History of New Rockford: Oct. 4, 2021

The June 17, 1904, “Transcript” said Mrs. Guss Gullicks had been ill all week, but was improved.

In the latter part of the previous week, Mrs. Lucy Duck and son Bernard arrived from Adel, Iowa, to visit her sister Mrs. W.T. Buck and family for the summer and, hopefully, to improve Mrs. Buck’s health.

On the morning of June 17, a fifteen-minute rain freshened things up. Gus Larson from the Twist area, and George A. Prior from Freeborn, were in on business. Bertha and Mabel Gullicks came in from Enderlin to visit their uncle Guss Gullicks and family; Bertha left on June 26 from Carrington and Mabel returned home on June 29. Peter Shanahan left for a summer with his family in Mazomania, Wisc. H.J. Mitchell went to Brinsmade to play snare drum in the Minnewaukan band for “Gopher Day.” That evening, Dennis O’Keefe reported that the well he was drilling for Phillips Academy had struck water at 140 feet.

On June 18, the Eddy County Democratic Convention named James A. Manly and J.L. Prader, Jr., as delegates to the State Convention in Fargo; the two went to Fargo on June 20 and returned on June 22. County Superintendent of Schools Grace B. (Mrs. S.N.) Putnam returned from Grand Forks, where she had attended UND during the winter term and graduated that spring; her mother Mrs. Brown accompanied her, having spent the winter with her daughter. S.N. Putnam returned with his wife and mother-in-law. Phillip Ackerman of eastern Wells County, and William Milne, Jr., of the Sheyenne Valley, were in on business. Col. D.F. Ellsworth returned from a week in Carrington, where he helped with the “Independent.” That evening, a basket social was held at the farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Allmaras to benefit the Catholic Church; nearly 150 baskets were sold. Music was provided by Andrew Johnson, H.J. Radtke, and W.J. Schmid.

The topic of the sermon at the Methodist Church on the evening of Sunday, June 19, was supposed to be “The Card Table,” but it was cancelled because Rev. Sewrey was in Velva; the Sabbath School and the Epworth League did meet. It rained that afternoon.

On June 20, Andrew Dodds was in on business and to visit. Vernon Haight arrived from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to spend the summer with relatives. J.W. Perry came down from Esmond; on June 22, he left to visit the World’s Fair and to see his Missouri relatives; Willie Baird accompanied him as far as Illinois, where the boy would visit his grandmother for the summer. Both J.W. and Willie returned on July 21.

On June 20 and 21, John Weimals was in Carrington on business.

The annual school election was held on June 21. John F. Goss was elected for a three-year term as a director, and E.S. Severtson was elected as the treasurer. On that day, the Eddy County Commission met. The following bills were allowed and payment authorized: $12, Mrs. C.A. Edwards [Edmunds?], rent for Mrs. Molyneaux, county poor; $130, Dr. G.D. Murphy, medical attention and operation on the Molyneaux boy; consultation on the W.S. Lyon case; $7.50, Hotel Davies, board for Molyneaux boy and nurse; $16.25, George A. Brown, meals for jurors.

Herman Olson was appointed as the road supervisor for road district #11.

The bid for the steel bridge submitted by the Fargo Bridge and Iron Company, for $4396, was accepted. There were eight other bids.

On June 21, at noon a special train with the militia [National Guard] on board passed through New Rockford on their way to their encampment on Devils Lake; they got off at Oberon and marched the rest of the way. Ed Martin went to Minneapolis to accompany his wife home after her recovery from an operation. Mrs. J.R. Beebe and her mother went to Aberdeen, S.D., for a visit. Dr. and Mrs. J.G. Johns returned to Bowdon after several days visiting his brother A.R. Johns. That evening, there was a dance at the Opera House.

On June 22, Kathryn Wheeler, who had spent some time in New Rockford in the summer of 1903, and William Spain, were married at the home of the bride’s father in Atwater, Minn. George Fields of Tiffany was in on business and to visit. W.C. Bowers came in on business from southeast of town. H.G. Lathrop came in from eastern Eddy County; he had the only registered Angora goats in the county, three of them. Col. S.H. Bailey came in from the eastern Columbia district. Mrs. Oscar Bauer and baby, and Mrs. B.C. Larkin and baby, left for Kilborn City, Wisc., for a couple months’ visit. D.Y. Stanton left on a business trip to Minneapolis; he returned on June 29. It rained that night.

On June 23, John Dodds came to town. Dr. C.J. McNamara and Mrs. A.C. Buck came up from Barlow between trains. It rained heavily that evening.

The June 24, 1904, “Transcript” stated that at a recent meeting of the State High School Board, Caledonia, Harvey, New Rockford, and Rolla were towns with “…high schools of the first grade in any district.” In the future, no high school would be classified as “first grade” unless the district had an assessed valuation of at least $250,000. It was expected that on September 1, high schools in Carrington, Dickinson, Lidgerwood, and Mandan would be classified as “first class.” [There was no explanation of the difference between a “first grade” and a “first class” high school.]

An ad: July Fourth fireworks and flags at Buck and Couch’s drug store. C.J. Maddux wanted a cook for a private family; no work outside kitchen and dining room with Sundays off after breakfast and good wages. S. McDowell had for sale, on easy terms, a six-room house with closets, a barn with room for six horses, a buggy shed, and six lots.

An ad—Northwest Lumber Company (successor to G.W. Brownell), F.W. Ford, agent, all kinds of building material; a feed mill in connection; closing out all farm machinery, wagons, buggies, paints, oils, binding twine, lawn swings, etc., at savings of ten to forty percent.

During the week, the Masonic Hall was equipped with a fire escape.

Former Eddy County resident Walter Immel had recently traveled from Fessenden to Minneapolis, where he entered a hospital for treatment of Bright’s Disease.

The previous week, L.J. Aldrich, the retiring president of the Union Christian College in Meron, Ind., was presented with a $75 gold watch at the commencement ceremonies; Aldrich had been named the president of Phillips Academy and had indicated that he and his family would be moving to New Rockford the first week of August.

Also the previous week, the N.D. Supreme Court reversed a district court ruling in favor of New Rockford drayman P.H. West, in his suit against the Northern Pacific Railway, for the death of his team at a railroad crossing. The amount in question was “quite a sum.”

On June 24, editor Homer Allison came down from Esmond to visit his parents for a few days.