History of New Rockford - March 12, 2018

On Sunday, July 7, 1901, Mrs. Richard Tenborg and Mrs. Nelson of Carrington visited Mrs. E.S. Severtson.

On the morning of July 8, J.R. Engberg and his son Sumner of Barlow and Mr. and Mrs. Olof Lundquist and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. Faust of Valley City, went to the Chautauqua. Robert Walden was in from his farm. Rev. E.T. Quam and son were down from Sheyenne. Jacob Allmaras, Michael Majerus, Sven Pehrson, Cy Ruland, and Mrs. W.G. Carter and daughter were in town, as were J.A. Crum and Joe Dutee from eastern Eddy County; W.A. Cornish, John Schaefer, and George Fields from Tiffany; Erick Moe of Freeborn; Frank G. Parker and Frank Thelander from southwest of New Rockford; and P.S. Peterson from northwest of town. Mr. and Mrs. John Collins of Wells County were in town shopping. That evening the Royal Neighbors gave a “Horror Social”: “The horrors presented were varied and slumber-disturbing and the event was a great success.”

On July 8 and 9, Carl P. Barby of Eden was in New Rockford on business.

On the morning of July 9, Dr. Charles MacLachlan and W.O. Baird went to Kidder County to look over some stock ranches. Maurice O’Connor left to visit the Pan American Exposition and his former home in Pennsylvania. Mrs. R.P. Allison and son Homer went to the Chautauqua. A.J. Larkin, the advance agent for the Clure Implement Co. of New Rockford, was in Barlow. Miss Lyle Yeagen and her brother came up from Bismarck to visit at the J.L. Prader, Sr. homestead. Mr. and Mrs. John O’Connell returned from a month’s visit to Minneapolis, where they attended the graduation of their son Charles from the Minnesota School of Pharmacy. Thomas Bollingberg was in town. Mrs. Frances Wilson came in from Dickinson to visit.

On July 9, Mr. and Mrs. H.L. Lyon of the “Transcript” staff left for the Chautauqua and to attend the Press Association Day via Fargo, where they visited Mr. and Mrs. Charles Rattinger and Grand Forks, where they saw Mr. Lyon’s brother; they returned to New Rockford on July 13. That evening contracts were let for finishing the upper rooms of the school to J.L. Kinnaird for $985.45; the south half would be used for school purposes and the north half would be an assembly room.

On July 10 Mr. and Mrs. F.H. Martin were in town. Mrs. Emma Connor and her daughter Miss Madeline of Cresco, Iowa, arrived to visit their sister and aunt Mrs. J.T. Wiltsie and family. Miss Ida Bennett came up from Boone, Iowa; she left for her home again on Oct. 18. Veterinarian and Mrs. F.W. Tompkins of Oberon were in New Rockford between trains. Mrs. E.S. Severtson and Miss Lucie Nelson went to Carrington. Mrs. Karl Woodward and her children left Jamestown for Idaho, where her dentist husband had located. Mrs. C.W. Wells received a telegram that her mother was dying in Kansas, so the next morning she took the Soo Line from Carrington

On July 10 to 11, Hugh Scott was at the Chautauqua.

On July 11, Oscar Irwin, L. Sontag, J.B. Dafoe and John Nunn were in New Rockford, as were Isaac Studebaker and James Graham from eastern Eddy County. F.C. Davies and J.D. Carroll returned from the Twin Cities. G.J. Schwoebel left on a visit to his old home in Wisconsin and from there travel on to the Pan American Exposition. R.P. Allison went down the branch line on legal business. The Younger Brothers, Cole and James, were paroled from the Minnesota State Prison at Stillwater, where they had been sent after being found guilty for their role in the abortive Northfield, Minn. bank robbery with the Jesse and Frank James Gang on Sept. 7, 1876. That evening Mr. and Mrs. R.M. Kennedy and family returned from the Chautauqua after a week.

The July 12, 1901, “Transcript” led with an article headlined “A STRIKING CONTRAST.” It said that R.P. Allison was “a man of good moral integrity, honest, sober, frugal and industrious…a mighty good citizen.” Why, then, would the “Provost” (aka, “Pokervost”) criticize him? A criticism from men who are not of Allison’s caliber. “Pete [State’s Attorney Peter M. Mattson] is as ignorant as a Piute [sic] Indian,…addicted to all vices known to be vicious and immoral.” He is “dyed with dishonesty….He is a habitual drunkard, and disrespectful on every occasion—shunned alike by man, woman and child as though his case of moral leprosy was contagious.” His partner “is even worse…spending all his earnings on ‘booze’ to the exclusion of the actual necessaries of life for his family.” Mr. Allison associates with churchgoing people; Pete and his partner have gamblers and blind pigs as their friends.

That issue claimed that a recent attack in the “Provost” made by “Pete” was unwarranted. “Pete” was upset by “a patriotic address” made in a church by a man who was of “good moral and social standing.”

No man associated with “Pudden Head Pete” in any way whatsoever had ever gotten the better of him if the “thoroughbred cur” could turn to “fraud, dishonesty and underhand dealing….”

The “Transcript” claimed that no sooner had “Pudden Head Pete” returned from the Chautauqua that week than he was uptown getting loaded on “bug-juice.”

If “Pudden Head Pete” really wanted to enforce prohibition, he should begin by looking in the “whiskey joint” right next to the “Provost’ office. The “Transcript” claimed that two barrels of beer went into the place on July Fourth and came out empty the next morning. “Let the snake-eyed, bow-legged, moral leper” get busy on enforcement or admit that Doc Leonard and others had been forced to close their businesses, so the “joint” could have a liquor monopoly in New Rockford and “undoubtedly” share its profits with “Pete”.

James Johns had sold his half-interest in the Johns & Powers elevators and lumberyards (around twenty of each in North Dakota). A syndicate of Minneapolis capitalists was ready to take possession on July 15. M.B. Hersey would remain as the manager of the lumberyard in New Rockford, and B.W. Rantz would “probably remain” as the grain buyer for the local elevator, which would be called the Powers Elevator Co.

Jay C. Whiteman had removed the partition in his drug store to make one large room; he also had the interior painted. A.C. Buck was having his drug store painted. George Stitzel, the iceman, was planning on building a large ice house with enough capacity to supply all the needs of Eddy County. The Pake Elevator was almost completed; it had a gasoline engine. Mr. Pake had purchased the C.F. Hambrecht property and was preparing to live there. Went Mcgee’s new barn was finished on his farm east of New Rockford. C.H. Ruland was building a 42x18 barn with eighteen-foot posts on his farm.

E.B. Thomson had a two-year old Hereford bull for sale. Barlow mayor P.C. Peterson had purchased the coal sheds and scales of the late F.G. Barlow and would carry on the business. Elevators in Sheyenne included the Monarch, Brooks and Dakota.

Mr. and Mrs. John T. Olson and family had gone to the Chautauqua for a week, but were back. When H.G. Hudson was at the Chautauqua, Henry Davis filled in for him behind the Kunkle & Hudson counter.