Year: 1873

The northwestern counties of Iowa,
more particularly Osceola and Lyon,
are already suffering from lack Of
food and clothing, with prospect
of actual starvation before the win
ter closes. The Congregational AS.
sociation, at Spirit Lake, last week,
passed series of resolutions, setting
forth the condition ofthe settlers in
that section, and asking aid. A lead
ing and responsible citizen of Sibley,
Osceola county, for whose veracity
the Sioux City Journal svouches,
gives that paper plain statement of
affairs in his vicinity, from which
we make the following extracts


The people of these Northwestern
counties are poor men men who
have come here to better their con-
dition. The greater part are those
who have served as soldiers in the
South during the dark days Of the
nation. You have their record. They
were men who never finched in the
line of duty /; they were willing to
bear toll, spriyations, and death if
need be, for the success of their grand
undertaking. They now have met a
foe with which they are unable to
cope. In the spring of 1872 immi-
grants began to wend their way to
these Northwestern counties, where
lay Government land subject to
homestead. They came, bringing
their all. Many with only yoke of
cattle, wagon, some little seed, and
perhaps, money enough to keep them
till fall. The seed they planted on
thin, new breaking, from which they
fully realized their expectations.
During the season they had broken
all of their land which it lay in their
power to break; had harvested and
saved their crops, laying all possible
away for another spring. Many of
them spent the winter at work, send
ing back their wages to support their
wives and little ones on the home
stead. The spring of 1873 came.
All were alive to their interest. All
of the land that could be prepared
was seeded, many having to 60 into
debt for their seed, fully thinking to
repay at harvest, and have an abun-
dance left. But how little does frail
humanity know of the working of
nature. Before harvest came the
scourge came upon US. Grasshop-
pers in myriads filled the air and
covered the ground. Where were
the gardens F.? One short hour suf-
feed to make them barren patches.
They descended en- the wheat, eating
off the young heads and letting them
fall to the ground upon the corn,
eating out the growing ears, and in
three days utterly destroying the
homesteader's hard work for the
past year, leaving many without any
way whatever to live through the
coming winter, and there must be
great suffering without help. They
have put off asking for this help un-
til, in their sgreat extremities, they
are obliged to submit. Our business
men are unable to lend them aid, for
their capital is limited. We are
obliged to look abroad for help.
There are many families in this,
Osceola county, who are now, at the
beginning of winter, without clothes
to cover them or food enough to
keep out starvation for one month,
and nothing wherewith to get more.
Such is our condition. We have
refrained from making any mention,
either through our paper, or by let
ter, to our friends even, hoping that
We might be able 10 get through the
winter, assisting one another, but we
find it impossible.


Alta meeting held here by the
homesteaders on last Saturday, it
was, in view of the immediate nec-
essity of help, unanimously voted to
ask the older counties of the State to
give, or lend US assistance. They
also at that time selected committee
to ascertain who were in want, and
to see that tn ey were relieved.