St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1859-09-15

ct inhabitant",, The site Of Lower st. Cloud
was taken up as . claim by Martin Wclly,, q
Norwegian, who sold his right to George r.
Brott, who surveyed and plattedit in the spring
of 90. About the same time John L. Wilson
surveyed and plated what is now called middle
tcwn, Which adjoins and lies higher up the riy-
er, while General Lowry survey ed and plated
upper town, called Lowry's Addition, tho WIN
ter following. 1t was Mr. Wilson who gave
it was incoIporat ed in the winter of,55 '56.-
The Land Office WIS removed in april '5s from
Sank Rapids to the Upper town. The post office
is in Middle town, which is inhabited by in
dustrious and we'll to do German Catholics
The Catholic chapel is here, and the bell be-
longing to Ills the first church going bell in
Stearns County and has also the distinction Of
being the first audible in Sherburnea and Benton
counties which corner on the opposite side OF
the river. There too is d school kept by COM
pany Of Bcncdictine Nuns where music, draw
ing, needlework and German are well taught
by ladies Of polished hammers; and unusual
proficiency. - 81
Lower town has two protestant churches, in
process OF erection one quite completed We
have public school in the tn erctt School
house, and a handsome Library dedicated by
Hon. Edward Everett The engines OF an ex-
cellent saw mill and plaining mill, sash 1:.@to-
ry; and of q good Touring mill &are this mo
ment putting away within half dozen rods OF
our Office. We have from five to six steamboat
arrivals here weekly and the smallest proper
tion Of droncs we have ever seen in any hive.
In the fall of SO Grasshoppers came tn a
cloud and settled down i'll This and adjoining
counties, destroying The greater portion Of the
crops. They deposited tEcir larvae and died.
Early in the spring Of 81 the young brood
came out and made such havoc that serious
fears Of famine We're entertained by large
portion Of the people; but they left in July and
50 1aany 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 wheth-
er there was enough for winter consumption
with what the people had the means of purchas-
ing from below. The German settlers were
generally Of the opinion that there was not, and
Ike Priests sent commissioners to Dubuque to
ask contributions. When this became known
III Lower St. Cloud Indignation meetings were
held, and strong resolutions passed condemn
ing measure as altogether unnecessary, and
one calculatedto do the country great Injury
by preventing emigration in tic spring. Che
Correctness OF this view of the case is now pro-
ven. The third week of May IS here, potatoes
sell at 25cts. per bushel, corn l,U0 wheat
1925, oats, 80 cts. and we have heard Of no
instance in which any have suffered for want
of food; while a very largo proportion of the
ennigrants WHO had last year designed emf era
ting to this point have been deferred by this
bugbcar cry Of famine, and have gone else
where. The time is now past at which the
GrassAoppers appeared last spring.. and the
minds Of the people are Get on rest as the qotes-
ton Of whether they left lave, last year, he
fore they emigrated. It is evident that the;
went to other localities as they came here 10
cat, depcsite their eggs and sie. There is ne
sign that they have left any deposits here, and
as everybody is iltting in a crop of some
ching good to cat, W expect next fall to be en-
umbcTcd with a surplus Of the good things of
his life, and to inund:..c St. Anthony Mime
apolis and st. Paul, with vegetables and grain
after supplying the Pine regions and the Ia
borers on the Rail Road.