History of New Rockford: August 12, 2024

On Feb. 21, 1907, Mrs. John Von Almen went to Jamestown to visit her sister, teacher Miss Vera Tyler. Mrs. Hugh Kennedy went to the same city for a visit with relatives and friends. Edith (Mrs. A.C.) Olsen also went down to Jamestown to visit her parents, Prof. C.C. and Mrs. Schmidt. Mrs. John O’Connell went to Minneapolis, where her husband was in a hospital recovering from a serious operation. H.H. Miller accompanied a carload of hogs to the South St. Paul market; he returned on February 24. That evening, the Lowell Literary Society of NRHS gave the following program: Song by the Society; Essay, Wanda Keime; Recitation, Edna Stanton; Piano Solo, Flossie Fields; Society Newspaper: Elwin Beardsley and Merrille Pike; Debate, “Resolved, That the Hypocrite is a more Despicable Character than the Liar”; Affirmative: Ethella Hobbs and Clifford Gardner; Negative: John Smith and Harriet Watts; Music, 8th Grade Girls; Recitation, Mable House; Vocal Duet, Sarah Johnson and Hazel Healey; Recitation, Veronica Aldred.

The Feb. 22, 1907, “Transcript” said that Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Fisher were visiting New Rockford principal E.S. Youngdahl and his wife; Mrs. Fisher was the Sheyenne School principal and Mr. Fisher was homesteading on the Reservation.

A.H. Healey was the local agent for the Cascaden & Vaughn Co. of Waterloo, Iowa, which specialized in threshing machines, gasoline engines, etc. Healey returned from a business trip to the northern part of the state for that firm on February 17.

In “School Notes”: on February 15, the Lowell Literary Society met and revised the old constitution and elected Sarah Johnson, president; Jennie Hersey, vice president; Roger Mattson, secretary; and a Program Committee made up of Wanda Keime, Mable House and Elwin Beardsley; a new “International Dictionary” had been added to the high school library; County Superintendent Ellen Mattson visited Miss Rose Wagner’s seventh and eighth grade room on February 20; on that day Alma Maurer entered the fourth grade; Washington’s Birthday, February 22, was a school holiday.

Fayte Allen was visiting his cousin A.N. Tomlinson and his family; he was on his way home to Michigan from Montana.

There was no school at Phillips Academy on February 22, but the Literary Society presented a program at 2 p.m. with addresses by attorney R.P. Allison and Rev. J.R. Beebe. Music was provided by Prof. J. Harvey Johnson and his students, including the Male Quartette and the Orchestra (attorneys J.A. Manly and R.F. Rinker were also scheduled to speak but cancelled due to legal business). There was a good crowd despite the “disagreeable weather.” Will Steinweg, who worked at a general store in Courtenay, came up for a visit. Former Academy student Harry Burt came over from Fessenden to attend the school party hosted by the faculty that evening and to visit with friends for a few days; he went home on February 25. About 80 people were present for the party, despite the fact that no former students from the Maddock area could get there due to a wreck on the Esmond branch line. Many games were played and refreshments were served in the dining room, which had been decorated with flags and red, white and blue bunting. Mr. and Mrs. Maurice A. Liles came down from Minnewaukan to visit; they returned on February 25. That evening, Misses Ruth and Cora Gronvold hosted a party for some young friends at their home on New Haven St. South. Also that evening, the Royal Neighbors Lodge hosted a dance at the Opera House; invitations were in the form of a cardboard hatchet.

On February 23, the Maddux & Rinker Law Office received word that the N.D. Supreme Court had sustained the district court decision in favor of Kepner in the case of Kepner vs. Ford; Ford had appealed. Maddux & Rinker represented Kepner. In another case – Lahart vs. Zink – the Supreme Court reversed a district court decision from Foster County and ordered a new trial. Maddux & Rinker touted that as a victory for their client. Thomas Bollingberg came in with a load of flax. Miss Florence Schwoebel won a free trip to the Jamestown Exposition in Virginia in a contest sponsored by the “Forum.” Phillips Academy student Effie Dafoe was called home by the illness of her mother. That evening, Lawrence Prader became a 3rd Degree Mason.

On Sunday, Feb. 24, a daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs. William Thorn. Mr. and Mrs. O.B. Stedman and family were down from Sheyenne to visit Mr. and Mrs. J.L. Kinnaird. F.S. Dunham returned from the Twin Cities; he had gone there the week before with a carload of fat cattle. Phillips Academy student James Chambers visited his parents at Heaton; Academy student Miss Maggie VanScholack spent a few days in Edmunds with her family. The previous week, Fred Anderson finished his bookkeeping course at the Academy and left for his home at Barlow.

On February 25 twins, a boy and a girl, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Christ Ramberget northeast of New Rockford. Mrs. William Cahill was called to Buchanan by the news that her mother was very ill and not expected to live; she returned on March 2 with her mother, who was very weak. Miss Mae Pottner, who had arrived from Duluth the previous week, returned to that city, accompanied by her sister Sabina, who had been very ill for some time and would enter a Duluth hospital. Miss Ruth Reutenik went to Carrington in her capacity as a nurse. Mrs. H.J. Mitchell left on a two-weeks’ visit to the Twin Cities. State’s Attorney R.P. Allison went to Bismarck. M.M. Belgum went to the Twin Cities for the annual Photographers’ Convention; he returned on March 5. Mrs. Inez Gullicks left for the Twin Cities, where she would select her spring millinery stock; she returned on March 9.

From February 25 to 27, Sheriff George F. Fahrer was in McHenry on business.

On the morning of February 26, Miss Clara Nibbe fell down the cellar stairs at the home of Mr. and Mrs. H.G. Hudson; she suffered some severe bruising. William Farley returned from an extended stay in Hot Springs, Ark.; he was considerably thinner, but felt “like a new man.” Earl Starks also returned from Hot Springs, where he had gone because of his rheumatism; he felt much improved. Rev. J.C. Burkholder went up to Sheyenne. That afternoon, Dr. Charles MacLachlan and Donald Niven attended a meeting of the Central Racing Circuit in Carrington; they secured races in New Rockford on July 3 to 5. Mr. and Mrs. James B. Dafoe were on the southbound train on the first leg of a trip to Rochester, Minn., where Mrs. Dafoe would have a serious operation. That evening, around 20 of her friends surprised Miss Monica O’Connell with a party in her home at Gregory Avenue and Wolcott St.; games, music and refreshments were enjoyed.

On February 27, two young Sheyenne businessmen, Eddie Wilson and J.A. Hultberg, were in New Rockford. E. McLean of Sheyenne was visiting in town.