History of New Rockford: Oct. 25, 2021

The Eddy County Commission (Braman, Dailey, Dafoe) met on July 5-8, 1904.

On July 6, the Eddy-Wells telephone line was connected to the local central office and linked the farmers of eastern Wells County with the outside world. Susie Monahan returned from visiting her brother Eddie in a St. Paul hospital; he was improving after his second operation and was able to be up for several hours a day. Agnes Ewald [Ewals?] was in shopping. J.P. Welsh was down from the Sheyenne Valley. Miss Lou Arnold of Rodenberg and Schwoebel’s dry goods department, left for a visit to her old home in Rushford, Minn.; she would also visit her sister Mrs. H.G. Gage in Winnipeg; she returned on August 6.

On July 7, D.H. Webster was in from eastern Eddy County on business. Thomas Ose came down from Brinsmade on business and to visit. Mrs. Jay Coultor [Coulter?] and family of Sutherland, Iowa, arrived to visit her brother-in-law Edgar Colledge [College?] and family east of Barlow. Fred Von Almen left for his home in Elizabeth, Minn., and would remain for the harvest; he returned on September 14. That evening, J.W. Richter came down from Sheyenne. At 8 p.m., William Blow and Anna Dear were married by Rev. C.F. Sewrey in the Methodist parsonage. Sarah West was the bridesmaid; Lawrence Butler was the best man. The bride had come from her home in Oxford, Mich., two months prior.

On July 7, the Eddy County Commission appointed the following as election inspectors: Joseph Christ, Hall district; Ole Johnson, Pitt; Hans Pederson, Fay; George M. Pike, New Rockford; J.R. Craig, Sheldon; Martin Walsh, Tiffany; John W. Seckinger, Colvin; Simon Nelson, Sheyenne; Ed Nystrom, Rocky Mountain; and J.J. Anderson, Dutee.

The July 8, 1904, “Transcript” said “Attorney P.M. Mattson has a fine auto, and makes it hum between city and farm.” “H. Peoples has a brand new Rambler—auto—and it is a hummer. Grandy hitched right onto it as tho he had driven one all his life….”

A letter from Mrs. J.M. Mulvey said that her son Jay had joined her in St. Louis from Portland and they were enjoying the World’s Fair, along with Mr. and Mrs. F.E. Diemer of Barnesville, Minn. [Mrs. Diemer and Mrs. Mulvey were sisters].

“If the person who walked away with a fine black beaver hat that did not belong to him, at the dance last Monday night, will return it to this office we feel assured that his conscience will reward him by stilling its accusing voice. No questions asked.”

A.M. Greely was slowly recovering from his “very dangerous illness.”

Mr. and Mrs. James Graham had a card of thanks for all the friends and relatives who gave them assistance and sympathy during the illness and death of their daughter.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Dahl of Valley City visited Mr. and Mrs. Olof Lundquist for several days, including over the Fourth; the women were sisters. G.W. Brownell was in Chicago on a business trip.

On July 8, George A. Brown’s mother and sister came up from Jamestown to visit. O.B. Stedman came down from Sheyenne. That afternoon, the Eddy County Sunday School Teachers’ Institute was held in the Baptist Church; Rev. John Orchard, the State General Secretary, conducted it. Mesdames Getchell, Kermott, Lundin, and Manning, and Misses McFarland and Holstein were down from Sheyenne to attend.

On July 8, the Eddy County Commission accepted a petition from T.M. Huff and others to locate a highway from the northwest corner of section 30, Township 148, Range 66, [Sheldon] then due east on the section line to the northeast corner of section 25, T148, R66.

An application by the Sheyenne Telephone Company to construct and operate a telephone system in Sheyenne was granted.

The following bills were allowed: $34, Prader and Goss, merchandise for W.S. Lyon and Mrs. William Cahill, county poor; $4.50, J.R. Winslow, milk for Mrs. Cahill; 25 cents, Donald Niven, beef for county poor; $2, Noxon and Oglesby, telephone; $5, Sarah Weeks, attending R.E. Miller while sick; $9.40, A.G. Gardner, postage, Jan. 8-July 8; $40, W.C. Hayes, janitor for June; $6.25, W.C. Beardsley, fees in Ida Studebaker insanity case; $45, Mrs. A.G. Gardner, register of deeds’ clerk, June.

On July 9, Mr. and Mrs. James Johns and family arrived to visit his brother A.R. Johns; the Johns family was going to move to Idaho. William Cornish came in from Tiffany on business. Henry Holter returned from Dr. MacLachlan’s Kidder County ranch, where he had been for some time. Mrs. B.W. Hersey was in from Tiffany to shop and visit. Photographer M.M. Belgum and Ole Gronvold returned from the Norwegian Sangerfest in Grand Forks.

On July 9 and 10, Madge Canning and Mrs. William Bucklin were at the Chautauqua. From July 9 to 12, George Norton and Frank Reed were at the Chautauqua.

On the morning of Sunday, July 10, Frank Richmond came up from Carrington to visit. J.W. Chinoworth came over from Dr. MacLachlan’s Kidder County farm on business. Walter Immel of Fessenden was in town; his treatment for Bright’s Disease had made an improvement in his health. Mr. and Mrs. A.D. Tomlinson went to the Chautauqua. The topic of the sermon at the Methodist Church that evening was “Legitimate Pleasures.”

On the morning of July 11, D.H. Fowler of Jamestown took over the Donald Niven meat market. Fowler had been in Jamestown about 20 years, and in the meat business there for 12. Niven was going to take a vacation and then tend to the management of his large farm. James MacLachlan arrived from Ontario to remain for a while; his wife stopped in Valley City for a few days, but would soon join her husband. Herman Olson was in town on business. Beth Davidson arrived for a summer with relatives and friends. B.G. Arbogast went to Duluth and other Minnesota cities on business; he returned July 23. Madge Canning went to Spiritwood to nurse a typhoid case. Mrs. P.H. West, and son Albert, were in McHenry.

On July 11 and 12, Joe Dutee was in from eastern Eddy County on business and to take the children to the circus.

On July 12, John Robinson was in from Brinsmade to visit. William Pilgrim of Bradford, Ill., arrived to visit Frank Reed; he remained until July 15. State’s Attorney James A. Manly returned from the National Democratic Convention and the World’s Fair in St. Louis. Mrs. John T. Morris and children came down from Minnewaukan to visit. Andrew Johnson, manager of the Mattson Hotel, and T.E. Lahart left for the World’s Fair; Lahart would be joined by his wife in St. Paul. Johnson returned on July 26. Judson Gilbreath left for Philadelphia and treatment for his rheumatism in a hospital there.