History of New Rockford: August 28, 2023

On March 16, 1906, T.H. Bollingberg was in from the Twist neighborhood of eastern Wells County on business and to visit; he was interested in reports of a new railroad line that might pass near his farm at Twist. In the evening the Phillips Academy Glee Club (a boys’ double quartette) gave a concert of solos, duets, quartettes and eight-voice songs in Sheyenne, assisted by Miss Carolyn Waters at the piano and Miss Hazel Hall. Rev. J.R. Beebe accompanied the boys and introduced them to the large audience. That evening the New Rockford Orchestra played at an Eastern Star Lodge banquet in Minnewaukan. Also that evening Mr. and Mrs. B.W. Rantz hosted a farewell party at their home in east New Rockford in honor of Miss Ida Kersten, who would soon leave for Minneapolis; the young people played whist and enjoyed refreshments.

On March 17 Plainview teacher A.D. Smith was in on business. The Academy Quartette went to Barlow to sing at a Degree of Honor entertainment and basket social. George Setz bought a wagonload of lumber in McHenry and he and Harry Heiple drove it to the Setz farm 12 miles northwest of that town. They put the team in the barn and unloaded the lumber. Then at noon Setz went to feed them oats, but one of the horses kicked him in the leg just above the ankle, breaking both leg bones. Heiple took him to McHenry, where Dr. LeBien set the leg.

On March 17 and 19, eye specialist F.W. Soule was at Babcock & Bucklin’s Drug Store.

On March 19 Joseph Maxwell returned from Salt Lake City, where he had received treatment [for rheumatism?] and was feeling better. Frank Thelander, a former Eddy County resident, stopped off in New Rockford on his way from Minneapolis, where he had spent two months, to his home in Alberta, Canada, for which he left the next day. Dr. Charles MacLachlan went to Valley City to attend the inspection of Company G, N.D. National Guard, of which he was a member. Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Cady and her sister Miss Clara Whelchel left for their new home, Minnewaukan. The Phillips Academy Glee Club performed before a small audience in Spencer’s Hall in Oberon.

On March 20 the following were elected in the Superior Township organizational election: James Hackney, E.E. Forbes, and Joseph Christ, Supervisors for 1, 2, and 3 years respectively; J.L. Prader, Jr., Assessor; William Starke, Clerk; Anton Haas, Treasurer; George Treffry and Sylvanus Marriage, Justices of the Peace; Christ Fahrner and Fred Speck, Constables; John Dodds and John Wren, Road Supervisors.

The following were elected in the New Rockford Township organizational election: J.W. Rager, H.J. Mitchell, and P.M. Mattson, Supervisors for 1, 2, and 3 years respectively; H.W. Wilson, Assessor; P.J. Braman, Treasurer; A.J. Clure, Clerk; B.W. Rantz and F.E. Reed, Justices of the Peace; Frank Hawthorne and Orrin Foster, Road Overseers; H. Arveskaug and O.G. Cooling, Constables; William Rice, Pound Master. There were 34 voters.

On that day Mrs. J.W. Richter and Miss Jett Richter came down from Sheyenne to visit. Real estate agent George W. Streeter returned from his trip to Fargo and some places in Minnesota. Martin Mostue returned from a winter in Minnesota. J.T. Wiltsie arrived from Garrison to spend a few days with his family. Attorney James A. Manly went to Carrington to attend district court. Miss Ida Kersten left for her home in Minneapolis after working as the stenographer and bookkeeper at the Maddux Law Office for the previous eight months. [She had come to New Rockford on June 27, 1905.]

On March 21 John Wiemals returned from the Twin Cities, where he had taken his son Clement for treatment of appendicitis; his son was “progressing nicely.” Mrs. C.H. Babcock came back from her visit to her old home and other places in Minnesota and to Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Norman Treffry and family returned from their winter in Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. E. McLean arrived from Minneapolis to visit friends. That evening “East Lynne” with Miss Ruth Craven as Lady Isabel and the child actress Bonnie Beck as Little Willie was presented in the Opera House.

On March 22, R.U. Austin returned from Reynolds, N.D. John Setz was in from Morris on business. That evening the Phillips Academy Glee Club had a concert in the Opera House; the “appreciative audience” in the “comfortably filled” building demanded an encore after every selection. Also that evening August Adolphus Krueger, Eddy County rancher, and Rose E. Walden, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Walden, were married in the Walden home in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Rev. J.D. Gillam. Anna L. Walden, the bride’s sister, was the bridesmaid, while her brother Stephen Walden was the best man. The wedding party and guests had time to finish a wedding supper before the couple had to catch a boat and then board the Canadian Pacific train at 9 p.m. They arrived in New Rockford on March 27 and went to their Freeborn home. [Isaac Walden was a hardware merchant in North Vancouver; the Waldens had left Eddy County in Nov. 1904.]

The March 23, 1906, “Transcript” had School Notes edited by Jennie Hersey: on March 16 Rev. S.F. Beer visited the school; W.C. Dresser visited the lower grades on March 21; on March 22 Rev. J.R. Beebe visited the school; on that day Mesdames Youngdahl, Rager, Woodward and Biggs, and Mr. F.A. or C.F. Blomgren visited the Lowell Literary Society; George Hawthorne had missed two weeks of school due to eye trouble; sickness had caused Sarah Johnson to miss school for a week; the eighth graders were reading Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and in History they were covering Andrew Johnson’s Reconstruction Policy.

Dr. Charles MacLachlan had a professional ad, locating his office above Couch’s Drug Store; [he had not moved: Couch’s had formerly been the Central Drug Store, where MacLachlan had an office since Dec. 1902]. J.W. Richter of Sheyenne had for sale a span of large, three-year old mules raised near Sheyenne and some three-year old mares.

Miss Ruby Hartson had opened a photograph gallery on Villard Avenue East in the old Markey [?] building.

An item from the “Esmond Bee” revealed that recently bank cashier A.W. Engel had gone to New Rockford and secured the employment of contractor Charles Culp to build a new bank building in Esmond.

Recently Rev. S.F. Beer had preached in the Lakota Methodist Church.

The Northwest Lumber Co. had a Notice to the Public about three promissory notes given to the company by Lawrence Prader, I.A. Sanderson and W.G. Carter that had been lost or stolen from the company office. None of the notes had been paid, assigned or transferred and were still the property of the company which would give a reward for the return of any or all of them.

On March 23 the Academy Glee Club left to perform in Maddock, Esmond and Minnewaukan. William Wilson came down from Sheyenne.