Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
August 3, 2020
Please forgive the quality of the photo. It is a relic. It resides at the Eddy County Museum and is marked with a date of 1884.
The description it was given upon donation to the Eddy County Museum reads, "Men in derby standing in the doorway of H. Peoples."
Who these men are isn't clear at this point, but I do suspect there weren't many more than a handful of men at that time who would be dressed in their best and standing in front of the earliest stores in Eddy County.
The store, H. Peoples, was founded by and named after Hugh Peoples, one of the earliest settlers in Eddy County. Peoples arrived in the area during the spring of 1882.
By 1883, he had established the first mercantile business. In 1894, he established a branch store at Sheyenne.
Peoples was known for far more than opening the first mercantile. Pieces of his story are featured in New Rockford's centennial publication, "A Century of Sowers, A Harvest of Heritage."
Peoples was known as a merchant, banker, farmer and was involved in real estate.
H. Peoples is a name that can be spotted if you look hard enough. Sometimes it even pops up in Ken Gardner's "History of New Rockford" features.