St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1859-07-14
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SAINT CLOUD,

SAINT CLOUD,
st. Cloud is tie point at which the Red xiv
er trains cross the Mississippi on thei,way to
81. Paul, which proves it to- be m@Ae natural
junction of land travel -betweesathese two great
arteries Of trade. 1t is at thepresent head Of
steam navigation on the Mississippi. Boats
run regularly. during the Spring and early
Summer months, fron.ISt Anthony to this
place. II ~ 80 81. ia sS@tG$7 -
The mar, gives jb position correctly with
reference to all te most important points in
the Territory, bit the peculiar beauty Of its
location, and fertility Of the surrounding coun-
try cannst be transcribed. Within fifteen
river, and at different points Of the compass
are eight lakes varying in siz9 from mile to
. mills IN circumference, all, save one, beau
It'll exceedingly, three OF them at least, deep
enough to float man-of-war. Wooded banks,
cfcan pebbly shores plcntifully mixed with
cotnelan; and waters abundantlyE supplied
with fish. - -.>e e..s x..e -.
When Gov. Stevens made his survey of a
northern railroad route to the Pacific in '63,
he camped son the western side Of tho Mis-
sissippi below Sank Rapids The place was
naneless-the present site of St. Cloud; but it
IL here his route leaves the river. In the sum-
mcr of IS claim cabin was built on the spot
where we now write, Il good saw mill, the
frame of a large Hotel and eight other dwell
ings were put up that summer. This last fall
there We're three hundred and thirty-two votes
pollcd in the precinct. Not the votes of Indi-
ans or Half Breeds, for there are none here.-
A majority Of the inhabitants of the country
arc hardy Germans, with sturdy wives aud
children cultivating the soil and working at
mechanical employments.
The subsoil is sandy and although the soil is
from one to three feet deep, rich black loan
perfect and the air so pure that breathing
is perpetual pleasure. As yet, our physi-
clans have discovered no diseases peculiar to
the climate, no indeg .nious complaint except
the ''Ainnesota Appetite" which requires one
fourth more treatment than modest Pennsyl-
vania or Ohio attack Of a corresponding dis
ease.
Any body who wants to drink whiskey in
peace had better not come here, for the treaty
by which the land was acquired from the Sioux
forbids it's introduction; and the Legislature
has passed law enforcing that provision; but
people Of moderate means and Industrious hab-
its who have children to educate, will find few
places where the opportunity for correct moral
training, healthy development Of muscle, and
the means of pecuniary independence are bet
ter combined.
There are immense tracts of pine lying above,
from which the mills at st. Paul, St. Anthony,
and the Minnesota Valley are supplied. These
employ large and eyer-increasing force Of
men, horses snd oxen, whoa to be supplied
with provisions, clothing and feed. The soil is
waiting for an opportunity to produce unlimi-
ted quantities Of food, without troubling the
farmer crushing clods; while the Mississippi
from St. Paul to Little Falls can afford to turn
mill at almost any point and has water pow
or enough to do the manufacturing for a Con-
tinent.
Our natural meadows produce grass. from
four to six feet high, and the beefkilled off our
prairies is quite equal to any stall fed We ave
ever eaten Our venison is fine at ten cents
per pound, rabbits, prairie hens, partridges,
ducks, &C., plenty. Thousands Of bushels' Of
acorns for the hogs that are not here to cat
them: Fuel for the labor Of cutting and haul
ing off the ground; and there is no likelihood
Of the supply running out soon, as the ''Big
Woods extend from this place some twenty
miles or more, down this side of the river and
from eight to twelve miles back Our prairics
ore a dotted with strips Of wood land, coax
Openings which just look like old orchards,
dense thickets Of plum trees bearing delicious
fruit, grape vines, doing likewise, thousands Of
acres Of hazel bushes and strawberry vines, en
gagged in the same business; while some hun
dred acres are in the cranberry trade and turn
out an article, which for quantity and quality
connot be excelled The blackberries red rasp-
berries and hops tack up their shingles in the
woods and seldom dissappoint the most san
guine expectations Of their customers. There
is still land ten or fifteen miles back which set
tiers can get, at govern u ent price, by building
a cabin and living on it until it comes into
market. Actual settlers can buy lots here at
from one to five hundred dollars, and specula-
tors can have the same lots at from FIVE to if
cen hundred.
In some Of the river towns back, places that
will be pleasant Villages, lots can be had gratis
by those who will build and live on them.
This in places where house can be built for
fifty dollars, that would be palace compared
to the dcns rented in large cities for4 and S
dollars per month, while the lot, with only the
did of grabbing hoe and o few days labor
would bring vegetables to feed q family, and
every township has 600 acres appropriated to
the support Of schools. - ,'@'< :
Seventy thousand acres are appropriated to-
State University. A fine building has already
been erected for the use Of that institution. It
is situated ST. Anthony, built of stone on an
emincnce commanding''a view Of the falls, and
no State in the Union has q better foundation
for a good system Of popular education. No
other prairie State is so we'll timbered as Min
nesota and no State more abundantly supplied
with clear water. In the country surrounding
St. Cloud and as far North and West as wethave
any reliable account, settlers find no difficulty
in locating land on a running stream Or trans
parent lake with plenty Of timber at hand for
building, fencing and fuel, and as the land on
the West side Of the Upper Mississippiis only
open to presumption, there is little opportunity
for Spectators, and settlers have assurance of
ncighbors and that rapid increase in the value
Of their lands and in social advantages which
arise from the system Of land in limited guam
titles to actual settlers. : ,]~i q, :s%5S.,
The country around ST. Cloud, west Of the
Mississippi was purchased Of the Indians in
treaty made with them by the Hon. Alexander
Ramsey and Luke Lea in 1852 and ratified by
the senate the same year. The Sioux had
owned the land from 1927 but had not occupied
IL and it was used as a hunting ground by the
Winnebagoes whose land reached within four
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