History of New Rockford: Aug 12, 2019

On Aug. 5, 1902, Iver Vick of Sheyenne, John T. West of eastern Eddy County, Fred Laasch from his farm southwest of town, and G.W. Johnston were in town. Frank Graham and Went Mcgee, both of Tiffany, and Charles Albright came in on business. Mr. and Mrs. M. Mattson were down from the Sheyenne Valley to shop. Daniel Sullivan arrived from the Twin Cities to work the harvest. R.P. Allison went to Fargo on legal business. George M. Pike left for the Twin Cities, Duluth, and Chicago to purchase a fall line of dry goods for H. Peoples & Co. Mrs. C.H. Babcock went to Knox. Dr. Charles MacLachlan went to Jamestown for a meeting of the State Asylum Board. Miss Gertrude McGeoch returned to Oberon after visiting her sister Mrs. F.G. Haver. J.M. Patch went to Fargo in connection with his new brick building. At 2 p.m. the Ladies Aid met at Mrs. P.H. West’s home. Sixteen carloads of freight were brought into New Rockford on the NP; “great business.” That evening there was a surprise party for Miss Sarah West given by her young friends.

On Aug. 6, William Bucklin received a full-blooded pointer from Ellsworth, Minn., for the hunting season. George Treffry had for sale on his farm three miles southeast of New Rockford forty heavy Iowa farm horses. Peter Dodds and Rudolph Indergaard were in on business, the latter from Plainview. Fred Zimmerman, Sr., was in for harvest supplies. Michael O’Keefe was in from western Eddy County. Mrs. James Dafoe drove down from the Sheyenne Valley. Miss Caroline Waters came in to visit. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Miller came in from Marshalltown, Iowa, to work on George Treffry’s farm. Win Holgate was over from Grand Forks to visit relatives. Miss Nellie Hester went to Leeds. George Norton left to spend a few weeks in his old home, Bemis Point, NY; he returned on September20. S.N. Putnam went to Carrington on business. James T. Wiltsie went to his old home, Athens, Ontario, Canada. That afternoon the Baptist Sunday School picnic was held in Peoples’ Grove. That evening two Italians entertained some New Rockford residents with two trained bears.

On that day Orley Elbert Couch and Sadie Mabelle Wilton were married at the bride’s parents’ home at Sibley Butte, Burleigh County, N.D.; there were around 35 ve guests. At 5 p.m. they traveled to Bismarck and at 10 p.m. took the train to New Rockford, but they may have stopped along the way since they didn’t get into New Rockford until Aug. 8. The groom had been with the Central Drug Store for two years and was a junior partner. The bride’s parents Mr. and Mrs. William H. Wilton had visited in New Rockford the previous September.

On Aug. 7, Mrs. Axtle Johnson and Mrs. William Cornish were in to shop. P.H. West returned from his business trip to McHenry. C.H. Ruland came in from Tiffany. L.A. Arbogast was in from Duluth to look over his elevator business. Gilbert Bymoen was in on business. John Goodin came up from Barlow to visit. G.J. Schwoebel returned from his trip to the West Coast and British Columbia. Mr. and Mrs. George Hickey went to Carrington to visit Mr. and Mrs. F.N. Chaffee. W.G. Carter started his wheat harvest near Tiffany.

The Aug. 8, 1902, “New Rockford Transcript” contained the following: “Announcement—I hereby announce my candidacy for nomination to the office of register of deeds of Eddy county subject to the decision of the republican county convention. A.G. GARDNER.” The “Transcript” gave its endorsement, writing that “Gardner… is without question the most capable, efficient, and trustworthy official ever occupying that office.”

Dora Vegen was the new dry goods clerk at H. Peoples’ store. During the absence of druggist C.H. Babcock, Charles O’Connell was behind the counter. Charles Ruetenik had gone to Bowdon to take over the management of F.A. Watt’s meat market.

New Rockford merchant J.H. Hohl had returned to Los Angeles after visiting Oregon and Washington.

Contractor H.W. Clark was building a 14x24, two-story addition to Mr. and Mrs. B.W. Rantz’s east side residence. Nick Majerus was building bridges in western Wells County and was very upset that every night someone was stealing lumber from his pile.

During the week as the northbound train came in, Jacob Broeder’s team ran away, crossing the tracks just ahead of the locomotive which missed them by about four feet. Broeder got the horses under control about a half mile west of town; no damage. Former resident D.L. Jump (1897-1898) was in town; he was a traveling salesman for the Cary Safe Company of Minneapolis.

On Aug. 8, George Fields was in from his Tiffany farm. Mr. and Mrs. George F. Putnam and daughter Miss Gertrude were up from Minneapolis to visit Mr. and Mrs. B.W. Rantz. That afternoon the Congregational Sunday School Picnic was held in the H.M. Clark grove. That evening a reception for newlyweds Orley E. and Sadie M. Couch was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Buck on Stimson Ave. West. That night there was a “soaker rain” at Plainview.

On Aug. 9, John Gardner gave a written testimonial about his three-year old Champion Force Feed Binder, which he had purchased from the Clure Implement Company and for the fine service he had received since. Charles Chamberlain came in for harvest supplies. Alfred Dinnetz and O.C. Gronvold were in from their farms northwest of New Rockford. Ludwig Hanson was in town from Plainview. Herman Straus and John Wurtemberger, the latter a nephew of B.W. Rantz, arrived for the fall. Mrs. Harriet L. Brown, mother of Grace Putnam, left to visit her sister in Kansas City, Mo. Mrs. A.W. Healey returned to Churchs Ferry after visiting several days. A.J. Clure went to Carrington on farm machinery business. That afternoon Treffry and Adams sold thirty to forty Iowa farm horses at a public auction; Col. W.P. Mosby of Marshalltown, Iowa, was the auctioneer.

In the early hours of Sunday, Aug. 10 [the “Transcript” said the evening of August 9], the six-month old son of Mr. and Mrs. H.W. Clark died after a lingering illness. The funeral was on the afternoon of Aug. 12. Interment was in the cemetery north of town [Prairie Home], where his gravestone reads “Francis P. Clark Feb. 12, 1902-Aug. 10, 1902.” That Sunday C.L. Sheldon, an attorney for over 30 years from Sterling, Ill., arrived to visit his brother I.W. Sheldon and family.

On the morning of Aug. 11, there was some frost, but no real damage. Adolph Wilson returned from his homestead up the Soo Line and would remain in New Rockford the rest of the fall. G.W. Nakuroth arrived from Aberdeen, WA, to work a table in H.A. Berge’s cigar factory. W.A. Wells, who had been employed in the C.J. Maddux Law Office for some time, left for his Minneapolis home. Hugh Scott left to harvest his fields up on the Soo Line. Mrs. A.W. Cady went to Minneapolis to select her fall millinery stock.