St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-03-28

y. y IN MIA ARCH :~. Z8
thrown into market, and eagerly bought UP by
spectators. When they came to look at their
acquisitions. they found the country beautiful,
but the soil only moderately good: It was
sandy, would yield twenty-five bushels of wheat
to the acre, on the very few acres which could
boast actual settlers; but is not deep, and
probably may not bear many years of cultiva-
ton without being fed. Then, the Mississippi
became as the Jordan to the Children of Israel.
Over the river nodded the tall forests and roll
ed the rich alluvial prairies; and the impa-
tisnt walters on the other shore Of this Canaan
jostled each other, as to who should be nearest
the river brink when Il treaty of cession from
the Sioux should roll back the waves and leave
path for them to cross over. In 80 this ces-
sion was made; and oh, dear what a rush
and what scramble up the western bank, Of
greedy, shark-lke land spectators, with their
heads full of schemes and their pockets stuffed
with land warrants-of gentlemanly surveyors
carrying their compasses-of polite draughts
men, with rcams Of parchment to be converted
into paper towns-of young lawyers to make
deeds and create trouble-of doctors to take
care Of all their bodies, and preachers to look
after their souls but very few men with plews
and harrows. When they got over they found
q few old Indian traders and mail contractors,
men who had long been at home there, and felt
themselves monarchs of all they surveyed, and
good deal which lay beyond the western hor-
lion. There were, all over the Territory, q
swarm of old political hacks-of men who had
been repudiated as politicians, in the Eastern,
Western and Southern. States, and had been
rewarded for party services by Government
appointments. These united their fortunes
with the Indian traders and mail contractors
The law allowed each contractor to take six
hundred acres of land on every twenty miles
Of his contract, as stations. Contracts were
given out for carrying mails through the wild
erness, to places where nobody lived; and
mail carriers have gone hundreds cfmiles, scamp
ing out all the way, with newspaper in their
pockets and empty mail bags, SO. as they joe
ularly remarked, that they might have some
thing to carry. Along these routes the con-
tractor passed with his troup of surveyors; and
at every twenty miles, selected the best locali-
ties, surveyed off his six hundred acres, plot
ted them into city, marked off the public
parks and the court house squares, advertised
his towns, sent agents east to sell lots, and fur
nlshed them with cards and credentials from
! Government officers and men of extensive rep
utations, some of whom, maybe, never heard
of the matter. Some permitted their names to
be used knowing it brought no pecuniary res
possibility; but the greater part were partners
in the whole transaction. Of course nine
tenths of these towns continue to be the reverse
Of Boston, when Yankee Doodle tscouldn't see
| the town, there was so many houses" SO that
one fails to find a house, barn or corn crib, be-
| cause there is so much town. Thousands of
Eastern people who bought town lots, with the
amiable intention of growing rich at the ex-
pense of actual settlers, have been doubly dis
gusted with Minnesota and the North Vest
Nine tenths of the land on the east side of the
river had been bought up by non residents !;
and to this day it lies there growing wolves
and prairie hens to feed them.
The greediest speculator saw that in this he
had overreached himself, and that to ,nako h;s
own land monopoiles profitable, he must have
some settlers. So, Tie managers resolved to
keep the land on :ine west side, out of market :
open onlyy TO pre- emption. This had the de-
! SIRED effect Of bringing in many actual settlers
who each took up 160 acres while the manag-
ing clique calculated to get their share by the
! mail contract claims-the town site law, which
allows three hundred and twenty acres for
town in every few miles-and by means of
Claim Associations. heassociates we're bound
by oath to protect their members in their
claims. The members would take up claim,
run q half guess survey and build shanty at
a'cost of perhaps twenty five dollars. As the
taw requires that claim house must have a
window and door; one board would be hung on
bits Of leather, and hole sawed ii, another,
into which pane Of glass would be inserted !;
and here was the Improvement which was to
give to the enterprising proprietor right to
pre- empt 100 acres Of land" 'Many'of these
claim improvements resembled large packing
box, bent over with apain in the side. The
owner had perhaps q dozen Of them, He
boarded at hotel and spent his time looking
round for bargains; but occasionally he went
to one Of his shantys'with camp Kettle, gun.
blanket and . companion or two:'. Hc..s ~,
hunted and eooked'.Efe days, sleeping III the