History of New Rockford: Dec. 13, 2021

On Aug. 17, 1904, Beth and Harriet Davidson returned from a visit with their sister Mrs. John Medlicott at Balfour. Mrs. Charles Martin of Chicago arrived to visit her sisters, Mrs. C.F. Sewrey, and Ella Grierson. Frank Graham of Tiffany and O.R. Pomranke were in for harvest supplies. Carrie Jensen arrived from Forest City, Iowa, to visit her cousins, Hans and Christ Jensen. Lawrence Prader started his binders in a field of macaroni wheat and planned on moving to a field of oats in a few days.

On that day, someone dumped a load of rubbish on the west side of the bridge grade and on the south bank of the river and set it on fire. Several teams crossing the bridge were frightened by the smoke and came close to turning their rigs over in the ditch east of the bridge grade. A person signed “G” wrote in the “Transcript” that the fire-starter should be prosecuted.

On the morning of Aug. 18, there was “a fine rain.” Sheriff J.E. Bennett drove some of his Iowa relatives—A.E. Moxley, G.F. Starkey, George Bennett, and Mary Bennett—to Ft. Totten to register for some of the reservation land that had recently been opened for purchase. J.R. Craig and Isaac Walden were in on business. Martin Walsh came in for harvest supplies. Olive Saunders came down from Oberon to visit before going on to Sheldon, where she would teach school. P.H. West returned from his visit to the Twin Cities, Fergus Falls, and Henning, Minn. Edgar Wilson was up from Jamestown to visit; he returned on Aug. 29. Alec Pottner left for Emrick on the Soo Line, where he would buy grain for the Dakota Elevator. That evening, the Royal Neighbors, Eastern Star, and WCTU hosted a farewell reception at the Opera House for Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Biggs, who were planning on moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he would be a partner in a real estate business. [Biggs had been the NP ticket agent in New Rockford since Dec. 22, 1896. He had been a member of the New Rockford School Board since 1901.] People came from Sheyenne, Oberon, and Jamestown. A vocal and instrumental music program was presented. R.P. Allison spoke and during his remarks a diamond ring was given to Mrs. Biggs by the Eastern Star. Rev. J.R. Beebe presented a gift to Mr. Biggs from his Sunday School class. James Hamilton then catered a banquet for 225 people.

The Aug. 19, 1904, “Transcript” mentioned the “Bowbells Bulletin.”

Master Rollin Goss of Carrington was visiting his uncle John F. Goss and family.

Mrs. M.H. Pelton was suffering from a severe attack of typhoid fever; Mr. Pelton had returned from his grain elevator construction job on the Great Northern line to be with her. James MacLachlan was improving after an attack of typhoid fever had confined him to his room for two weeks. A letter from W.C. Hayes said that his treatments at Excelsior Springs, Mo., had completely healed him of his illness; he was in Kansas at his sister’s place and would visit there before returning to New Rockford.

John Anderson had finished painting the John Olson house on Lamborn Avenue West. G.W. Brownell was the agent for repairs for Nichols and Shepard threshers and had a real estate office in the Maddux Block. Cigarmaker H.J. Radtke was preparing to move from the basement to the second floor of the John Wenz Shoe Store, which was about to be vacated by the telephone exchange; the basement had proved too damp for his business.

The previous week, Alvin Mason arrived from Adel, Iowa, to take over the second chair in Granville Egbert’s barber shop. Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Smith and family arrived from McHenry and set up housekeeping on Lamborn Avenue West; he would manage the Andrews and Gage Elevator, while Mrs. Smith would be an instructor at Phillips Academy.

Also the previous week, attorney C.J. Maddux won a judgement at Steele, N.D., for over a thousand dollars for the Baird Bros. for barn and property damage from a prairie fire caused by the defendant H.C. Chambers. The latter part of that week saw Robert O’Neill hired as the city marshal by the town’s businessmen to deal with any “tough characters” among the harvest hands.

On Aug. 19, John Knox of Tiffany came in on business. Tiffany postmaster A.L. Jermo was in on business and picked up supplies for his store. C.C. Hunter came in from Warrensburg, Mo., to visit his son-in-law Peter Riggle; he brought Riggle’s young son, who had been visiting his grandparents for the past year; they would remain until the winter. That evening, a number of New Rockford young people went to a dance in Barlow with music by the Anamoose Orchestra.

On Aug. 20, the central office of the city, long distance, and country telephone systems was being moved into new quarters in the upper story of the Maddux Block. Architect W.C. Albrant was in from Fargo to consult with contractor H.W. Clark about the Phillips Academy building.

On Aug. 20, a new time card for the Devils Lake branch of the NP had the northbound passenger train arriving at 2:02 p.m. and the southbound passenger train coming in at 2:30 p.m. This arrangement caused a lot of complaints since it no longer allowed people to answer any correspondence they had received on the northbound train on the same day. Another freight train had been added and both freights were in New Rockford at 11:45 a.m.

On Aug. 22, work began on the construction of the Farmer’s Elevator. Mr. and Mrs. H.G. Lathrop came in from eastern Eddy County to shop. Peter Halverson came down from the Sheyenne Valley on business. Frank Roush threshed some oats on his Tiffany Flats farm and got around 50 bushels to the acre. W.M. Chamberlain had taken a group of Illinois land seekers on a tour of Eddy County for several days; they went back to Illinois that day. That evening, an opera based on the novel “Fabio Romani” was presented in the Opera House. The ad promised “A vivid picture of Mt. Vesuvius.” Dr. C.J. McNamara, Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Buck, and Mrs. Florence Miller, all from Barlow, attended. Despite a large crowd, the “Transcript” called it a “rather indifferent success,” because only two of the eight cast members were decent singers and actors. That evening, S.A. Olsness of Sheyenne was down on business.

From Aug. 22 to 25, Principal L.J. Aldrich of Phillips Academy was in Jamestown consulting with Rev. Phillips.

On Aug. 23, Ludvig Hanson and Martin Anderson of Plainview and Henry B. Johnson were in for harvest supplies. A.H. Johnson of Sheyenne and Erwin Forbes came in on business. Mrs. Joseph Dutee was in shopping from eastern Eddy County. Carolyn Waters was visiting in New Rockford. Mr. and Mrs. B.W. Learns came in from Michigan for a fall visit. Charles Hensel, recently back from a visit to his old home in Wisconsin, was down from Sheyenne; he had been appointed as a deputy sheriff. Lawrence Buck came up from Barlow for a week’s visit.