History of New Rockford: Jan. 31, 2022

On the morning of Sunday, Oct. 2, 1904, McHenry merchant R.H. Howden came over for a couple days for business, and Mrs. Annie Oliver came over from that community for a visit of several days. At 8 p.m., Prof. H.H. Aaker of Fargo, the Prohibition Party’s candidate for governor, spoke to a large group at the Methodist Church on “Prohibition.” That evening, Francis Pottner took up at his farm one black muley cow, one red cow with a broken horn, one red and white cow, and one three-year old black muley steer.

About the “first of the week” (Oct. 3) John Swanson and H.W. Otte opened an upholstery shop on the second floor of George Fahrer’s meat market.

On Oct. 3, the Eddy County Commission (Braman, Dailey, Dafoe) met. They voted to pay the following bills: $45, Mrs. A.G. Gardner, register of deeds’ clerk, July; $65.05, H. Peoples and Co., supplies for county poor, Mrs. Lewis and Mrs. Ackerman; $4, Noxon and Oglesby, telephone rent for August and September; $20, Mrs. E. Starks, care of county poor, Aug. 1 to Sept. 26; $45, Euphemia Skidmore, nursing Mrs. Pelton; $80, W.C. Hayes, janitor, Aug. and Sept.; $17, New Rockford Light and Water Improvement Co., lights for June and July; $2198, Fargo Bridge and Iron Co., partial payment for bridge. They appointed George H. Fields and H.J. Mitchell as election inspectors for Tiffany and New Rockford respectively, and voted to allow a petition with more than 200 names asking for a vote to give the county court increased jurisdiction. The question was to be put on the next general election ballot.

At 10 a.m. Oct. 3, Phillips Academy opened for its first term, but did so in the Congregational Church because the building wasn’t ready yet. “He Will Gently Lead Me” was sung, followed by a few remarks by Prof. L.J. Aldrich, principal of the school. Rev. J.R. Beebe spoke to the students, basing his text on the first chapter of Proverbs, and closed with a prayer. Prof. Aldrich then spoke about the Academy, the faculty, books, board (after Nov. 1 the “Club Plan” would be furnished at $2 to $2.50 per week), etc. Mrs. L.J. Aldrich spoke for Miss Chapman, the preceptress, who was detained at home by the illness of her mother, and Professor D.M. Stegenga of the Business Department spoke. Mrs. H.J. Mitchell of the Music Department followed with some remarks about the Academy. Besides the students, the following were also present: Mrs. J.R. Beebe, Mrs. David Henry, Mrs. James Dafoe, and Mr. O’Neill. Sixteen students had enrolled: Harl Aldrich, Ralph Beebe, Blanche Brownell, Irene Brownell, Everett Buck, Gertrude Buck, Effie Dafoe, Beatrice Henry, Asa Hylton, Mildred Keime, Myron Leslie, Isabel “Belle” Oliver, Minnie O’Neill, Theresa Priewa, John Smith, and Minnie Syftestad. Some were from Carrington, Fessenden, McHenry, and Sheyenne, but the majority were from New Rockford. More students were expected after the harvest.

Classes had been organized in Algebra, Geometry, German, First Year Latin, Caesar, Civics, Bookkeeping, Physical Geography, Business Arithmetic, Plain English, English Classics, U.S. History, Ancient History, Penmanship, Shorthand, Typewriting, Vocal and Instrumental Music.

John F. Goss, secretary to the Board of Trustees of Phillips Academy, had a notice for everyone who had subscribed to help pay for the building to submit their money to treasurer E.S. Severtson before Nov. 1 to avoid an interest charge.

On Oct. 3, Dennis O’Keefe was in from western Eddy County for threshing supplies. At 8:30 p.m. there was a Republican rally in the court house. That evening, a number of their friends surprised Mr. and Mrs. George Treffry with a 32nd Anniversary party at their farm, complete with a gift and music. That evening at the WCTU Convention in Fargo, Mrs. James E. Hyde of New Rockford won a diamond first prize medal in the oratorical contest. Her topic was “The Heart That Dares Not Sing” and dealt with “the social purity question.”

On Oct. 3 and 4, P.A. Anderson was down from Oberon visiting with old friends and doing business.

On Oct. 4, P.S. Peterson came down from the Sheyenne Valley on business; he and his partners were very busy with their threshing machine. James MacLachlan and Henry Holter went to Dr. Charles MacLachlan’s Kidder County ranch near Dawson, where they would ship over a hundred cattle to the St. Paul market; they returned on Oct. 14.

On Oct. 5, Mrs. Nathan Stanton’s parents arrived from Michigan for a visit. P.C. Peterson came up from Barlow on business. Mr. and Mrs. G. Wentworth were in shopping. That afternoon, the Methodist Ladies’ Aid held a sale and at 6 p.m. a chicken supper in the Opera House; tickets were 25 cents. “About fifty dollars was cleared.” That evening, W.C. Dresser won a pipe set at the Central Drug Store’s raffle when the number 42 was drawn.

On Oct. 6, Sullivan, the optical specialist from Fargo, was at the Hotel Davies. Nelson Elliott and his son of Wisconsin arrived to visit his brother-in-law George A. Lovell at his farm in eastern Eddy County. Rev. J.R. Beebe left on a trip to Aberdeen, S.D. (for Phillips Academy), Grinnell, IA (for the Conference of the Missionary Society of the United States), Des Moines (for the National Conference of Congregational Churches), and then to St. Louis (for Congregational Day at the World’s Fair); he returned on Oct. 29.

The Oct. 7, 1904, “Transcript” had an ad from F.E. Owen of Spokane, Wash., who had nine lots, 66x142, for sale in the “West End Addition” [Academy Addition]. Mrs. Frederick Skidmore was able to sit up after her recent bout with typhoid. Gus Lauch had been busy plastering the rooms in Phillips Academy. Rain on Oct. 7 to 10, stopped threshing until the morning of Oct. 13.

On Oct. 7, Mrs. Charles Mann and her sister Gussie Bray left for Minneapolis, where Miss Bray would be in school that winter. That evening “The Great Way” was presented in the Opera House. The “professor” played to a large house.

On Oct. 8, the executive committee of the Early Settlers’ Association met at the offices of A.M. Greely and agreed to have a fall meeting of the organization in Sheyenne. Theodore Doyen was in on business and to visit. Mrs. C.H. Babcock left to visit her mother and other relatives in Minnesota; she returned Nov. 8.

On the morning of Oct. 10, a daughter was born to section foreman and Mrs. John Carlson. J.W. Myer came over from the McHenry country. Olof Arveskaug came in from the Germantown neighborhood of eastern Wells County, where he had been painting the Catholic Church for two weeks; he returned to finish the job on Oct. 12. Eugene Corry went to Velva to visit “the folks.” Mrs. Marion Schmoker left for a visit in Dickey, N.D., after a lengthy visit with relatives in Eddy County before returning to her home in Fountain City, Wisc.

Early in the week, Hans Jensen and G.A. Erickson went hunting in eastern Eddy County and brought in nine of some of the largest Canadian “honkers” ever seen in New Rockford.