St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1860-02-23

est lnhabtant" The site Of Lower St. Cloud
was taken up as claim by Martin Wolly, u
Norwegian, who sold his right to George +.
Brott, who surveyed and plattedi it in the spring
| OF 50. About the same time John L. Wilson
| surveyed and plated what is now called middle
| town, which adjoins and lies higher up the riv-
or, while General Lowry surveyed and plated
upper town, called Lowry's Addition, the win
ter following. 1t was Mr.. Wilson who gave
the town the name of St. Cloud; by this name
it was Incorporated in the winter Of '55 &c.,
The Land Office was removed in April IS from
Sank Rapids to the Upper town. The post Office
is in Middle town, which is inhabited by in
dustrious and well to do 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 Shcrburnc and Benton
| counties which corner on the opposite side OF
| the river There too is q school kept by COM
pany of Bencdictinc Nuns where music, draw
| ing, needlework 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 quite completed We
have public school in the Everett School
house. and a handsome Library dedicated by
Hon. Edward Everett. The engines of an ex-
ccllcnt saw mill and planning mill, sash facto-
ry; and of a good Touring mill arc 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
ton of droncs we have ever seen in any hive.
In the fall of SO Grasshoppers came tn a
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 a 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 large amount of
food. In autumn it became question wheth-
or there was enough fer winter consumption
with what the peoplehad 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
in Lever St. Cloud Indignation meetings were
held, and strong resolutions passed condemn
ing 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 pro-
ven. The third week of May is here, potatoes
sell at 25cts. per bushel, corn $1,O0, wheat
1928, oats, 80 cts. and we have heard of no
instance in which any have suffered for want
Of food; while a very large proportion of the
emigrants who had last year designed emigra-
ting to this point have been deferred by this
bugbear cry of famine, and have gone else
where. The time is now past at which the
Grasshoppers appeared last spring, and the
minds Of the people are set on rest as the qucs-
ton of whether they left lave, last year, be-
fnr how Ofo1 80 {Ia%
went to other localities as they came here to
eat, deposite their eggs and die. There is no
ign that they have left any deposits here, and
as everybody is putting in crop of some
hing good to cat, we expect next fall to be en-
numbered with surplus Of the good things of
his life, and to inundate St. Anthony Mime
apolis and St. Paul, with vegetables and grain
after supplying the Pine regions and the Ia
borers on the Rail Road.