History of New Rockford: Sept. 25, 2023

On April 11, 1906, Otho Lathrop came up from Fargo to visit with the Lathrop family for a few days. Thomas Olson went to St. Paul, where he would enter a hospital and have an appendectomy.

On April 12 a fall of snow melted almost as soon as it fell, but it made things slippery. Mrs. J.D. Carroll of Lake Washington was out in her yard when she slipped and fell, breaking her right arm above the wrist. A doctor from McHenry set it. The Lowell Literary Society presented a program.

The April 13, 1906, “Transcript” contained a Card of Thanks from Mr. and Mrs. George Pincott to all their friends for their help and sympathy during the illness and death of their beloved daughter and for the many floral tributes displayed at the funeral.

J.W. Rager, “The Buggy Man,” had an ad saying he had just received two carloads of Racine Buggies, Surreys, Runabouts, Carriages and Farm Wagons. An item said he was going to build a large addition to his business place which would front on Villard Avenue. It would be a salesroom for a display of buggies, wagons and machinery.

O.T. Lathrop was the local agent for the O.W. Kerr Co. of Fargo for purchase of land in southern Alberta, Canada, at $8 per acre. Frank Hawthorne had a young, fresh milch cow and an Iowa Dairy cream separator for sale. F.S. Dunham wanted to hire a man or a woman to superintend a cook car for the season.

Beatrice Marriage was the editor of the School Notes: on April 7, Mrs. L.J. Aldrich and Miss Carrie Waters visited the lower grades, as did Messrs. Goss and Pike on April 9 and 10; Miss Dora Beer had a collection of plants to brighten her Intermediate room; the 8th graders had “dropped Civil Government”; the Ancient History class was reviewing; the Girls’ Athletic Club was practicing baseball, but the boys were taking the diamond, too; the Boys’ Athletic Club was getting ready for basketball; Carl Lauch and Frank Riggle had quit school to help with spring work.

Mailman Michael Mulligan had been ill for two weeks, but was better. Jeweler Nels Kunkel had been a victim of rheumatism for a week. The infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hays had been very ill with pneumonia, but was improving.

Jake Allmaras from eastern Wells County had purchased a 1900 lb. pure blood imported Norman stallion from an importer and breeder at Gladstone, N.D.

On the morning of April 13, Hans Peterson and Sumner Engberg visited during chapel at Phillips Academy. Miss Emma Larson, who had attended Phillips Academy for the winter term, left for her home in Maddock. Dr. John Crawford came down from Esmond to visit. That evening there was a social with a program and refreshments at the Baptist Church; tickets were 25 cents.

On April 14 Richard Zehrfeld purchased the Johnson Bros. meat market on Chicago Street and took over the management on April 16. Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Morris were in shopping. Ollie, William and Ethel Kelly arrived from Havelock, Ontario, to spend the spring and summer with their uncle Robert O’Neill. Fessenden attorney John A. Layne came over for Easter with his sister Mrs. James A. Manly and her family; he went home on April 17. Claude Comer arrived from Massena, Iowa, to direct the New Rockford Band that summer. Eddie Monahan went to South St. Paul with a load of cattle; he returned on April 17. Mr. and Mrs. R.R. Woodward left for their new home in Lebanon, Mo.; health concerns were the reason for their departure.

April 15 was Easter Sunday. W.O. Baird suffered an attack of appendicitis, which only got better near the end of the week. L.C. Oefstedahl visited in Sheyenne. That evening General Superintendent and State Secretary Rev. Myron Cooley preached in the Baptist Church.

On April 16 Fred Sonnenberg left for Garrison to manage an elevator. That evening there was a dance at the Opera House, with music by the New Rockford Orchestra; George Blaha of Oberon and John A. Layne of Fessenden attended.

On April 17 John Dutee, Sr., was in town. B.T. Fay, Sr., went to Banff, Alberta, to visit relatives. Miss Anna Jacoshank left for her Balfour, N.D., home after attending Phillips Academy during the winter. Mr. and Mrs. H.W. Wilson left for a vacation in Idaho, where they would look over some land he had recently purchased; they returned on May 3. Mrs. James E. Hyde left on a trip to the Pacific Coast, where she would visit friends; she would also check on some real estate interests in Idaho; she returned on May 1. The Phillips Academy baseball team went to Barlow and came away with a 14-5 victory over a Barlow team. Guy Thompson was the winning pitcher. The diamond was in poor shape.

At 5:12 a.m. Pacific Time, April 18, a 7.9 earthquake struck San Francisco. The quake and subsequent fires destroyed 80% of the city and killed around 3000 people. James E. Hyde left to check on his Cass County farm where the granary and all his seed wheat had been lost in a fire. The New Rockford Orchestra went to Carrington and played for the last club dance of the season that evening. Mr. and Mrs. E.S. Severtson went to the Elks’ Ball in Jamestown; they returned the next day. During a thunderstorm that evening, lightning destroyed Peter Erickson’s barn six miles north of McHenry and killed four horses and one cow.

On April 18 former resident Judson “Jude” Gilbreath died in Adel, Iowa. A barber, he had lived in Cathay, McHenry and New Rockford, 1902 to 1904, but severe rheumatism ruined his life to the extent that death would seem a relief and he left New Rockford in mid-1904.

On April 18 and 19, ex-governor Frank White, president of the Northwestern National Fire Insurance Co. of Valley City, was in town conferring with the company’s local agent E.R. Davidson of the Farmers and Merchants Bank.

On the evening of April 19, R.F. Rinker came home with a hoe, a rake, a spade, sunflower seeds, turnip sets and watermelon sprouts, all set for gardening. The New Rockford Improvement League met at the court house. Ed Martin, George Dunham, Fred and Henry Von Almen, M. Belgum and A.B. Corry joined the Woodmen Lodge. Also that evening Barlow residents Ole Tausen, Dr. C.J. McNamara, and Martin Hanson were visiting in New Rockford.

The April 20, 1906, “Transcript” stated that the Powers Lumber Co. was having a 24x30 foot shed with 14-foot posts built to store their big stock of sash, doors, etc. Culp & Perry had erected a building near the flour mill for their cement block machinery. The Farmers and Merchants Bank had erected a small building west of Prader & Baeder’s and would commence banking business early the next week. [The building was probably located where the empty lots are today, across Central Avenue from the Latte Lobby.]