St. Cloud visiter [sic]. [volume] (St. Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1857-1858, 1858-06-17

it was Incorporated in the winter Of '55 &c.
The Land Office was removed in April SO, from
Sank Rapids to Upper town. The post Office
is in Middle Town, which is inhabited by in
dllstrious and well-todo German Catholics
The Catholic chapel is 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 Shcrburne and Benton
counties which corner on the opposite side Of
the river. There too is school kept by q COM
pany Of Bcnedictine Nuns where music, draw
inn, necdlework and German arc we'll taught
by ladies Of polished manners and unusual
proficiency.
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 ex-
ccllent saw mill and plaining mill, sash facto-
ry; and OF good Touring mill are this mo-
ment putting away within half dozen rods of
our office. We have from five to six steam boat
arrivals here weekly and the smallest proper
ton OF drones we have ever seen in any hive.
In the fall Of $50 Grasshoppers came in
cloud and settled down in this and adjoining
counties, destroying the greater portion of the
crops They deposited their larvae and died
Early in the 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
so many Of the late crops survived, that with
the full crops OF particular places, where they
did not appear, there was a 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 emf gration 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 '25 cts per bushel, corn ST 90, wheat
l,2o, oats 81 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 emigrating
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 Grasshoppers
appeared last spring, and the minds Of the
people are set on rest as the question of whcth-
or they left lavae, last year, before they emf
grated: 1t is evident that they went to other
| localities as they came here to eat, deposite
have left any deposits here, and as everybody
is putting in a crop Of something good to eat
we expect next fall to be encountered with a
surplus Of the good things of this life and to
inundate St. Anthony, minneapolis and St.
Paul, with vegetables and grain after supply
! ing the Pine regions and the laborers on the
| Rail Road.