St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-08-08
Town l3l N, RANGE AZ W., !
Douglas Co., MINI. July q, 1861. {

DEAR DEMOCRAT AFTER waiting i'm
at Chippewa Lake, on last Sab !,
bath, until half past five o'clock, We re-
ceived, by the mail, several papers from
St. Cloud. But, from some cause, missed
that which we most desired, the Democrat
Whatever may have been the cause of this
failure, hope you will use every exertion
to forward it to US regularly. We took
the stage going up, and at seven overlook
our party, camped at Pelican Lake. On
the stage was MIR. E. Abel, Of St. Cloud,
en- route for Georgetown, to run the boat
Pioneer during the season from that place
to Fort Garry.
All who have ever travelled this road
will remember the great feature Of Pelican
Lake, and from which it derived its name
the pelicans, which in almost innumera~
bic numbers, covered the water. These
are now all gone, and the lake wears a
deserted aspect. While in itself a peauti-
full sheet of water, its chief attraction is
gone. Wherc,' every preceding season,
these large and not uusisht]y birds have
assembled, covering with their snowy plu-
mage acres in extent, there now appears
but the brown, rough stones upon which
they rested. This dcsertion is said to have
been caused by persons going over to the
island, near the rocks occupied by the
pelicans, and breaking and carrying off
their eggs, (Which, I am told, covered
over acres Of ground, and were laid
closely together without reference to
nests) and otherwise disturbing them. It
is to be regretted that such vandalism,
while it could not be deferred, should
have produced 50 lamentable an effect.
Next morning we were on or way at
half past six o'clock, and shortly after
passed the down stage. Among the pas
sengers noticed Mr.. Levi Ball, on his
return from Breckenridge to St. Cloud.
At eight we reached Mr.. George Herber-
gers, four miles from Pelican Lake, where
we left part of our provisions to be taken
by stage to Dayton, to remain at that
place until we commence the subdivision
of the townships in that vicinity. MIR.
Herberger has a blacksmith shop here,
and does a good business. eHe formerly
resided in St. Cloud. While the team
started from this place to find suitable
place in the township where we are
now engaged, Messrs. Barrett and Bradley
and myself ran up the Range line to as
certain the variation. While engaged in
this, we received our initiation in wading
the east fork of the Pomme de Terre
river. The water was about three feet
deep, and the sensation, after coming out,
was not very pleasant; but we have since
passed through sink-sloughs compared to
which this dwindles into insigni6capce.
After completing this business, we started
to find camp, and 1 verify believe we trav-
eled over the entire south half of the
before finding it, which we final
ly did at seven P. NJ. It is located by a
very pretty grove, near lake, in section
twenty-three.
In looking back over the trip from St
Cloud to this place, see country con-
tanning in itself all the elements ofwealth,
and which must one day be one of the
most settled and prosperous portions Of
our land. Nowhere are greater induce
ments presented to immigrants, and espec-
tally to agriculturists. There are but few
places in the whole distance where man
could not pick out farm containing prai-
rie, timber and water, all of the first quail.
10y. What more could any one ask ?
That these facts have been seen and ap-
preciated, can be discovered by any one
who will travel over the route, and note
that all along the Sank Valley, the popu-
laticn has increased more than tourfold
within the last three years, and that, too,
during the great financial distress which
has palsied business everywhere. At
Sank Centre, where, at the period be-
fore mentioned, there wore but few scat
tered houses, there is now large and