History of New Rockford: August 26, 2024

On March 6, 1907, Peter Michel’s brother arrived from Wisconsin to visit. Mr. and Mrs. F.W. House and family left for their new home, Mountain Home, Idaho; their furniture followed on March 9. J.E. Bennett left to visit his old home, Boone, Iowa, and planned to go on to Idaho; he had resigned as agent of the Great Western Elevator Co, due to his rheumatism. Miss Edith Kizer accompanied Mrs. George Fugina to Alamogordo, New Mexico Territory, where they would remain for the rest of the winter while Mrs. Fugina attempted to regain her health; they arrived there on March 15. George Fugina went with them as far as the Twin Cities, then he and the two children took a train to Wisconsin, where the children would stay with his sister-in-law until their mother’s return. Unfortunately, the Fuginas’ little baby died shortly after their arrival in Wisconsin; Mr. Fugina returned to New Rockford on March 21. That evening George Lake came in from Beach, N.D., to visit relatives and friends. That night wind-driven heavy snow filled in all the cuts on the railroad; the northbound train didn’t make it to New Rockford until March 8.

On March 7, Peter Michel was in on business. That evening, Mr. and Mrs. O.E. Couch entertained sixteen people at their home on Stimson Ave.; whist was played and a luncheon was served at midnight. That night, the Russell snowplow ran off the tracks between Carrington and Barlow and it took considerable work to get it back on.

The March 8, 1907, “Transcript” had under “School Notes”: state exams had been given the previous week; Mabel E. House had left school to move with her family to Mountain Home, Idaho.

An ad announced a new firm – the Independent Dray Line was under new ownership: Johnston & Magee. A. Liles of Minnewaukan had a house with six lots and a house with two lots for sale in New Rockford.

Claude Comer was assisting druggist William Bucklin in the absence of Jack Johnson. H.J. Mitchell was appointed by Governor Burke to the Board of Trustees of the State Hospital at Jamestown.

The previous week, the senior class of Phillips Academy met to begin preparations for their graduation in June; they also elected Mont Biggs as class president. Harry Ford had to quit his studies at the Academy to work on the family farm. Also during the previous week, a bunch of Christmas trees ordered for December 15 finally arrived.

On the morning of March 8, Prof. Derk M. Stegenga missed some of his classes at Phillips Academy due to the illness of his wife. Miss Gertrude Buck, Harry West, Roger Mattson and Elwin Beardsley visited Phillips Academy. Tiffany postmaster George Fields, Ed Roush, Henry B. Johnson and Will Ducke came in on business. Ole Johnson came in with a load of grain. Fred Dutee came in from eastern Eddy County. Barber Roy Stitzel returned from Fargo. Henry Petzold came in from a winter in St. Paul. R. Learns returned to New Rockford after a long absence. John Vogt came home from his visit to Joliet, Ill. John Geiger was in town; he had just returned from a trip to Missouri, Texas and some other southern states. The King’s Daughters met at Mrs. H.W. Clark’s and discussed the ways and means of uplifting the spiritual standing of the boys and girls of New Rockford. The Phillips Academy Literary Society met. The program consisted of a Selection by the Orchestra; Essay, Harl Aldrich; Vocal Solo, Marie Roush; Recitation, Hattie Reynolds; Essay on “Woman’s development and independence during the last twenty years,” Zoa Bartholomew; Clarinet Solo, Prof. Johnson; Dialogue, Guy Thompson and Ralph Beebe; Newspaper, James Jensen, editor; Gertrude Hall, assistant editor; Vocal Duet, Hattie and Ella Reynolds; Recitation, Ella Solberg; Vocal Solo, Miss Carrie Waters; Debate, “Resolved, that the torrid zone is more advantageous to the human race than the north temperate zone,” Affirmative, Ralph Beebe and Eunice Hobbs; Negative, Mont Biggs and Amy Crane; Selection, Male Quartette. That evening John Geiger was in on business and to visit.

County Supt. Ellen Mattson had scheduled the teachers’ examination for March 8 and 9 in the court house. Phillips Academy students Edna Lloyd, Mildred Keime and Lena Breck were among those who took the tests.

On March 9, State Representative S.N. Putnam returned from Bismarck. “Sheyenne Star” editor C.C. Manning was down on business. John B. Edinger was in town on business; he had rented out his farm west of New Rockford and was planning on moving into town after June 1. Jacob Valer was up from his Barlow farm on business. Silas Hylton left for Virginia, where his mother was seriously ill; he returned on April 11.

On Sunday, March 10, Ella Connolly returned to Phillips Academy from her Barlow home, where she had been visiting for a couple of days.

On March 11 Fargo optician C.J. Sullivan was at Kunkel’s Jewelry Store. Attorney James Carroll received word of the death of his sister at Bismarck, but because of poor train service, he was unable to attend the funeral. F.S. Dunham’s brother stopped off for a visit on his way from Salt Lake City to his home in Batavia, N.Y.; he left on March 14; he said he saw more snow between New Rockford and his brother’s farm than he had seen on his entire trip, including the Rocky Mountains. Mrs. G.D. Murphy returned from a trip to the Twin Cities and other places in Minnesota. Butcher H.H. Miller went to Tower City for a big stock sale. Ole Olson went to Bismarck to serve as a juror in federal court; he returned on March 22. That evening, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Labhardt entertained a number of their friends at a progressive whist party in their Villard Ave. West home; prizes went to Miss Lillian Lund and Miss Rose Wagner. “An elegant supper” was served.

From March 11 to 13, H.G. Hudson was visiting Walter W. Immel at Courtenay and State’s Attorney R.P. Allison was in Jamestown on business.

On the morning of March 12, Simon [Simoen] Ramberget, 21, died from pulmonary tuberculosis from which he had suffered for two years; the funeral was held on March 15, with interment in the Greenfield Cemetery, now the Grandfield Cemetery. His flat, gray gravestone reads “Aug. 22, 1885 SIMOEN RAMBERGET Mar. 12, 1907.” His brother Albert Ramberget, who had successfully overcome typhoid fever, was very low with tubercular peritonitis. That evening there was a dance in the Hotel Davies dining room in honor of Chris Jensen, who left for his claim near Beach, N.D., on March 15; the ladies served refreshments.

On March 13 Sheyenne real estate man O.T. Peterson was down on business. James Hackney went to Jamestown for a meeting of the State Asylum Board. That day was a day of fasting and prayer for members of the Baptist Church, with special services at 10 a.m.