St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1864-05-12
FROM sAUK CENTRE.

Information to Immigrants. - Character Of
thetSaak 'Tall>y eountry.-P+air;e,, LAKES
Tsyropes. Rich soil.--Plenty cf Timber.
Sais'nW, gri*t mill snd ether improvement.
at Sank Centre = Good Road, -Stmi
wsrh!y maI-Room for all. & +
SAuk CESTRE. May 9TH, 1864.
EniToR DEMoCRAT.--I would like to say
word in Eour paper to immigrants in
search Of y home in this part Of Minnesota.
For the past twenty months have been
here in the service Of the Gov, rnnlent, and
while passing between Sank Centre and
Fort Ahercronbie, and particularly during
my residence at this post, have had good
opportunities for seeing and knowing some
thing Of the country. have no recuniary
interest in THE par, CT the country what
ever, but every day see around me so
much uno,c apied land, destined sooner or
later to he converted into productive farms
and beautiful aud happy homes, for thou
sands o: industrious settlers. ;hat, lazy as
l an about wiring, can no Longer hold
my peace.
The Sauk Valny coniesssaly one Of the
most productive +aor'ions of the State, is,
as you know, f>s sixty milesfrom st. Cloud
TO Sank Centre, or both stiles of the Sank
River, and in many cases so:ne distance
back from the river, take,. up by actual
settlers, and the whole route a line of con-
tinuous farms, cultivated und improved.
The Sank Valley proper, terminates at
Sank Centre, or more precisely. Sank lake,
and its general course is very nearly west,
Sank Centre being not more than zen or
twelve miles north Of St. Cloud. Hero is
the commencement Of the country Of lakes
and groves, which, for picturesquencss and
beauty. can hardly be surpassed in the
world. For upwards Of fifty miles, west
from here, and little north, with breadth
Of twenty miles, the country is a continu.
Gus succession OF prairie. lakes and groves,
the surface undulating and the soil fully
as produc: i've as the Sank Valley. The
soil varies with locality, on the higher
prairics clayey subsoil, while the aver
age is similar to that of the valley. There
is also abundance Of natural meadow, and
probably no part Of the globe is so well,
20 beautifully. so wonderfully watercd, and
yet 50 s:l!ubricus would not pretend to
enumerate the lakes, nor indeed have I
seen the tenth part of them, but they are
in character mostly the same Tho shores
pebbly and charming, the water clear and
limpid, in some places the banks, covered
with grass, reaching to the water, in others
ornamcnted with oak and Eastwood and
a variety of forest trees, the waters TEEN
ing with pike, pickerel az d other kinds Of
fish, and in the spring, as at this m.ment.
the surface almost literally covered with
j.; ducks and waterfowl OF all sorts.
There is abundance of timber from Saul
Centre to Chippewa, nearly fifty miles. A,
Sank Centre. at the outlet Of Sank Lake,
/ Nv. Moore has q fine saw mill, and q girls,
/
mill will te finished this fall, all the ma
1erial is here and the building is finished
The saw mill has been in operation these
three years. and has cut q great quantit,
Of lumscr for the government, as veil a:
for settlers there is also steam tug which
plies ON the Lake. Some fifteen house:
have been built on the town siteinear ,ht
lake within the last year "a fine hotel also
as large as the Stearns House, with suitabl,
APPENDICES. MIR. Pendergast has a stsr,
we'll supplied with every thing that is need
cd, and at fair prices. There is also
blacksmith shop and a post Office. Al
this entirely distinct from Government
buildings.
The road from St Cloud to the farthes
limit Of the tract l speak Of is as good,
not better, than that from St. Paul to St
Cloud, as veil bridged and as level; tn
mail stage travels over it twice week an,
it is constantly traversed by trains to For
Abercrombie, Pemhina and the British
! Possessions. No place that is visited b,
the mail stage twice a week Gun be consid
cred very Far 'd5at Of the world. Now lha
the Indian Warts carried beyond the Mis-
souri, and the whole frontier considers it
self secure. presume that the rapid i'm
migration to this portion of the country
which was driven back, paralyzed, tw
years ago, will DO. toon resumed. As it i
in The barbers' shops, first :ome, frs
served and I will warrant that as man
as come shall be served, for tho country o.
about here is open to them and invitin
them to como.
If any immigrants who may happen to b
in St. Cloud should wish for particular in
formation as to the topography, soil, &c
of this region, l would advise them TO con
suit Capt. Oscar Taylor, who knows ever
inch Of the country, having surveyed it.
propose to write some particulars rela
ting 10 this immediate vicinity, shortly, fo
your valuable paper.
Yours truly, p.
|