The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1868-08-13
IoRTH-WEs7ERN aIHa.see7..
Z VERY FERTILE COUNTRY.
5$SS4$ A$ The Best In fhe sfnfe
st. CLOuD, aI1as., Aug. q !

= having JUST returned from q basl-
ness trip through the counties of Doug
las and stearns, I send you feu notes
OF the journey, and Of my observations
through that region.
l. have hitherto supposed that the
valley Of the sauk from St. Cloud to
alexandra, comprised more aue and
fertile lands than any other part of
the State Of equal extent. In this 7
have been in error. The journey from
st. Cloud to sauk Centre, and from
eauk Centre to Osakis, (Which is near
the eastern boundary of Douglas coun-
w. and from Osakis to Ale.andr;.
the county seat of that county, shows
You a succession of finely cultivated
farms, teeming with the wsalth Of tbiz
summers harvest. Oat fields. cover
ing hundreds of acres; and Wheat zelda
thickly dotted with the rich shocks Of
golden grain ready for the thresher:
corn fields, vast in extent, and prouis-
ing bounteous return for the hrs-
oandman's hbors all these and more
you will find all the way to Alexasdri.
woods, distance Of about e.o ,tv
miles; but Jet you cspnot hut o1axarvs
certain localities where the soil. :T,o,,,h
abundantly productive, is ret ol;ebt." !"
as the farmers say: and until you e,,e:ze
from the "woods" vest Of Alexandra
and approach tho region Of Cbippeva
lake, do you come into that fertile re-
glon which to-day holds cut to the till
er OF the soil the greatest inducements
tor the investment Of his money. aad
the outlay Of his labor. The country
rom Chippewa Lake to the Pomne de-
1erre river is to-day unrivalled Co.
beauty and fertility. The surface coua.
try consists of rolling prairie, with an
abundance of lakes and beautiful groves
OF timber. The soil is a rich dark
loan, With the necessary admi1ture Of
vegetable, mold and black sand to give
to all vegetation most Incredible
growth. ''s1 ""
Then as for choice sites for houses
and FERNS, I have seen nothing to CON-
pare with them. Chippewa Lake is a
very beautiful d, body Of water, mostly
surrounded BY fine timber, and having
in many places high bluff shores, which.
when they are washed by the waters Of
the Lake, show gravel beach on which
you may drive your carriage for miles.
without soiling the varnish of its wheels
Lieutenant Frederick. with {.1t.
George Cowing, late of Alexandra. fa7e
he:e established themselves in bushes.
and are trying to supply the constantly
acreaslng wants Of the settlers.
Six miles from Chippewa, or Bran
Ion, a as it is now called, you reach E.
.nsville, which was the scene of The
ieath Of one of the earliest pioneers of
he earliest pioneers of this region. An
1rew Austin, who was so / inhuuoniv
outchered on the 9th of Septen5er
1862, by the Sioux. Now y.u are on
the extreme verge of the old settlement.
md in region of country of the high
EST fertility and possessing, in poius Of
scenic beauty, all the charms an artists
sye SO much desires aud so fully arpre-
,lates. You are approaching Pelican
Lake, a body of water having a shore
line of over 80 miles io exten: and ha7-
ng within its boundaries several isIands,
more beautiful in their appearance than
my that poet has ever sung or painter
imned, or lover dreamed Of. Here apd
here throughout its extent you see
'eets of beautiful white rock, lifting
heir heads above its silvery waves, and
7ou mistake them for focks Of pelican.
sporting in its crystal waters. Appar-
entity smoothly shaven lawns reach
quite down to the waters edge, and syl-
'an groves are planted at intervals
along its shores. Pelican lake viii
sometime soon be Paradise. It is
place where one must dream of .:eavcn
and where one ought to be made one, if
can be made on earth.
Now for the practical. Tie tiers Of
townships Immediately north OF tbs
Pelican and Chippewa lakes have with
IN the past two years been steaaily and
'apidly filling with settlers. These
:ich lands could not long esca,e the
observation of the hardy pioneer, and
o-day in the southern tier of townships
n Ottertail county, and the northern
,er IN Stearns county you have more
han three hundred families. These
antilles will average not less than Eve
'ersons In each out of which there are
lot less than two ooters. to family.
md yet the counties are unorsanized
md non-tax paying. Our tax-gatht rers
md revenue collectors will soon ego for
hem" They will be ready, too, to
meet the demand. Their fields Of
rain, their increasing stock viii shelp
hem out"
The soil Of this region is richer and
quicker than any other within the
State, with which I am acquainted
At Pomme de Tcrre station, now kept
y David Burns, Esq, an old and most
avorably, known station-keeper on the
abroad route, I ate string-beans, s1een
'eas, cucumbers, new potatoes, bcets,
&C., grown from the seed, which was
'ut in the ground on the t,eeatieth aay
y J.xc last. Think of that, We
lweilers on the sterile rocks Of Mass.-
'husetts and New Hampshire-lcss
han six weeks to grow such vegetables
n you cannot grow in all sumner. and
m the open prairie, and surrounding
he very garden in which these veeets-
oles were grown, and from which | SAN
hem taken, Hubbard mower was cut
ing At tons Of red top, blue joint and
1lld pea vines to the acre, s conoina-
hon OF grasses which makes better beef,
ia la. IL