History of New Rockford: Feb. 19, 2024

The Sept. 14, 1906, “Transcript” said the fixtures for the Farmers & Merchants Bank had arrived and were being installed.

Mrs. P.J. Butler had all her household goods, a buggy and a set of single driving harness for sale. Assistant Principal Miss Lillian Lund had lost her watch and was hoping for its return.

Due to the heavy freight business, an extra locomotive had been stationed in New Rockford to do switching and yard work and to haul some freight cars to Carrington. Also, because of the heavy grain traffic, the passenger trains had been running two to six hours late, and the regular freight trains could be up to 24 hours behind their schedule.

The Sept. 14, 1906, “Transcript” mentioned that the previous week’s weather was hot, but became decidedly cooler with a strong wind on Sept. 10. On Sept. 14, it rained all day, halting threshing.

On the morning of Sept. 14, the two-year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Johnson died; the funeral was in the family home on Sunday, Sept. 16.

On Sept. 14, Mrs. W.C. Hayes arrived for a visit. Mrs. W.H. Neimeyer came over from McHenry that afternoon to visit. Frank Speck came up from Minneapolis to visit his parents south of town.

On Sept. 15, George Norton returned from southern North Dakota, where he had been building elevators. W.H. Wilder and Nick Lies came in on business. H.M. Clark returned from Jamestown, where he had attended a meeting for the Alliance Hail Association. Otto Forey came in from Kenmare, where he had been for some time. Drs. Robert and James Campbell arrived from Chicago to do some hunting and to visit Dr. Charles MacLachlan. Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Swanson were up from Barlow to visit Mr. and Mrs. E.S. Severtson. Mrs. B.W. Rantz left for a visit to her old home (in Iowa or Indiana); she returned on Nov. 19. Miss Mabel Ertel left for Minnewaukan. Father Vandenburgh went to Minnewaukan and said Mass there the next day. Miss Mae O’Connell went to Sheyenne, where she would teach in a school that opened Sept. 17.

From Sept. 15 to 17, Mrs. Charles Pake was in from Denbigh to visit.

On the afternoon of Sunday, Sept. 16, a large group of friends helped Anton Haas celebrate his 45th birthday at his farm southeast of town.

On Sept. 17, a son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Martin Johnson southeast of town. Miss Madge Canning came up from Valley City for a visit with her sister Mrs. P.J. Butler and family; she left on Sept. 24, accompanied by her niece, Miss Bessie Butler, who returned on Oct. 1. Mr. and Mrs. Pat Byron were up from near Barlow to shop. William Poulton returned from St. Paul, where he had an appendectomy, and would soon resume work for John Winslow. Miss Pearl Goss came home after a visit to Iowa and Illinois. Dr. J.R. McKenzie came up from Carrington and he, Dr. Charles MacLachlan, and Drs. Robert and James Campbell of Chicago went out to eastern Eddy County to hunt. Mrs. Thomas Kellington and Miss Celestia left for Valley City, where Celestia Kellington would attend Valley City State Normal School. Mrs. F.G. Haver and her two daughters went to Jamestown, where the girls would attend school.

Sealed bids for providing the New Rockford School District #4 with Wilton Lignite Coal were accepted through Sept. 17 by District Clerk P.J. Braman.

On Sept. 18, G.W. McDonell returned from Valley City. Mrs. Ellen Blakely of Carrington arrived to get things in order at Phillips Academy, where she was the matron. Miss Elizabeth K. Chapman, preceptress at Phillips Academy, returned from a long visit to her old home in Maine and other eastern states.

On Sept. 19, the members of the Tiffany and the New Rockford Ladies’ Aid societies met in the Methodist Church; at 12:30 a dinner was served. B.G. Allen came down from York to visit. Miss Anna H. Johnson arrived from Carrington to work in the dining room of the Hotel Mattson. Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Richter, Mrs. A.H. (Floy Richter) Johnson, and Miss Jet Richter came down from Sheyenne to visit. Miss Carolyn Waters also came down from Sheyenne, feeling better after her recent illness (appendicitis and appendectomy). Mrs. G.W. Brownell and family left to visit their old home in New York State, accompanied by George Norton. Elmer Dinnetz went to Fargo on business.

At 8 p.m. Sept. 19, Robert Henry died at his Sheyenne home of peritonitis. On Sept. 12, he became ill with appendicitis and it was so bad doctors dared not send him to the Twin Cities for an operation, so a specialist was sent for, and he performed the operation in the family home on Sept. 15, but it was too late. He had lived in the county since boyhood and was the junior partner in the Mattson & Henry general merchandise store in Sheyenne. Funeral services were held at 10 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, in the Sheyenne Baptist Church, Rev. E.W. Burleson of Jamestown presiding, with interment in the cemetery north of New Rockford. His gravestone reads “ROBERT HENRY BORN 1877 DIED 1906.” [His father’s gravestone is of a similar shape and design.] He left a wife, a young son, his parents Mr. and Mrs. David Henry, who lived northeast of New Rockford, and several brothers and sisters.

On Sept. 20, Ole Olson was in on business from his farm northwest of New Rockford. Halver Halverson came down from the Sheyenne Valley on business; his wheat was running 25 bushels per acre. Druggist M.E. Williams received “a fine bird dog” from Minneapolis. Mrs. Lutman and Miss Irma returned to Edmunds after visiting Mrs. Inez Gullicks during the week. Monroe Wilder was up on the elevator of the Ford & Goodrich separator adjusting the weights when he slipped and fell 14 feet to the ground, landing on his head, shoulders and arm; he sustained a broken right arm and severe bruising on his head and shoulders. He was taken to town immediately and his arm was set and he was given medical treatment.

The Sept. 21, 1906, “Transcript” stated that threshing was about half finished in the area.

Mrs. H.W. Clark had a dozen White Leghorns for sale.

A light bay two-year old mare colt with a white stripe in her face and with white feet strayed from Nick Lies’s pasture in Fairville Township, Wells County, on the night of Sept. 11; contact Nick Lies or telephone 104-J J.

During the week, F.C. Davies had put a cement sidewalk in front of the Farmers and Merchants Bank and extended it west past Elias Saad’s mercantile store. [Today that would be from the Vorland Land Co. west to the alley.]

Early in the week Mrs. Fisher of Greene, Iowa, arrived to visit her daughter Mrs. Fred Utz and family. Mrs. Granville Egbert visited her parents Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Johnson at Tiffany all week.

One day the previous week, the railroad brought in 38,000 lbs. of freight for New Rockford.