Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
The Eddy County Commission met on Jan. 5, 6-10, and 12-13, 1903.
On Jan. 5, H.P. Halverson and W.C. Schwoebel retired from the Eddy County Commission. The Commission organized with new members James G. Dailey and James H. Dafoe. P.J. Braman was elected chairman. All other county officials, except the county auditor, took their oaths of office. The Commission approved the bonds of W.C. Beardsley as county judge, $2,000; Ole Hendrickson as treasurer, $20,000; and A.G. Gardner as register of deeds, $5000. They also ordered the following payments: $2.35 to Rodenberg & Schwoebel for dry goods for smallpox patients; $3.75 to A.M. Greely for road work; $2 to John A. Cole for a telephone; and $30 to W.C. Hayes for his December salary as janitor.
On Jan. 6, E.R. Davidson, the secretary of the Creamery Association, was in on business from his farm northeast of town. Freeborn farmer W.C. Manz was in on business. John Vogt went to his old home, Joliet, Ill., supposedly for the rest of the winter, but he returned on Feb. 11. That afternoon there was “a short-lived blizzard.”
On that day, the Eddy County Commissioners authorized the Bank of New Rockford, the First National Bank of New Rockford, and the Bank of Sheyenne to be depositories of county funds. [The three institutions were approved on Jan. 8.] They also authorized the Northwestern Telephone Exchange to place poles and wires on public grounds in Sheyenne.
That day in Emmons County a windstorm drove a prairie fire before it, destroying hay, several farm buildings, and some livestock.
On Jan. 7, implement dealer A.J. Clure left on a business trip to Fargo and the Twin Cities, as well as a visit to his old home in Hastings, Minn.; he returned on Jan. 14. That evening the Crocus Lodge #27 of the Degree of Honor installed the following officers: Anna M. Greely, Chief of Honor; Emma C. Beardsley, Past Chief of Honor; Cora Kinnaird, Lady of Honor; Carrie E. Fay, Chief of Ceremonies [one source has Carrie E. Fay, Lady of Honor; Cora Kinnaird, Chief of Ceremonies]; Harriet H. Turner, Recorder; Coral B. Murphy, Financier; Mary O. Baird, Receiver; Alice M. Rager, Usher; Jennie E. West, Inside Watch; A.M. Greely, Outside Watch; Minnie M. Bennett, Trustee for three years. Alice (Mrs. J.W.) Rager was the installing officer.
On Jan. 7, the Eddy County Commission added the following to the jury list: George Ackerman, Henning Anderson, Ole Bergland, Charles Brohn, W.G. Carter, A.J. Clure, George E. Curtiss, E.R. Davidson, Nels Faar, Christ Fahrner, Frank F. Fisher, H.P. Halverson, Martin Johnson, Ole Johnson, Martin Johnston, Peter Landsoveck, L.G. Lundin, Hans Lyness, Ward E. Roush, Sam Samuelson, H.C. Tarbell, Jacob Taverna, Charles Taylor, F.W. Thelander, A.D. Tomlinson, Charles Topp, Fred Topp, George Treffry, G.L.W. Trembly, John Vogt, Fred Volker, Ike Walden, John Wassenberg, D.H. Webster, L.S. Webster, George R. Williams, L.M. Wolhouse, R.R. Woodward, E.F. Wright, and F.E. Wutz.
The following were appointed as road supervisors: District 1. William Mattison; 2. Gabriel Guessbacher; 3. M. O’Brien; 4. C.H. Ruland; 5. R.H. Baker; 6. G.W. Johnston; 7. Peter Hanson; 8. John Dodds; 9. Hugh Davidson; 10. James Walton; 11. O.H. Olson; 12. John Guler; 13. Tim O’Connor; 14. James Hobbes; 15. Axtle R. Erickson; 16. Ole Hegna; 17. B.W. Hersey; 18. William Skidmore; 19. James Graham; 20. Hans Peterson; 21. Joseph Maxwell; 22. William Dugan; 23. John Wren; 24. H.B. Johnson.
The Commission voted to hire a clerk in the Register of Deeds office at $45 per month.
On Jan. 8, the Commission appointed J.W. Stoddard as vice president and Dr. Charles MacLachlan as superintendent of the County Board of Health as well as the State’s Attorney. C.J. Maddux and Dr. Charles MacLachlan were appointed as Commissioners of Insanity, and along with Judge W.C. Beardsley, constituted the County Board of Insanity.
On Jan. 8, G.B. Hall took up a red and white yearling heifer with a white star in her forehead at his farm 5 miles northeast of New Rockford. Miss Vannie Hall was in shopping. Dr. and Mrs. Charles MacLachlan returned from their eastern trip. Louis Chaquette was in on business. William Bucklin and his young daughter returned from a visit to Lakota and Langdon. Miss Dora Yegen went to Jamestown and to Bismarck for a few days’ visit with friends and relatives. That evening there was a joint installation of officers for Riverside Camp 821 of the Royal Neighbors and New Rockford Camp 2214 of the Modern Woodmen (MWA). New officers installed in the new Woodmen Hall were the following:
The MWA Lodge: W.E. Radtke, Venerable Consul; R.M. Kennedy, Worthy Advisor; R.R. Woodward, Excellent Banker; O.E. Couch, Clerk; John Olson, Watchman; Robert Miller, Sentry; W.E. Biggs, A.J. Clure, and W.C. Dresser, Managers; W.E. Radtke, Delegate. E.R. Davidson was the installing officer.
The Royal Neighbors: Jenny (Mrs. L.J.) Doyle, Oracle; Lizzie M. (Mrs. W.E.) Biggs, Vice Oracle; Lizzie (Mrs. A.D.) Tomlinson, Chancellor; Mrs. Viola Woodward, Recorder; Jennie (Mrs. R.P.) Allison, Receiver; Laura J. (Mrs. H.J.) Mitchell, Marshal; Anna (Mrs. Peter) Prader, Inside Guard; Mary (Mrs. W.O.) Baird, Outside Guard; Mrs. Ann C. Whiteman, Manager. Mrs. George M. Pike was the installing officer.
After the installations, there was a social hour with dancing and “elegant refreshments.”
From the evening of Jan. 8 to Jan. 9, John T. West was in town on business from eastern Eddy County.
The Jan. 9, 1903, “Transcript” mentioned the “Bowbells Tribune,” the “Esmond Bee,” and the “Grand Forks Plaindealer.”
A letter from “Transcript” owner C.J. Maddux described his trip through southern Illinois and into Missouri; St. Louis; and across Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexico Territory to San Diego. It had been a few days before Christmas and snow covered the ground from Kansas to California, except around Albuquerque. The weather in Southern California was like June in North Dakota, plus there were orange, lemon, date and fig groves. He saw the battleship “Boston” in San Diego harbor. Eddy County people he saw in San Diego included J.H. Hohl, Joseph Maxwell, Harry Flater, Samuel McDowell, Mrs. J.T. Wiltsie, Maggie Riley, and Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Allen. Maddux’s son Charles’s health was better, but he still could not leave the house.
Another letter from Maddux dated Jan. 2 described the segregation by race on the New Orleans streetcars, waiting rooms and trains. He had taken the Southern Pacific from southern California to New Orleans.