Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

History of New Rockford: January 30, 2023

The Sept. 22, 1905, “Transcript” carried an ad stating that the Hotel Davies, J.W. Hedges, prop., was “Strictly a $2-a-Day House in Every Respect.” It had steam heat and gas lighting.

Mrs. Bena Crepps and Mr. and Mrs. T.C. Crepps had a Card of Thanks to their friends and neighbors who had aided them in their recent bereavement.

The Postmaster General was calling for bids for a tri-weekly mail delivery between New Rockford and Freeborn, beginning on June 30, 1906; the present delivery was twice a week.

Mrs. E.B. Thomson had been quite ill since the death of her mother Mrs. Sarah Bacon on Sept. 12, but was feeling better. B.W. Rantz had been ill early in the week. Father W.A. Gallahue was sick during the week and spent most of it in bed. Baby Dorothy Dresser had been quite ill the previous few days. County Superintendent of Schools Grace B. Putnam was able to be out after a couple weeks of illness had confined her to her bed.

Mrs. David Reeves of Winnipeg, Manitoba, was visiting her sister Mrs. J.C. Shoop and family. Mrs. Bessie R. Nixon, son Reed, and daughter Marion of Winnipeg, Manitoba, were visiting her cousin Mrs. O.G. Cooling and family; they returned on Oct. 13. George F. Putnam was down from Mohall to look over his farming operations. Mr. and Mrs. Haynes of Illinois, who had purchased the Robert Walden farm, were visiting Mr. and Mrs. W.O. Baird. Mrs. Carrie E. Fay was preparing to leave for Edmonton, N.W.T., where her son Bennie and his family and her husband were already located. [She left for Banff on Sept. 28.]

The NP was shipping a large quantity of material to Barlow and to the “Divide” between New Rockford and Sheyenne where two long passing tracks were to be constructed to accommodate the increase in shipping that fall.

During the week the “Northern Colonization Company” of Sheyenne, headed by Nels K. Mattson, had made land sales of 160 acres for Baird & Dresser and 160 acres for C.J. Maddux.

The week before, Mrs. Frances Wilson visited at the Mr. and Mrs. E.B. Thomson farm and with her sons Will and Eddie at Sheyenne. Derk M. Stegenga of the Phillips Academy had been in McHenry passing out literature on that school. During the latter part of that week, Marshal Robert O’Neill was looking after the threshing of his crops in the Sheyenne Valley; Frank Fahrer substituted for him.

On Sept. 22, #1 Northern Wheat brought 71 cents in the New Rockford market. Methodist minister Rev. S.F. Beer passed through New Rockford on the train; he was returning to his Oberon home from Pennsylvania and would preach in the New Rockford Methodist Church on Sunday, Sept. 24. R.A. Downing left for his home at Belvidere, Ill., after checking over his farming interests in the county.

On the evening of Sept. 22, singer Miss Olivia Dahl appeared at the Opera House; her songs were mostly done in Norwegian. There was “a fair-sized audience.”

On Sept. 23 and 24, Miss Georgia Hersey was in Oberon visiting the Beer sisters.

On the evening of Sept. 23, the members of the St. John’s Catholic Church choir surprised their organist Miss Lynn Tyler by dropping in on her at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Fertig and presenting her with a fine cut glass dish as a token of their esteem, after which a pleasant evening was spent.

At 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, L.J. Aldrich preached in the Baptist Church.

On Sept. 24 and 25, cigarmaker H.J. Radtke was in Jamestown.

At 9 a.m. on Sept. 25, the Phillips Academy opened for its second year with L.J. Aldrich as the Principal. Twenty students had enrolled, but the goal was to have 150 students. The opening exercises in the assembly hall consisted of addresses by Principal L.J. Aldrich, Rev. J.R. Beebe for the Trustees, Mrs. Beebe, and faculty members Mr. Stegenga and Miss Elizabeth K. Chapman. Mrs. H.J. Mitchell led the music.

Classes offered included Solid and Plane Geometry, beginning Algebra, advanced Arithmetic, Literature, Rhetoric, Grammar, U.S. and General History, beginning and advanced Bookkeeping, two grades of Shorthand, Correspondence, Physics, four grades of Latin (including Caesar, Cicero, and Virgil), German, Penmanship, Typewriting, Vocal Music, and Instrumental Music.

Practice had already begun for baseball and basketball.

Two young female students were looking for good homes where part or all of their expenses could be earned by light housework. Two or three young men were looking for work near the Academy by which to earn their room and board.

On that day, H.J. Row and F.P. Roush came in from Tiffany. Bank cashier James E. Hyde went to Fargo to superintend threshing operations on his large farm. George H. Pincott left for Miles City, Mont., to purchase some horses; he returned on Oct. 2 without any. P.H. West went to St. Paul on business and to his former home, Henning, Minn., to visit; while he was there, he was able to sell his residential property.

From Sept. 25 to noon on Sept. 27, optical specialist D.D. Sullivan of Fargo was at Kunkel’s Jewelry examining eyes and fitting glasses.

On Sept. 26, Miss Carolyn Trainor returned from her Velva claim; on Sept. 29 she left to attend Valley City Normal School. Hans Jensen returned from Knox and other points on the Great Northern. John G. Martin from west of town and Hans Tuffli from the Guler district were in on business. William Thorn was in from northeast of town. Miss Josie Babcock came over from McHenry and took the position of night operator at the telephone exchange. Hotel Davies landlord J.W. Hedges went to Leeds on business; he also went to Maxbass. Fred VonAlmen went to Maddock on Northwest Lumber Co. business. W.A. “Red” Mendenhall, who had been the first chair at Granville Egbert’s barber shop for the past year, had left for his old home at Adel, Iowa, where he had purchased a barber shop. That evening, the Ionic Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star met. At 8 p.m., Rev. E.W. Burleson conducted Episcopal services at the Methodist Church. That evening, about fifty of her friends enjoyed a dance at the Opera House in honor of Miss Jennie Treffry, who left on Sept. 29 for her former home, Marshalltown, Iowa; music was provided by Andrew Johnson and Miss Caroline Waters.

On Sept. 27, Mrs. M.S. Johnson of Rio, Wisc., arrived to visit Mrs. Joseph Maxwell. G.W. McDonell returned from Valley City, where he had gone to supervise the threshing of his crop. O.W. Johnson was in from Plainview; his wheat had graded both #1 and #2 Northern and went 17 bushels to the acre. Captain C.H. Culver arrived from Sioux Falls to look after his business interests; he had attended the GAR Encampment at Denver, Colo. He returned home on Nov. 9. John Welsh was back from a business trip to Minneapolis. Mrs. P.H. West went to Oberon to visit Rev. and Mrs. S.F. Beer and family. S.P. Pisel went to Carrington on business.