History of New Rockford: April 24, 2023

 On Nov. 29, 1905, E.B. Thomson broke a trail through the snowdrifts to get in from his farm northeast of town. The sixth, seventh, and eighth grades had a short Thanksgiving program in the sixth grade room. Frank T. Busch was out with his camera, taking pictures of the snow-covered town. That evening, the Degree of Honor Lodge of Barlow sponsored a dance in that village.

 At 3 p.m. Nov. 30, Frances V. Thomson and Lloyd A. Whiteman were married by Rev. J.R. Beebe at the farm home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. E.B. Thomson, nine miles northeast of New Rockford. Mr. and Mrs. William Wilson stood up for the couple and Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Babcock were the official witnesses. The couple would live at Sheyenne, where the groom was a grain buyer. There were 25 guests present, but stormy weather kept many of the invited guests away. Sheriff George Fahrer saw to it that the prisoners in the Eddy County jail got a turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, complete with Havana cigars afterward. That evening, there was a Thanksgiving Dance.

 There was no school on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 because of Thanksgiving.

 The Dec. 1, 1905, “Transcript” mentioned that former New Rockford resident Cynthia N. Patch had recently celebrated her 93rd birthday in Indianapolis.

 Charles Pottner had taken up at his farm southeast of New Rockford one black mare with a white strip in her forehead and one bay colt. Conrad Taverna had an ad in which he stated one fifteen-year old white mare had been taken up at the Peter Michel farm 8½ miles southwest of town.

 Lawrence Fisher edited the “School Notes.” On Nov. 25, the students of Miss Weiss (second and third grades) and Miss Schmidt (Primary) presented a Thanksgiving program; Mesdames Rodenberg, Aldrich and Dresser attended. [Miss Weiss may not have been there, because she left that day for Crystal, N.D., for her sister’s wedding and Thanksgiving; Miss Bauers subbed for her the next week.] Primary student Herman Johns had missed all week due to illness. The severe weather had contributed to a high rate of absentees. Absences included Miss [Jennie?] Hersey, Celestia Kellington, and Miss [Mabel?] Kennedy. Miss Bolstad had been absent as the Intermediate teacher due to illness; Miss Tarbell had substituted for her. On the afternoon of Nov. 29, the students in grades six, seven and eight presented the following Thanksgiving program: Thanksgiving Song; Recitation, “Landing of [the] Pilgrims,” Olive Bennett; Essay, “The Big Dog Under the Wagon,” Carl Lauch; Song, “Lead, Kindly Light,” six girls; Reading, “Description of Gluck’s Visitor,” Clarence Bennett; Reading, “Nathaniel Hawthorne,” Florence Schwoebel; Recitation, “Maise [Maize?], the Nation’s Emblem,” Ruth Newell; Class Exercise; Recitation, “The Birth of Thanksgiving,” Alberta Gardner. The seventh graders had small booklets illustrating “The Death of Flowers” by William Cullen Bryant. The library would be ready in the coming week; some books were still missing. Principal Youngdahl spent Thanksgiving at Lake Vincent [location not known].

 Minnie O’Neill had rejoined the Commercial Department of Phillips Academy after teaching school for six weeks near Tiffany. A.J. Richter and John Dodds were in town for jury duty.

 During the week, Len, the nine-year old son of Mr. and Mrs. W.C. Schwoebel, was very ill with appendicitis, but was improving.

 On the evening of Dec. 1, the New Rockford Improvement Society, formerly the Cemetery Improvement Society, met at Mrs. H.J. Mitchell’s. Miss Sarah West came in on the train equipped with a rotary plow to spend a week with her parents before returning to teach at Manfred, N.D. Mrs. Edna Flater also came in on the “rotary” after working as the day operator at the Harvey telephone exchange.

 The first regular train in five days arrived on the afternoon of Dec. 2, causing the post office clerks to work long and hard; the southbound train didn’t get in until around nine o’clock that evening, and the post office remained open until noon Sunday, Dec. 3, so residents could get their mail. That evening, Mr. and Mrs. James A. Manly hosted a party of young people at their New Haven Street home; cards were played.

 On the morning of Dec. 4, Peter Lies [Sept. 17, 1841-Dec. 4, 1905; age 64] died at the New Rockford home of his daughter Mrs. Henry Schuster; the cause was dropsy [edema/fluid retention] from which he had suffered for over two months. Funeral Mass was held on the morning of Dec. 6, Father W.E. Gallahue, in the Germantown church in eastern Wells County; he is buried in St. Joseph’s Catholic Cemetery at Bremen. [Survivors were his third wife, Catherine, and several children: Michael, Anna, Mathias, John Nicholas, Robert Anton, Katherine Mary, Mary, and Anton.]

 District Court reconvened on Dec. 4, Judge John F. Cowan sitting for Judge E.T. Burke, who was at Minnewaukan for a case.

 A joint information had been filed against Mr. Thomson, a black man, and Mr. O’Brien on a charge of robbery. Attorneys demanded separate trials. Thomson was found guilty in the first degree. The jury was hung on a verdict on O’Brien, with a vote of 11-1 for guilty. The case was retried and the jury retired to deliberate at 9 p.m. Dec. 8.

 State vs. Weimals was carried over to the next day. Nelson vs. the NP Railway was decided in favor of the plaintiff in the amount of $157.50.

 On Dec. 4, Fargo optician C.J. Sullivan was at Kunkel’s Jewelry Store. Roy Treffry and Lawrence Prader joined the Commercial Department at Phillips Academy, while Dora Haas and Clara Whelchel entered the Academic Department. Former student Asa Hylton visited Phillips Academy; he would return to the school on December 11. H.G. Gage got off the train to the surprise of his friends; he and his wife had recently moved from Winnipeg to Winona, Minn.; he had managed an elevator in New Rockford, 1901-1903. H.M. Clark returned from Colorado Springs, Colo., where he had attended a national enclave of the Yeoman Lodge; he also visited Texas, where he swam in the Gulf of Mexico, and he climbed Pike’s Peak in Colorado. William Erdelbrock left for York, Neb., for the winter and perhaps longer. Misses Clara and Elvina Nibbe left for their home in Red Wing, Minn., after spending the summer and fall in and near New Rockford – Clara with her brother northwest of town and Elvina as the chef at the Hotel Mattson. Mr. and Mrs. A.D. Tomlinson left for a winter in San Diego. That evening, Oberon druggist Maurice Oliver was down to take the third Degree of Masonry at a meeting of the Century Lodge.

 On Dec. 5, Ed Roach was in “to help break the road” from western Eddy County. Pat O’Connor was also in from that area. The monthly exams for the high school were given. A.J. Larkin returned from a visit with his mother and brother at Velva, where they had a four-day blow and more snow than New Rockford received. Sylvanus Marriage was in on business. Dick Bohmbach was in on business and to visit. “Sheyenne Star” editor C.C. Manning was down from that town.