History of New Rockford: Dec. 27, 2021

On the evening of Aug. 29, 1904, a hail storm passed west and northwest of town, but its effect was not general as many crops were not hit; losses were 20 to 30 percent, with most covered by insurance.

On Aug. 30, it rained. John Welsh of the Sheyenne Valley brought in the first load of wheat for the season and sold it to J.A. McAuley of the Dakota Elevator; it was graded No. 1 Northern and brought $1.01 a bushel. Welsh had threshed around 300 bushels so far, and it was running 28 to 29 bushels per acre. Dewey Alexander came in from the east end of the county to see a doctor; he had been hauling a binder home on his wagon when it fell off and smashed his right foot. George Morris was in on business from eastern Eddy County. Jeremiah Carroll was in from western Eddy County. John Setz was in for harvest supplies. Susie Spillman arrived from Elizabeth, Minn., to visit her uncles, the Lies boys from west of town, before teaching in a rural Foster County school. Druggist C.H. Babcock went to the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul; he also purchased goods for the Babcock and Bucklin drug store. He returned on Sept. 3. Beth Davidson returned to Hamline University after a summer with her father and brother.

On Aug. 31, Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Biggs and son Mont left for their new home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. McHenry merchant R.J. Howden was in New Rockford, as was Mrs. T.H. MacLachlan of McHenry. Mr. and Mrs. Ed Roach of eastern Wells County, and Mrs. Axtle Johnson came in to shop. John M. Ducke of Tiffany and Pat O’Connor from western Eddy County came in for harvest supplies. John M. Dutee and Peter J. Smith of eastern Eddy County and Fred Zimmerman, Jr., were in on business. Mrs. Florence Miller was up from Barlow on a visit. Mrs. Charles MacLachlan left for a visit with relatives in Wahpeton and Hankinson; Dr. MacLachlan accompanied her as far as Jamestown and returned to New Rockford the next day; she returned on Sept. 16.

On Aug. 31 and Sept. 1, Henry Holter was in Jamestown. J.M. Patch was also there on business those two days.

On Sept. 1, a rural-free delivery mail route was established from Sheyenne west to fifteen miles beyond Eden. Frank Treffry began work at H. Peoples and Co. A “gasoline drought” was broken when the Standard Oil man came up from Carrington. Emily Swanson came up from Fargo to visit her brothers John and Sam Swanson; she returned on Sept. 14. Mrs. A.C. Buck came up from Barlow to visit. Mrs. Edna Flater went to Jamestown. Frances Thomson went to Dickinson to resume her teaching duties.

The Sept. 2, 1904, “Transcript” was Vol. XXIII, No. 1. It said the “Foster County Democrat” had begun publishing on Aug. 27.

Sam Swanson was offering a reward for the return of Queen, his female English setter pup; she had black ears, a white body with black spots, and had a brand new name strap for a collar.

Hans Jensen had sold his mule Jack to Thomas Kelly of Hazelton; the “Transcript” satirically pointed out that many New Rockford residents would miss Jack’s braying that began about 4 o’clock every morning.

A check on the First National Bank from Samuel McDowell to Charles Moick was found on the street and could be picked up at the “Transcript” office by the owner, who would have to pay for the ad.

The public school building was being refurbished and painted inside and out. The Dakota Elevator was being refurbished. A twenty-foot addition and a fifty-foot bell tower were being added to the Catholic Church in the Kiner district in Bremen Township, Wells County; because of the work, Mass was held in New Rockford at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 4. Robert Fennel was an assistant in Nathan Stanton’s blacksmith shop.

Grace B. Putnam, County Superintendent of Schools, had a notice that any eighth-grade students with county completion certificates in Arithmetic, Civics, Geography, Grammar, History, Orthography, Phys. [Physics? Physiology?], Reading, and Writing could exchange them for a common school diploma at the County Superintendent’s office.

Mr. and Mrs. Matt Lies had a card of thanks to the businessmen of New Rockford for their kindness after their barn fire.

Mrs. James MacLachlan was offering a limited number of student piano or organ lessons at the MacLachlan residence on Stimson Avenue. Mrs. Anna Dwyer, Mrs. William Bucklin, Mrs. Peter Butler, and Mrs. B.M. Leonard were making preparations for the annual Catholic Fair. Rain during the week had stopped grain harvesting.

Mrs. Burton Hulbert was very ill southeast of New Rockford.

On Sept. 2, Walter McDonell returned from Valley City, where he had gone three weeks prior to harvest grain on his farm. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Clure arrived from Hastings, Minn., to visit Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Clure. That night, Father Gallahue received word of the poor condition of Mrs. H.F. Sitzer of Esmond, a member of his congregation; he immediately set out for that town, driving his team of bay trotters. They covered the sixty miles in less than six hours.

Bids were received by clerk Martin Walsh until Sept. 2, for moving school houses #1 and #2 in the Tiffany School District #8 to the northwest corner of the northwest quarter, section 22, T149, R64 [Tiffany Township].

On Sept. 3, the New Rockford Hunting Club (Messrs. Mulvey, McDonnel, Severtson, Dresser, Bucklin, Cooling, and Pike) plus C.C. Manning of Sheyenne, drove out of town in their wagon drawn by four large horses; R.U. Austin had repaired and put some fancy trimmings on the wagon and Aleck Austin had done some fancy work with his paintbrush. During the venture, E.S. Severtson caught the fleshy part of his hand between the thumb and forefinger as he closed his hammerless double-barreled shotgun, leaving a deep laceration and bruise. In his jerking to get the flesh free, Severtson hit Manning in the face, giving him a black eye. It rained nearly all the time the men were gone and they returned with two ducks, four prairie chickens, and thoroughly wet clothes.

On Sunday, Sept. 4, Father Gallahue had Mass in the Catholic Church. George Norman and W.F. Steinweg came up from Carrington.

The Eddy County Commission met on Sept. 5. They voted to pay the following: $60, Euphemia Skidmore, boarding and nursing Mrs. Martin Pelton for four weeks; $11.75, Mrs. Sarah Weeks, board and care of smallpox patient J. Carter; $15.55, R.M. Kennedy, coal and wood for county poor: Mrs. Molyneaux, Mrs. Cahill, and Mrs. Lewis; $90, Mrs. A.G. Gardner, Register of Deeds’ clerk for Sept. and Oct.; $17.55, Powers Elevator Co. for bridge lumber; $27, P.A. Riggle, stone work on bridge; $76.15, Crane and Johnson, lumber for bridges; $2.25, Arthur E. Manz, watering trees.

On Sept. 5, Mr. and Mrs. George Fields were in from Tiffany shopping. Adolph Wilson came down from his Balfour farm to help with the harvest. Mrs. E.G. Allison was up from Jamestown to visit relatives.