History of New Rockford: May 25, 2020

On April 5, 1903, the Eddy County Board of Health (James A. Manly, president; J.W. Stoddard, vice president; Dr. Charles MacLachlan, superintendent) adopted the following orders: All manure, garbage, offal, or refuse near any dwelling, business, or water supply must be removed. No such material, unless spread out and plowed under, could be within a half-mile of any dwelling or public highway, or within a quarter-mile of any water supply. Carcasses of domestic animals must be removed and buried at least four feet deep at least a half-mile from any dwelling and a quarter-mile from any water source or public highway. In New Rockford and Sheyenne all yards, privies, areas around outbuildings, cellars, and wells must be cleaned and all manure, garbage, etc., had to be removed and disposed of as described above.

Violators were subject to prosecution with fines up to $100 or up to 30 days in jail.

On April 6, there was a heavy rain followed by a snowstorm which set spring work back a week; however, that did not deter C.C. Manning from coming down from Sheyenne or Matt Mattson, Jr., from the Sheyenne Valley. Sylvanus Marriage was in on business. Miss Ella Grierson arrived by train from Thornburg, Ontario, to take a position as stenographer/bookkeeper at the C.J. Maddux Law Office; she was the sister of Mrs. C.F. Sewrey. R.R. Woodward, James Hackney, and Rev. J.R. Beebe and his son saw President Theodore Roosevelt in Fargo. Mrs. J.M. Mulvey went to Barnesville, Minn., to visit her sister Mrs. F.E. Diemer and family; she returned on April 25. That evening George M. Pike, Frank Reed, and George Norton were in Carrington to become 7th Degree Masons; C.H. Babcock and J.E. Bennett accompanied them.

On April 6 and 7, postmaster J.J. Anderson and William Mattison were in from Freeborn. On April 6 to 8, jeweler F. Howard was in Fargo. On April 6 to 9, Lloyd Whiteman was in Fessenden.

The Eddy County Commission met on April 6 to 8:

April 6—voted to pay $2 to Noxon & Oglesby for the courthouse phone rent and $20 to Dr. Charles MacLachlan for fumigating the quarantine areas and for investigating the glanders infection for the Board of Health.

April 7—passed a resolution granting permission to the New Rockford Light and Water Improvement Company (S.N. Putnam, president; G.W. Brownell, v.p.; W.C. Dresser, secretary; Donald Niven, treasurer; J.W. Rager, W.O. Baird, H. Arveskaug, E.S. Severtson, Dr. Charles MacLachlan, A.C. Buck, etc.) to place pipes, hydrants, poles, wires, and fixtures for its light or power system in New Rockford for 20 years.

The Commission also passed a resolution granting the Northwestern Telephone Exchange Company the privilege to use New Rockford highways to place telephone poles, wires and fixtures from the city line to New Haven Street, north on that street and its extension to the Tiffany road, then east to the highway running between sections 29 and 28, then north through T149, R66 [New Rockford], and T150, R66 [Gates], then east to the Jamestown & Northern [Devils Lake branch line] right-of-way, then north on the highway next to the right-of-way to Sheyenne.

The Commissioners voted to pay $79.90 to E. Starks for coal and wood for the courthouse; $30 to W.C. Hayes for his March janitor’s salary; and accepted a bid of 94½ cents per oz. for strychnine by the Buck & Couch drug store.

On April 8, they rejected a bill from Father W.A. Gallahue for $15 for the funeral of murder victim Richard Cahill; accepted a bill of $25 from George A. Brown (he asked for $46.50) for board and room for Richard Cahill; accepted a bid of $75 by Dr. G.D. Murphy (he asked for $110) for an operation on and treatment of Richard Cahill; and paid $6.50 to Gust Lauch for whitewashing the jail.

On April 7. W.M. and C.H. Chamberlain had a big farm sale of stock, machinery and household goods at their farm 8 miles northeast of New Rockford. Mrs. E.A. Gammell returned from Esmond, where she visited her grandson. Carl Borgerson was in on business from Freeborn. John Carroll came in for spring supplies. Miss Helen Oliver returned to her home in McHenry. Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Campbell and Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Stoddard saw President Theodore Roosevelt in Jamestown.

On April 7 and 8, Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Allison and Miss Krebsbach, all of Esmond, visited in New Rockford. Veterinarian surgeon Frank Tompkins was down from Oberon on a professional visit.

On April 8, George M. Dodds came in for spring supplies. Jacob Roffler from west of town, George D. Setz of eastern Eddy County, Jake Adam, William Thorn, and James Renfrew were in on business. Richard White came up from Melville, where he had spent the winter. B.T. Fay returned from a winter’s visit to Mason City, Iowa. Miss Blanche Brownell came in from Jamestown, where she had been attending college, to spend Easter with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. G.W. Brownell; she returned on April 14. North Dakota Assistant Attorney General J.F. Philbrick stopped off to shake hands with friends after the northbound train pulled in. Mrs. J.E. Hyde and Miss H.H. Turner went to Fargo to visit. Mr. and Mrs. J.G. Hamilton left to spend a few weeks in their old home, New York State.

On April 9, the Bank of New Rockford, Ernest S. Severtson, cashier, had resources (assets) of $118,511.53, down $4519.23 from the $123,030.76 of Feb. 6. Checking accounts amounted to $58,963.03, down $4235.30 from the $63,198.33 of Feb. 6.

On April 9, the First National Bank of New Rockford, James E. Hyde, cashier, had resources (assets) of $63,364.94, down $2016.30 from the $65,381.24 of Feb. 6. Checking accounts were $14,768.89, down $1479.76 from the $18,178.59 of Feb. 6.

On April 9, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hollquist/Hallquist were in shopping. Tiffany blacksmith J.A. McCrum was in on business. Guy Rager of Roann, Ind., came in to visit his uncle J.W. Rager and his wife Alice. Miss Orphe Kessner arrived from Disco, Ind., for the summer. Erick Lindstrom returned from a business trip to Denhoff. Miss Pearl Henry took the train to Esmond, where she was the school principal. Barlow barber Granville Egbert went to Carrington to work in J.W. Hicks’s barbershop. M.F. Kepner was in Fessenden on business.

Mrs. A.W. Cady celebrated the 1903 Grand Opening of her shop with a spring line of millinery from April 9 to 11.