History of New Rockford: Oct. 7, 2019

The Sept. 19, 1902, “New Rockford Transcript” stated that the previous week the “Cavalier County Republican” had started its 14th year of publication. The new Industrial School building was going up in Ellendale.

A note said L.C. Oefstedahl of Sheyenne was a grain buyer for Charles Pake at Goodrich.

R.R. Woodward had a farm team for sale, five and six years old, 2,200 lbs. Mrs. J.E. Bennett had two rooms for rent in a private dwelling.

Mrs. Annie Hammer was putting an addition on her property on Villard Avenue West, just east of the Mattson Hotel. The brick work was done on the J.M. Patch Block and the carpenters were at work.

C.J. Maddux won the prize given away by Prader & Goss with #23 in the drawing for an Elgin gold watch; he gave it to his young son Charles.

On Sept. 19, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Walden were in shopping. George Fields was in from Tiffany on business. Miss Amelia Carlson departed for Minneapolis, where she would attend college. Mrs. E.S. Severtson went to Carrington; she returned on Sept. 22, accompanied by Miss Lucia Nelson. That evening there was a wrestling match between George F. Hart and Carl Broun. James McGwine was the referee and M.F. Kepner was the time keeper. In the first round Broun floored Hart in four minutes; in round two Hart downed Broun in seven minutes; in the third round Broun’s second interfered, so the referee awarded the decision to Hart on a foul. Broun had a “considerable weight advantage” on Hart.

On the morning of Sept. 20, Frank Anderson, who managed the P.M. Mattson farm in the Sheyenne Valley, got his left hand caught in a threshing machine belt; the accident broke and shattered bones in his forearm. He was taken to Sheyenne, where Dr. Bartley dressed the arm, but amputation had not been ruled out. Mrs. A.W. Cady held the fall opening of her millinery shop opposite the Hotel Mattson with displays of her new stock from the Twin Cities. Miss Gertrude McGeoch came down from Oberon to visit her sister Mrs. F.G. Haver; she returned on Sept. 29. Hugh Dudgeon came in to visit his sister Mrs. P.J. Hester and family; he left on Sept. 25. P.C. Peterson was up from Barlow on business. Mrs. J.C. Fay went to Voltaire to join her husband, who was a grain buyer there. E.S. Severtson, J.M. Mulvey, H.F. Rodenberg, H. Arveskaug, George Ackerman, William Bucklin, H.J. Mitchell, and F.C. Davies went to Minnewaukan to hunt ducks and prairie chickens; they returned on Sept. 22 with over 200 birds.

On the morning of Sunday, Sept. 21, a daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. C.J. Stickney, and a daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Manning of Sheyenne. Morning and evening Methodist services were held in the Baptist Church; Sabbath School was held at the usual hour. Herb Losee was in town. Two young Carrington men, Henry Westad and Arthur Swearinger, visited in New Rockford, as did Walter Schmid. Sheyenne elevator man A.H. Johnson was in town. Operator Hubbard of the Northern Pacific depot visited Jamestown. That afternoon Mrs. James T. Wiltsie and little daughter Hataline were in a buggy a mile south of town on a downgrade when the traces came unfastened and the horses pulled Mrs. Wiltsie over the dashboard and onto the ground. She suffered a broken collarbone and many bruises; her daughter had some bruises. That evening Dr. Boynton, secretary of the Congregational Publishing Society, preached in the Congregational Church.

On Sept. 21 and 22, James Hamilton was in Fargo. On Sept. 22 Charles Geer, Carl Field, and W.H. Bateman were over from McHenry to testify in the Anderson vs. Wasserman contested land case, a dispute over a valuable quarter section in eastern Eddy County. Andrew Anderson was a witness. McHenry attorney J.F. Faytle represented the contestant in the case. McHenry attorney W.O. Lowden was also in town on legal matters. Miss Harriet Waters came down from Sheyenne for a few days’ visit. Andrew Ohrner returned from St. Paul, where he had undergone another operation for a tumor on his head. Mrs. Clyde Hall and family left for their old home in Randolph, NY. Miss Elsie Keime left for Valley City, where she would attend the Normal School. Mr. and Mrs. James McGwine left for their Lancaster, Ohio, home after visiting their daughter Mrs. Florence Miller. Miss Carolyn [Caroline] Waters was on the southbound train on her way to Chicago, where she would take vocal lessons. That evening Mrs. W.O. Crane came up from Carrington to visit, and Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Carroll came in from their ranch near Washington Lake.

On Sept. 23 L.G. Arbogast was in town, looking after his elevator business. Esmond barber R.L. Allison was in New Rockford, visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.P. Allison. F.W. House, one of the proprietors of the bowling alley, went to Jamestown to meet his wife and daughter, who had been in New York State visiting relatives; they returned to New Rockford the next day. That evening Mattson Hotel clerk Andrew Johnson was in Carrington.

On Sept. 24 (or Oct. 1), George M. Scales of Worchester, Mass., an employee of the Boston & Maine Railroad, died; he was the brother of Mrs. George M. Pike of New Rockford.

On Sept. 25, a fire destroyed the J.A. Lahart and the Great Western elevators at Esmond. Mr. and Mrs. Robert O’Neill were in shopping. Peter P. Hallquist was in from his farm northwest of town. Gus Larson from Twist and J.G. Dailey were in town. Erick Lindstrom, bookkeeper for Rodenberg & Schwoebel, went to his farm near Bowdon to supervise flax threshing; he returned on Oct. 3. The Baptist ladies sponsored a chicken supper at their church for25cents a plate; it was “well-attended.” There was a special meeting of the Eastern Star that evening; Minnie M. Bennett, Worthy Matron.

On the afternoon of Sept. 25, the six-month term of the Midway School closed with a program. There were a song and a march by the students; “Memory Gems” by the students; Ethelyne Davidson and Harry Knable gave a reading, “The Child and the Bird”; Jessie Davidson and Beth Knable sang “North Dakota.”

Recitations were presented by Alice Doyle, “Goldenrod”; Beth Knable, “Discontent”; Frances Doyle, “A Question,” followed by the song “Lightly Row” by Beth and Harvey Knable.

There were recitations by Jessie Davidson, “When Mother Goes Away”; an unnamed one by Nettie Doyle; “We Have a Secret” by Harvey Knable; an unnamed one by Ethelyne Davidson, followed by the students singing “Vacation.”

After the program Mr. Doyle entertained with his gramophone, followed by light refreshments.