with Minnewaukan on May 8 and on Decoration Day in Carrington. The team had practiced every evening that week.
James Stoddard had been cleaning up his backyard; the “Transcript” said everyone should.
George Schwoebel and James Walsh had been ill the past few days.
George F. Fahrer of the East Side Meat Market was in his old home town of Lancaster, Ohio, on business.
Crocus Lodge #27 of the Degree of Honor had passed a resolution of sympathy on the passing of member Nannie (Mrs. Carl) King on April 20 after a long illness. The Memorial Committee was W.A. Canning, Carrie E. Fay, and Alice M. Rager.
Early in the week Fred Pietsch was in from the Hall district on business. During the week Mrs. Frank Hawthorne and children were in town to visit her mother Mrs. H.W. Clark. E.S. Severtson planted some trees in his yard. Mrs. R.A. Knapp of Minneapolis was visiting her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Dresser; it was her first visit to New Rockford. She left for home on May 6.
The previous week O.W. West went out to his homestead near Bowbells.
Recently the Lyon Land and Loan Company had been organized by former New Rockford residents F.I. and H.L. Lyon; it would operate in Ward County.
On May 2, Mack Majerus and Ed Roach were in town on business. J.M. Patch arrived from Indianapolis to look over his business and farming interests. [His daughter Harriett was going to summer in New Rockford; his daughters Gertrude Parch and May H. Hanson and Grandmother Patch were going to spend the summer in Wisconsin; Patch was going to sell his property in Indianapolis and move to the Twin Cities before fall; he didn’t]. That evening the Employees’ Association sponsored a May Day Grand Promenade at the Hotel Davies to benefit their baseball team. It was “very successful and enjoyable.” A large crowd saw the plaiting of the May Pole by some children: Lloyd Beardsley, Edith Campbell, Fena Carlson, Harta Dinnetz, Clifford Gardner, Blanche Henry, Charles Maddux, and Lynn Radtke, instructed by Miss Frances Thomson. There was dancing “until a late hour.”
