History of New Rockford: April 17, 2023

The Nov. 24, 1905, “Transcript” mentioned the “Hankinson News,” “Rugby Optimist,” “Jamestown Alert” and “Washburn Leader.”

The “School Notes” were edited by Elsie Tarbell: On Nov. 20, Carl Zehrfeld entered the seventh grade. Clifford Johnston enrolled that week. Jennie Hersey had been absent due to illness. Grace Miller and Anna Olson had been absent that week, as had Birdie Campbell, who had been in Jamestown visiting. Lorina Bucklin had left school and gone to Crookston. The eighth graders had just finished “Julius Caesar.” The Ancient History class was studying the “Supremacy of Sparta.” The Algebra class members were learning “to factor letters.” The high school students were writing “paragraphs.” With the nice weather the gymnasium was getting little use. The library had been “straightened up,” but the books could not be used until after Thanksgiving; 22 books were missing. The school house well had been pumped out and Dr. MacLachlan tested the water; it was found to contain no organic matter.

Three new students had entered the Commercial Department at Phillips Academy that week: Ernest Ohrner of New Rockford and Albert Zimmerman and Anton Valer of Barlow. The enrollment at the Academy was 44. A story from the “Oberon Reporter” said that classes at Phillips Academy went from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Prof. Aldrich teaching six classes daily, Miss Elizabeth K. Chapman teaching eight, and Professor Derk M. Stegenga teaching nine. New Rockford residents had raised $17,000 for the building and its equipment.

Mrs. C.O. Johnson was over from Cooperstown to visit her parents, Mr. and Mrs. P.H. West.

During the week, Olof Lundquist and his brother Conrad had been installing the heating plant in Prof. L.J. Aldrich’s house on Villard Ave. West.

The previous week, Mr. and Mrs. Nick Schuster and family of Nashua, Minn., arrived to visit Mrs. Schuster’s brothers, the Von Almen boys; her sister, Mrs. Hope Crawford; and other relatives; they left on Dec. 20. Conrad Lundquist had returned from western North Dakota and eastern Wells County putting heating plants in new farm houses.

On Nov. 24, Fessenden attorney John A. Layne came to New Rockford to be on hand for the opening of court on Nov. 27. John Aldred returned from St. Paul, where he had been for some time for an operation for appendicitis. Paul Duda, Jr., suffered severe bruising when he fell off the barn he was working on southwest of town.

On Nov. 25, the New Rockford Furniture Store owned by P.J. Lorig & Co., opened for business on St. Paul Street, two doors south of the Northwest Lumber Company’s yards. A son and the first boy was born to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Allmaras. That evening, Phillips Academy, in conjunction with the Mutual Lyceum Bureau of Chicago, presented the Harry T. Butterworth Musical Company (two singers; Miss Robertson, a violinist; and Miss Grace, a whistler) at the Opera House as the second in its five-program series; there was “a big audience.”

On Sunday, Nov. 26, Dr. C.J. McNamara, O.B. Tausen, and Asa Hylton were up from Barlow to visit; the latter had been working for grain buyer John Algeo, but would soon enter Phillips Academy. William Pfau was also up from Barlow, where he was the head clerk at the P.C. Peterson general store, a position which would keep him from reentering Phillips Academy, which he would have liked to do. A special song service was part of the 7:30 p.m. worship at the Congregational Church.

On the morning of Nov. 27, the temperature was minus 16. Roy Treffry, Donald Forbes, Anna Haas, Lawrence Prader and Paul Baeder visited Phillips Academy. J.D. MeKechnie, the J.I. Case man from Carrington, came up, but then was snowbound until Nov. 30. A.H. Johnson was down from Sheyenne, failed to be drawn for the jury, and returned home the next morning. W.E. Bennett of the First State Bank of Carrington came up on business; he was storm-stayed until the morning of Nov. 30. That afternoon, fire destroyed the residence of barber John T. Morris in south Minnewaukan. The following strayed from the Fred Laasch farm four miles southwest of New Rockford: one black bull, one gray bull with white face, one dark gray bull, one red and white spotted heifer, one red heifer with white underbelly. All were spring calves.

At 2 p.m. the district court sessions began in New Rockford with Judge E.T. Burke. The petit jury pool was A.J. Anderson, W.O. Baird, John Bakstad, Stephen Beauclair, George E. Bennett, S.O. Brevick, Arthur Buttery, W.M. Chamberlain, D.D. Dailey, F.C. Davies, John Dodds, William Ducke, William Dugan, A.E. Flink, T.N. Gilderhus, Laverne Goodrich, John F. Goss, John Hatland, David Henry, J.E. Hoffman, W.S. Holmer, Toller Huff, A.H. Johnson, Andrew M. Lee, Nels Nelson, John Olson, A.J. Richter, Olof Rue, P.H. West and O.E. Wood. A number of high school students attended during the week.

Among the attorneys were S.E. Ellsworth and F. Baldwin of Jamestown; Kellogg of Fargo for the NP Railway; B.F. Whippe of Sheyenne; and W.O. Laudon of McHenry.

The criminal case of the State vs. J.T. Syftestad, Louis Ramsvig, and H.O. Nelson on the charge of grand larceny was called. Attorney P.M. Mattson stood for the Defense. Syftestad and Ramsvig requested to be tried together, but separately from Nelson. The jurors selected were A.J. Anderson, Stephen Beauclair, Arthur Buttery, W.M. Chamberlain, D.D. Dailey, John Dodds, William Ducke, Laverne Goodrich, John Hatland, J.E. Hoffman, John Olson and O.E. Wood.

Testimony was taken that day, the next day and on Nov. 29 until 7 p.m. The jury deliberated until 2 a.m. Thanksgiving Day and returned a verdict of guilty with a recommendation for clemency. In such a case the sentence was one to five years in the penitentiary. The “Transcript” stated that the verdict “met with almost universel [sic] approval” among the residents of New Rockford.

Two other cases were settled: E. Delafield Smith vs. Geiger for the plaintiff as the defendant withdrew his answer; and Packard vs. Renfrew was settled out of court.

The blizzard forced the judge and the visiting attorneys to stay in New Rockford for Thanksgiving.

On the evening of Nov. 27, Jolly Della Pringle and Her Company were at the Opera House. There were 13 members in the company, including W.H. Brino (humorous songs and dances) and Eddie Lamont (“a musical wizard”). In addition there were Billy and Bob, “the champion bag punching bulldogs of the world”; illustrated songs; and fire dances. Miss Pringle was a handsomely gowned woman whose “dances are beautiful piano creations ….” Tickets were 50 and 75 cents.

On Nov. 28 Rolla and Albert Hill of Maddock entered Phillips Academy; no trains ran from Sheyenne because of the blizzard, so the two boys walked the eleven miles to New Rockford. Over half the Academy students were in class despite the storm.

On Nov. 28 and 29, the monthly examinations were given at the New Rockford School.