History of New Rockford- April 29, 2019

On the morning of May 19, 1902, the little daughter of Sheriff and Mrs. J.E. Bennett caught her index finger on the right hand in the cog wheels of a washing machine. Her finger was badly torn, but could be saved. Miss Hamberg, the 12-year-old stepdaughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Weipert, was hunting gophers. Carrying her .22 rifle in her right hand, she accidentally touched the trigger and shot herself in the left arm, just above the wrist, with the bullet lodging near the elbow. Dr. McNamara had spent the next few days trying to prevent blood poisoning. The southbound train brought Mrs. James Lahart from Minnewaukan to visit her sister. Frank Bailey and his mother were in from Tiffany. The new McHenry attorney J.F. Faytle visited Dr. Charles MacLachlan, who had just returned from St. Paul, where he had visited Mr. and Mrs. James MacLachlan and their little daughter. Dennis Pottinger was down from Esmond and joined his brother-in-law Charles F. Culp as a carpenter. C.J. Hartson was over from Caledonia, Minn., on business. Mr. and Mrs. John O’Connell and James Welsh were in town, as were Oscar Irwin, J.M. Shannon and Joseph Dutee from eastern Eddy County. H. Peoples and E.S. Severtson returned from Minneapolis and Fargo. W.C. Hayes went to Fargo to represent the New Rockford AOUW [Workmen] at the Grand Lodge. Mrs. W.O. Baird also went to that city for the Degree of Honor Grand Lodge. That evening R.J. Howden and G.B. Mansfield of McHenry were initiated into the Masons.

On May 19-20, the Eddy County Commission met and voted to pay D.H. Chamberlain of Fargo $63 for 12 road scrapers.

From May 19 to May 22, Mrs. A.M. Greely was in Fargo to represent the Crocus Lodge at the Degree of Honor Grand Lodge.

On May 20, Mr. and Mrs. Sylvanus Marriage, Mrs. Went Mcgee, Mrs. A.G. Mathews, Mrs. W.C. Schwoebel and Mrs. M. Reames were in shopping. Mr. and Mrs. D.E. Hubbell arrived from Marlette, MI, where he published the “Leader,” to visit Mr. and Mrs. S.N. Putnam and other friends; Hubbell had been on the “Transcript” staff when it began in 1883 with type being set in New Rockford, but printing done in Jamestown. Hubbell had filed on land later owned by A.G. Gardner near Tiffany. Ole Dahler was in from the Sheyenne Valley. Ed Hogue, foreman of the Niven farm, was in town; he revealed he had suffered with a bad case of the mumps. Attorney R.P. Allison went to Fargo on legal business. J.M. Patch was in Carrington on business. David Bailey went to St. Luke’s Hospital in St. Paul for an operation on “an enlargement under his left arm.” That evening Robert O’Neill was in town. Mrs. C.J. Maddux hosted a five-table whist party with Mrs. H.L. Lyon as the guest of honor. Also that evening a son, Alva III, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Alva Tomlinson, at the home of his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. A.D. Tomlinson of New Rockford; Dr. Charles MacLachlan was in attendance.

From May 20 to 22, Lester Holgate was in Cathay.

On May 21, M. Reames was in from his farm. Theodore Quam rode his bicycle from Sheyenne to New Rockford. Mrs. H.J. Lyon left to join her husband at Bowbells, where he had a law, land, loan, and insurance office. Alice (Mrs. J.W.) Rager left for a month’s visit at Jamestown, N.Y.; it had been several years since she had visited her former home. Mrs. P.J. Hester took the northbound train to Leeds and then to Crookston, where her sister was ill. Christina Mattson went to the Twin Cities to purchase furniture for the addition to the Hotel Mattson; she returned on May 30. A buggy ran over and killed the full-blooded English setter pup that Captain Mudgett of Valley City had given to Dr. Charles MacLachlan. That evening W.C. Dresser was initiated into the Eastern Star Lodge.

On May 22, Mrs. BurtonHulbert was in shopping. Richard Baker was in from his Tiffany farm. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ewals were in town. Mr. and Mrs. C.B. Goodrich were in town shopping. Miss Dora Yegen was up from Minneapolis to visit her sister Miss Lyle Yegen. In baseball it was Kensal 12; Carrington 7; going to the game in Carrington from New Rockford were baseball captain A.J. Clure, Donald Niven, D.Y. Stanton, and Dr. Charles MacLachlan. The officers and the executive committee of the Early Settlers’ Association visited Roberts Grove and found it was in excellent condition for that organization’s summer meeting. That evening New Rockford had a heavy downpour of rain, but the next day was sunny. That evening the Employees’ Association met to plan the July Fourth festivities.

On May 22 to 23, eighth-grade completion exams were given in the courthouse and the Sheyenne School; those who passed would receive a common school diploma, allowing them to attend high school without an examination. Grace B. Putnam was the County Superintendent.

The May 23, 1902, “New Rockford Transcript” bragged of the appearance [or the hoped-for appearance] of several streets:

Chicago Street [now 8th Street]: a three-story brick Hotel Davies, $18,000 [I don’t think it was built.]; the brick J.M. Patch Block, $6,000; J.L. Kinnaird’s new $2,000 store; Mr. and Mrs. H.J. Mitchell’s new $3,000 residence;

Villard Avenue [now Central Avenue]: the new Bucklin & Babcock drug store, $2,500; John Wenz’s new two-story shoe store, $1,200; an addition to Prader & Goss, $1,000; completion of the Hotel Mattson, $1,000; Mrs. Edna Flater’s new house, $1,000;

Lamborn Avenue West [now 1st Ave. North]: R.R. Woodward’s new residence, $2,500; John Olson’s new house, $1,800; Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Buck’s new residence, $5,000; two smaller houses belong to the Bucks, $2,400;

At St. Paul & Villard: George A. Brown’s new Opera House [just south of the present Brown Memorial]; In addition there was a new creamery, $2,000.

During the early part of the week, George Brown, the creamery man, had arrived and had the concrete floor laid in the creamery building. The East Side Meat Market, formerly a partnership between Bennett & Fahrer, would in the future be owned completely by George Fahrer.

Mrs. Edna Flater’s two-story house on Villard Avenue West was almost completed; Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Fertig and family would live there.