St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1858-09-23

i Was incorporated in tie Winter Of IS Cd
The Land Otdee was removed In April ,68, from
Sank Rapids to Upper town. The post office
IL in Middle Town, which 10 inhabited by r.
| dnstrious and well-to-do German Catholics,-
The Catholic chapel il here, and the bell be-
longing to it, is the first church going bell in
Stearns county and has also the distinction Of
being the first audible in Sherburne and Benton
counties which corner on the opposite side 81
the river. There too is school kept by com
pany Of Benedictine Nuns where music, draw
inn, needlework and German are we'll taught
by ladies Of polished manners; and unusual
proficiency. " q l.& a@@.
Lower Town has two protestant churches, in
process OF erection one, about completed. We
have public school in the Everett School
house, and handsome Library dedicated by
Hon. Edward Everett The engines of an cx-
cellent saw mill and planning mill, sash tacto-
ry; and Of good Touring mill arc this mo-
ment putting away within halt dozen rods Of
our Gfice. We have from five to six steam boat
Arrivals here weekly and the smallest prol Or
tlon OF drores We have ever seen in any hive.
In the fall Of '55 Graashoppers came i'll a
cloud and settled down in this and adion .us
counties. destroying the greeter portion Ct Tie
crops They deposited their larvae and died.
Early in tie spring of 81 the young brood
came out and made such havoc that serious
fears of famine were entertained by large
portion Of the people; but they left in July, and
go many Of the late crops survived, that with
the full crops Of particular places, where they
did not appear, there was large amount Of
food. In autumn it became question whether
there was enough for winter consumption with
what the people had the means Of purchasing
from below. The German settlers were gener-
ally OF the opinion that there was not, and the
Priests sent commissioners to Dubuque to ask
contributions. When this became known in
Lower St. Cloud Indignation meetings were
held, and strong resolutions passed condemn
ing the measure as altogether unnecessary, and
one calculated to do the. country great injury
BY preventing emigration in the spring. The
Correctness OF this view Of the case is now prov
en-: The third week Of May is here, potatoes
sell at Is cts. per bushel corn 81 90, wheat
81 ,25, oats 80 cts and we have heard Of no in
stance in which any have suffered for want Of
food; while very large proportion Of the en-
igrants who had last year designed emigratine
to this point have been deferred by this bug.
bear cry OF famine, and have gone elsewhere
The time is now past at which the GrassAoppers
appeared last spring, and the minds Of the
people are set on rest as the question Of :Theth'
er they left lavae. last year, before they emf
grated. 1t is evident that they wen, 10 othe,
localities as they came here to eat, depositt
their eggs and die. There is no sign that they
have left any deposits here, and as everybody
| 10 in, q %
We expect next fall to- be encumbered with ,
inundate St. Anthony, Minneapolis and St
ing the Pine regions and the laborers on til,
Rail Road.
BRECKENRIDGE.
I'HlS town is situated on the Siou1
! i Wood river, and is the Western termi
nus Of the Minnesota and Pacific ra:lroad
the point laid down by Capt. Pope on hi
map as the head Of steam navigation Gil tn,
Red river the Valley of the Red river ii
about twenty miles wide on either side Of tn,
stream, and about FIVE hundred miles long
the surface is level and drained by numerou!
streams which are slirted with elm, ash, bas'
wood, white wood and pine Of the larges
growth, the. remainder Of the valley is prairie
composed of rich, black loan free from sane
barrens or swamps. Red river is deep, slov
stream, has no islands,: sand bars or snags t
obstruct navigation; the banks are about 2!
feet high, and not subject to overflow; many
Of the tributaries of the Red river are strong
ly impregnated with salt, and indications 0
iron and coal are numerous in the vicinity
The farmers Of the valley of the Red rive
gave to Major Wood a. the average of thei
crops; wheat 80 to 40; barley 40 to 80; oat.
40 so; and potatoes 200 to so bushels to thu
acre At Pembina, 1900 miles north of Breck
cnridge, ex-Gov. Ramsey says, on the &c
October, 1861, water melons and cantelope.
were served to us for dessert, and the first fros,
that occurred was on the night Of that day.
[see address before the Minnesota Agricultu
ral Society, Oct, 10th, 1861 Two large set
Elements have long existed on Red river
Pembina and Selkirk, both Of which yearly
raise large surplus of the products of thu
farm the whole valley Of the Red river il
rapidly filling up with an energetic, and intel
ligent population the country being exceed
ingly healthy, and should the indications Of
iron and coal lead to the discovery of those
minerals as large as is anticipated this valley
will soon be swarming with population en-.
8a8eu III agriculture, INNING anu manu1actur'
ing, supplying eastern Minnesota, Wisconsin,
Iowa and Missouri with the products of thei,
labor and skill; the Minnesota aud Pacific
railroad will be placed Immediately unde,
contract as by the terms of its charter it must
be finished from Saltwater to St Anthony with.
in two years, and completed to Breckenridge
within ten years from the Sd of March, 1857,
or forfeit its franchise as we'll Us the lands do.
mated to it.
Breckenridge is also at the point where Gov
oSteven's survey of route for the Pacific rail
road crosses the Sioux. Wood river, an exami-
nation of the Western States, and a reference
o the writings of Gov. Stevens, ex-Gov. Ram
say or the COMPASSIONATE documents containing
the reports Of Maj. Long and Capt. Pope, can
not fail to convince that such is the geograph-
ical position of Breckenridge; that all that
portion Of the Territory of the United States
which lays west Of the Mississippi and north
Of the head waters Of the Minnesota rivers
must forever be tributary to that city, and
that Breckenridge is to be not only the COM
| mercial centre for the northwest, but will
fnrover ho tho cato cfv m tho urnaf orf esf