History of New Rockford: Jan. 22, 2024

The August 17, 1906, “Transcript” stated that contractor E.P. Cosgrove and his crew were almost done with the construction of an 18x30 farmhouse with 14-foot posts for Fred Nieman southwest of town. C.A. Berge was hauling loads of lumber for a “mammoth granary” he was building on his farm.

Mrs. M. DeHart of Pipestone, Minn., was visiting her sister Mrs. William Salmonson of Morris. Frank Kermott of Sheyenne was in New Rockford all week on business. Mr. McIver had moved his family from Morris to Warwick.

Robert O’Neill had been hired as the night watchman/marshal again.

On Aug. 17, Eddie Anderson was in from southeast of town on business; he would start threshing the middle of the coming week. Mr. and Mrs. Went Mcgee were in to shop; he had finished harvesting and would begin threshing about Aug. 20. J.M. Patch came in from Indianapolis to look after his various interests. E.A. Gates left for Fargo to run a threshing engine during the harvest.

On Aug. 18, Burton Hulbert returned from the G.A.R. encampment at Minneapolis. John Nystrom of the Sheyenne Valley and Rudolph Indergaard came in for harvest supplies. That evening Mrs. F.S. Dunham entertained about 20 young people at a surprise party in the Dunham home west of town in honor of Miss Josephine O’Connell; the guests enjoyed refreshments, frappé served by Misses May and Cecelia O’Connell, music and games, but the evening was topped off with the mock marriage of Harrison Dunham and Monica O’Connell, with Miss May O’Connell and Leonard J. Olsen as attendants. Mrs. P.J. Butler and Mrs. J. O’Connell acted as chaperones.

From the evening of Aug. 18 to 19, John Layne and Harry Burt of Fessenden were visiting in New Rockford.

On Sunday, Aug. 19, there was a double force of men setting up binders in the H. Peoples’ machinery yard. That evening, G.W. Brownell drove to Carrington and took the Soo Line to Minneapolis on business; he returned on Aug. 27.

On Aug. 20, Toller Hoff was in for harvest supplies. Ed Winter came in on business. Howard Huff came in from Mandan to visit friends; he reported that his partner in their confectionary and ice cream parlor, Frank Hudson, was “jovial and just as fat as ever.” Miss Margaret Ford went to the Valley City Normal summer school and returned on Aug. 25. John Algeo of Barlow was on the northbound passenger train for Esmond, where he would be a grain buyer that fall. Wayne Johnson left for Lansford and vicinity to look for land to file on; he found no worthwhile land and returned on Sept. 7.

On Aug. 21, Mrs. J.E. Cady, accompanied by Mrs. Christofferson, came down from Oberon to visit; the Cadys were preparing to move to Denbigh, where he would buy grain. Mrs. H.A. Lundquist came in from Buffalo, N.Y., to visit her brother-in-law Olof Lundquist and family. That evening, burglars broke into the blacksmith shop at Barlow, stole some tools and used them to enter the butcher shop, two general stores, and the bank. They blew open the safe at the butcher shop and got around $40, took a little money from the two stores, but got nothing at the bank.

On Aug. 21 and 22, Katie (Mrs. Thomas) Turner of Barlow was visiting friends in New Rockford.

On Aug. 22, Van Dorn Gilchrist came up from Minneapolis to look after his business interests. Oscar Seiler of Jamestown came up on business. Christ Hanson and Martin Anderson were in from southeast of town on business. Sheriff George F. Fahrer was in Carrington on business. County Superintendent Grace B. Putnam went to Valley City to visit the summer school. That evening, Mr. and Mrs. R.P. Allison entertained 20 young people in honor of Misses Katherine and Doris Maddux. Planned as a lawn party, rain forced it indoors.

On Aug. 23, Roy Hayes returned from Beach, where he had filed on a claim. Ed and Norah Overton were in shopping; he was recovering from the broken leg he suffered on July 1. William Wilson came down from the Sheyenne Valley. M. Berge arrived from Buffalo, N.Y., to assist M.M. Belgum in his photography studio.

The Aug. 24, 1906, “Transcript” reported that the fruit [berries? plums?] along the Sheyenne River was almost non-existent due to the late-spring floods.

Mrs. Louis Schaffer (sic) and Family had a Card of Thanks to their kind friends who helped them during their recent bereavement, especially the St. John’s Choir and the New Rockford friends who were at the funeral.

Former Eddy County resident Robert Walden informed the “Transcript” that he had purchased a farm on the Frazer River and was living at Matsqui, British Columbia; another former resident in the area was Ben Nelson.

Andrew Johnson, Jr., had received a letter informing him of the recent death of Mrs. George Tyner, née Eddys Cole, of Everett, Wash.; she left a husband and a daughter, almost one. [She was a bookkeeper at the Maddux Law Office from May 1903, until she left on Dec. 23, 1903, for her marriage to George D. Tyner on Jan. 2, 1904.]

Miss Minnie O’Neill was the new stenographer-bookkeeper at Baird & Dresser. Miss Edith Campbell was the new saleslady at the Elias Saad general store.

Mr. and Mrs. P.H. West’s new house on Lamborn Avenue East was nearing completion and should be ready by September. The brickwork on the Farmers & Merchants Bank was almost completed.

Mrs. Fred Utz’s mother from Adel, Iowa, was visiting her and her family. Visiting in Missouri (on or near) the farm of former residents Mr. and Mrs. R.R. Woodward and family, Mont Biggs reported he had a run-in with a large wild hog and was bucked off a bronco, but the Woodwards patched him up. Prof. J. Harvey Johnson was a new music instructor at Phillips Academy.

Farmers around Morris had finished cutting their wheat and oats.

Aleck Austin was recovering from typhoid fever.

Early in the week Mr. and Mrs. Erick Lindstrom returned from Spring Grove, Minn.

On Aug. 24, Miss Julia Shirley sold her post office business and its stock of confections, tobacco, etc., to Frank Treffry, who was an experienced fruit and confectionary businessman. Mrs. D.C. Alexander came up from Barlow to visit. H.H. Miller returned from St. Paul, where he had taken a load of cattle earlier in the week. That afternoon, John Williams and his daughter arrived from California to visit; he would also check on his business interests.

On Aug. 25, Henry Von Almen began work at H. Peoples & Co. Mrs. James T. Wiltsie, Miss Hatalyn, and Master Marmaduke returned from Garrison and were back at home at Stimson Avenue and New Haven Street. Charles O’Connell came up from Minneapolis and would remain until his health improved; by Sept. 22 he was sufficiently healthy to leave for Chicago, where he would travel for a wholesale drug company. Misses Elsie and Vera Keime returned from the Twin Cities and the encampment. Dr. John Crawford was down from Esmond on professional business and to visit. Miss Josephine O’Connell came back from a visit to the summer school at Valley City Normal.