History of New Rockford: July 19, 2021

On April 1, 1904, Clayton Hall and George Pincott came down from the Sheyenne Valley on business and to visit. C.C. Lyford, new owner of the C.W. Hall farm in the Sheyenne Valley, came down on business. J.W. Perry passed through on the train from Esmond, continued on to Fargo on business, and returned on April 2. Edgar Wilson left for Jamestown to work in the Capital Hotel, where his brother Will was the chef.

On April 1 and 2, Mrs. Guss Gullicks offered for sale to the ladies of the area, her line of Easter millinery at her spring opening in her home on South Chicago Street.

On April 2, William Brueske turned the management of the Noxon-Oglesby Telephone Co. in New Rockford over to Albert Fairbanks, who had arrived from Valley City the day before; Brueske’s family would remain in town for an indefinite time. About fifty farmers attended a meeting that afternoon in the Maddux Law Offices and organized a Farmers’ Elevator Association with the following officers: A.D. Tomlinson, president; Joseph Maxwell, vice president; S.N. Putnam, secretary/treasurer. Elected to the board of directors were John Aldred, W.G. Carter, J.G. Dailey, A.J. Ford, N.C. Gunvaldson, Joseph Maxwell, S.N. Putnam, W.C. Schwoebel, and A.D. Tomlinson. Freeborn postmaster George Gillette was in New Rockford for the first time in nearly a year and a half; he did most of his trading in McHenry since it was nearer to his farm. John Welsh was down from the Sheyenne Valley.

On Sunday, April 3, there was special music at the Methodist Easter Services. At 8 o’clock that evening, there were Easter exercises in the Columbia School. Mrs. P.T. Anderson was the leader of a program in which the following recited, sang, or read: Amy Crane, Marie Roush, Alice Bailey, Vada Aultman, Mrs. Jennie Larkin, Hazel Roush, Zeter Anderson, Bessie Hobbs, Mrs. S.H. Bailey, Miss Johnson, Miss Fields, Lisle Anderson, Olga Dahl, Georgia Fields, Glenn Anderson, Irma Roush, Gene Anderson, Belle Aultman, Walter Aultman, Virgil Anderson, Ward Roush, Bernie Anderson, and Gordon Anderson.

Mrs. Anderson gave a Scripture reading, said a prayer, and made a short address. S.H. Bailey also gave a Scripture reading.

A Sunday School was organized after the program, with the following elected as officers: Mrs. P.T. Anderson, superintendent; Mrs. J.W. Harman, assistant superintendent; Mrs. Jennie Larkin, secretary/treasurer; Mrs. S.H. Bailey, librarian; Mrs. F.P. Roush, organist.

On April 4, Vada Aultman began teaching in the Dutee district school. Rachel Olson was teaching at the Columbia school. John Medlicott came down from Balfour and spent the week visiting. Mrs. M.J. Burke received a telegram from her son in White Creek, Wisc., that his wife was ill and not expected to live; she left on that day’s train. That evening, the Pioneer Dancing Club sponsored a card party.

On April 4 and 5, the Eddy County Commission (Braman, Dailey, Dafoe) met. On April 4, they added the following to the jury list: Thom Hanson, Even Hendrickson, Chris O. Holland, August Johnson, John Johnson, John Maisel, John McFarlin, Harry Mutchler, William Murry [Murray?], J.B. Newville, Dennis O’Connor, Halvor Odden, Dennis O’Keefe, Herman Olson, T.H. Packe, Hans Peterson, H.K. Peterson, S.P. Pisel, A.F. Prouty, B.W. Rantz, H.J. Row, O.J. Schutt, John Seckinger, I.W. Sheldon, F.F. Shoemaker, Fred Skidmore, Ervie Spraker [Sprecher?], S.J. Strand, Charles Turner, K.O. Vick, and N.O. Wold.

On April 5, they voted to pay the following: $32.70, Babcock and Bucklin, druggist supplies for the Molyneaux boy; $187 for 200 ounces of strychnine; $3.30 for lead pencils for court house; $40, W.C. Hayes, March janitor salary; $12, R.M. Kennedy, wood and coal for county poor, Mrs. Lewis, Mrs. Cahill, Mrs. Molyneaux; $4.50, J.R. Winslow, milk for county poor, Mrs. Cahill; $50, Dr. W.M. Bartley, medical care for Frank McCabe; $7.80, New Rockford Light and Water Improvement Co., light for March; $45, Mrs. A.G. Gardner, register of deeds’ clerk for March; $2, Noxon and Oglesby, March telephone. They approved the following for road supervisors: District #1, William Mattison; #7, Peter Hanson; #10, D.C. Warner.

On April 5, Peter P. Hallquist came in from his farm northwest of town and Nels Farr did the same from northeast of town. That afternoon there was “Ladies’ Bowling.” That afternoon, the board of trustees of the Phillips Academy met and opened bids; architect W.C. Albrant of Fargo attended. The building contract went to H.W. Clark of New Rockford for $11,995; the plumbing contract went to Holt, Dalby and Riley of Fargo at $2481. (Stephen Noxon came up from Valley City to represent his company on that bid, but failed to get it.) The board continued to discuss various aspects of the Academy and adjourned after a meeting the next day. Lots in the First Academy Addition, 50x140, were for sale at $100 to $150 per lot. Information was available from John F. Goss. From 3 to 5 p.m. the W.C.T.U. met at the Hotel Mattson, hosted by Mrs. B.W. Rantz. That evening a production of “The Royal Slave” went on in the Opera House; A.H. Johnson of Sheyenne attended. Also, the Barlow Woodmen Lodge sponsored its Second Annual Ball.

That day, the Eddy County Board of Health (James A. Manly, president; J.W. Stoddard, vice president; Dr. Charles MacLachlan, superintendent) met and stipulated that all regulations about manure, garbage, offal, refuse, animal carcasses, yards, privies, and outbuildings would be strictly enforced.

On April 6, Mr. and Mrs. George Treffry and William Plasic [Placek?] returned from a winter in Iowa (Marshalltown for the Treffrys); Plasic [Placek?] was ready to resume his job on the Treffry farm southeast of town. Jessie Treffry came up from Jamestown on the same train to visit her uncle and aunt; she had attended the Academy in Jamestown that winter. Dairy farmer A.J. Richter was in from the Plainview district for spring supplies. P.T. Tendick was up from Fargo, looking for someone to rent his farm in the New Rockford area. That afternoon, the board of directors of the Farmers’ Elevator met and drafted articles of incorporation. The association was named “The Farmers’ Elevator of New Rockford” and was capitalized at $10,000 of which $4000 had already been subscribed. Christen Myhre came back from a winter in Minnesota. That evening snow started falling and continued, on and off, until the next day; almost a foot of snow fell.

On April 6 and 7, Rev. L.J. Aldrich of Merom, Ind., the man chosen to be the principal of the Phillips Academy, was in town, looking over the grounds and meeting with the board of trustees.

On April 7, a snow storm did not deter some New Rockford hunters from going out after waterfowl, but they returned with little damage done to the flocks of geese and ducks which had been described as “very plentiful. Neither did it deter the West Side Kindergarten Whist Club, which met at the home of Mrs. H.G. Hudson and “had one of the best times ever.” Sam Swanson sold his interest in the Swanson Bros. general store to J.E. Cady; the firm would be called Swanson and Cady.