History of New Rockford: Jan. 3, 2022

On September 5, 1904, Will Wilson was up from Jamestown; he came to visit and to hunt prairie chickens. Sylvanus Marriage was in from his Barlow farm on business. A party made up of Dr. and Mrs. G.D. Murphy, Mr. and Mrs. J.A. McAuley, and Ernest Ohrner returned from a camping and hunting trip of three days; they brought back four Canadian geese averaging 22 lbs. and “slathers of other game.”

A report on September 6 showed the following: The Bank of New Rockford, Ernest S. Severtson, cashier, had resources (assets) of $117,077.69, down $7748.43 from the $124,826.12 of June 9. Checking accounts amounted to $39,557.29, down $17,483.25 from the $57,040.54 of June 9. The September 6 statement of the First National Bank of New Rockford, James E. Hyde, cashier, showed resources (assets) of $63,581.44, down $10,033.08 from the $73,614,52 of June 9. Checking accounts were $9972.80, down $10,096.03 from the $21,068.83 of June 9.

On September 6, B.W. Hersey of Tiffany and John Geiger were in on business. Mrs. Anna Thomson of Milwaukee arrived to visit friends and relatives and look after her real estate interests; she returned on October 13. Irene Withey returned to her Lakota home after visiting with her uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. William Bucklin; she was accompanied by her stepmother Mrs. G.A. Withey of Devils Lake. George Norton left to live in Illinois. Remington Perkins went to his farm near Velva to harvest his crops; he returned on September 13. Mrs. B.C. Larkin and children went for a visit with Velva relatives.

That evening, the Bachelor Girls of New Rockford hosted a dance in the Hotel Davies with a Grand March at 9:30. There were about 25 couples, with Mr. and Mrs. H.G. Hudson and Mr. and Mrs. P.J. Butler as chaperones. “Pretty souvenirs were presented to the gentlemen. Refreshments were served at midnight and the dancing continued into the early morning.” Out-of-town guests included Norah O’Connell of Minneapolis; Emily Swanson, Fargo; L.A. Chapman, New York City; W.W. Immel and Dr. F. Gilbreath, Fessenden; W.J. Schmid, Lloyd Whitman, and Nels K. Mattson, Sheyenne; and Dr. C.J. McNamara, Barlow.

On September 7, the funeral for the three-month-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hartl was held; the Hartls lived in eastern Wells County. Mrs. R.L. Allison and her twins arrived from Ward County, where she visited her parents, and Mr. and Mrs. R.P. Allison; Mrs. O.W. West had accompanied her. Frank Bailey was in from his farm northwest of town. School principal R.T. Muir and his wife returned from Minneapolis, where they had spent most of their vacation. George Schwoebel of Fountain City, Wisc., and his daughter Mrs. Jacob Schmoker, arrived to visit their sons/brothers and daughters/sisters George J. Schwoebel, W.C. Schwoebel, Mrs. W.E. Radtke, and Mrs. W.C. Beardsley. Mr. Schwoebel had been in the area in 1883 when the railroad stopped at Carrington, and he had hauled the lumber for the claim shacks of both George and W.C. Schwoebel. M.H. Pelton left for Bowdon.

On September 8, both Joseph Maxwell and E.M. Stitzel fired up their threshing rigs. Ernest Angliss came in from southern Alberta to work on the harvest; the rest of the Angliss family lived in Centralia, Wash.

The September 9, 1904, “Transcript” said the “Edgeley Mail” had started its 18th year and the “Esmond Bee” its sixth year. The “Towner County Democrat” was also mentioned.

August Kiehlow had a notice that the party who took a package with some papers and valuable letters from Mulvey’s Hardware two weeks prior should return it to him or drop it at the post office.

Newton O. Fanning was a traveling correspondent for the “Brooklyn Eagle.” [He had been a partner in the “Transcript” from Nov. 5, 1883, to January or February 1884, when he resigned; was editor and co-publisher of the “Eddy County New Era,” September 3, 1887-August 22, 1889; and was editor of the “Transcript-New Era,” August. 23-November 28, 1889.]

Former resident J.H. Hohl of California had recovered from his recent illness to the extent he could be outside. Mrs. M.H. Pelton was much improved after her bout with typhoid fever. James MacLachlan was able to be out after his recent attack of typhoid fever. Mrs. A.J. Clure had been confined to her bed for several days after doctors discovered a “floating tumor” which they thought would have to be surgically removed.

The material for the new steel bridge at New Rockford had been delayed because of some of the shapes of steel the foundry had to roll; delivery was expected by September 15.

On September 9, W.C. Hayes returned from an extended stay at the hot springs in Missouri; the pain of his rheumatism had been somewhat relieved, but he felt weak.

Near the end of the week (September 9 or 10), real estate agent G.W. Streeter returned from a business trip to Illinois and some other states.

On September 9 and 10, Mrs. John Swanson had the grand opening of her fall millinery line in the J.E. Cady and Co. store, as did the Gullicks and Allison Millinery in the Gullicks’ residence south of the H. Peoples and Company store on South Chicago Street.

On September 10, George Setz, Jr., came over from McHenry to visit; the next day he returned to McHenry with Maggie Morris and niece Vera, who would visit relatives there a few days. Mrs. Florence Miller and Mrs. A.C. Buck left for the World’s Fair via Chicago, where Mrs. Miller’s mother, Mrs. James McGwine of Lancaster, Ohio, joined them; Mrs. Buck returned on October 20. That afternoon, a sum of money was found in the second-floor hallway of the Rodenberg and Schwoebel store; R.T. Rinker was holding it for the owner.

At 2 p.m., September 10, the Republican County Convention was held, called to order by P.M. Mattson. Elected temporary chairman and secretary were S.N. Putnam, who defeated F.S. Dunham, and A.H. Johnson respectively. C.C. Manning, J.E. Bennett, and John Schaefer were named as a committee on the order of business. The following were nominated: W.C. Schwoebel, Auditor, unanimous; A.G. Gardner, Register of Deeds, unanimous; George A. Lovell, Sheriff (he defeated F.C. Davies 32 to 28); L.C. Oefstedahl, Treasurer (he defeated S.A. Olsness 45 to 15); Grace B. Putnam, Superintendent of Schools, who defeated Harry Campbell 39 to 21; C.W. Hall, County Judge, won on the sixth ballot with 35 votes over J.L. Kinnaird, 20, and R.R. Woodward, 4 (W.C. Beardsley and H.M. Clark had withdrawn after earlier ballots); R.F. Rinker, State’s Attorney, unanimous; C.J. Stickney, Clerk of Court, defeated O.C. Gronvold 33 to 27 on the third ballot; Seth Bailey, Public Administrator, defeated W.C. Beardsley; William Bartley, Coroner, unanimous; E.T. Quam, Surveyor, unanimous; N.C. Gunvaldson, Commissioner, 2nd District, unanimous; Martin Anderson, 1st District Assessor; C.A. Parker, 2nd District Assessor with 11 votes, defeated Frank Bailey with 7 and Albert Ohn with 3; H.J. Sylling, 3rd District Assessor, unanimous; Justices of the Peace—C.C. Manning, J.L. Kinnaird, James Graham, R.M. Kennedy; Constables—A.J. Larkin, H.O. Holstein, D.D. Dailey, E.M. Morris. Ole Hegna of eastern Eddy County was a delegate.