USA > Minnesota > Jackson County > An illustrated history of Jackson County, Minnesota > Part 21
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In spite of the fact that there had been no immigration since 1873 and that a great many had moved away, there were found to be 3,506 permanent residents in 1875-a gain of nearly 100 per cent in five years. The population of the various townships was as follows:
Alba
I42
Belmont 287
Christiania
310
Des Moines 388
Enterprise
166
Ewington
89
Heron Lake
125
Hunter
61
Kimball
159
LaCrosse 265
Middletown 139
Minneota
112
Petersburg
167
Rost
105
Round Lake
104
Sioux Valley
80
Weimer
287
West Heron Lake
117
Wisconsin
118
Total
3,506
The free seed grain was sown in the spring of 1825; it germinated and appear- ed above the ground. Then came the days of anxiety. Would the grasshopper seourge again come with its ruin and des- clation ? As the season advanced the peo- ple with deep concern scanned the skies for the appearance of the pests. As eggs had not been deposited in Jackson county the preceding season, there were no young hoppers, and the only apprehension was in regard to an invasion of "foreign" hoppers. Blackbirds and gophers were quite numerous early in the season and did a lot of damage to crops, especially corn, but not a grasshopper put in an ap- pearance.
Tidings of approaching invaders came on Monday, June 28. It was reported by wire that a vast army was on the way to the northwest from lowa, that a number of them were passing over Sioux City and that they extended as far north as Shel- don. A few stragglers on the right flank
of this army passed over Jackson county, but as a general thing they kept high in the air. Only a very few alighted-not enough to do any damage.
The county was free of the pests until Saturday, July 10. Then they came in great droves out of the northeast. They were not full grown and were those which hatehed in the Minnesota river valley. They attacked the growing grain with their old time voracity and brought de- spair to the hearts of the settlers.15 They feasted on the green fields Sunday and Monday, but their numbers were not nearly so great as they had been the year before. Many farms swarmed with them, while upon others there was none at all. Even some of those fields upon which the grasshoppers were the thickest were not entirely destroyed. Monday the hoppers showed signs of a desire to migrate, but unfavorable winds and tempting grain were sufficient reasons for their lingering another day. About eleven o'clock on the forenoon of Tuesday they took up their line of flight to the north ; the county was again free of the pests.
The settlers kept track of the move- ments of the grasshoppers in different parts of the country as they would have those of an invading army of soldiers. So far, a large part of the crop was saved, but they knew that only by chance could they escape total destruction. They felt as though the sword of Damocles was sus- pended over them, ready to fall at any moment.
.
The respite was not long. The hoppers appeared in the north part of the county
15"Had an earthquake shaken up our people, or a cyclone swept destruction over our com- munity, neither would have excited and dis- couraged our citizens so much as it did to see those hungry, hopping pests slashing away at the grain fields. After two years of de- struction the sight of luxurious crops had been a fascinating one, and now to see the third crop going was certainly enough to make strong men surrender. It was a discouraging mo- ment to farmers and an anxious one to business men." -- Republic. July 17, 1875.
152
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
on Tuesday, July 22, about noon. In the Heron Lake country they lighted in the fiekls and commenced rating voraciously. The farmers, who were becoming well ale- quainted with their made of warfare. took a defensive attitude and began ply- ing them with smoke. fire and brimstone. 19 The hoppers slowly worked southward. and on Friday, July 23. had entered the second tier of townships. As they pro- ceeded they deposited their eggs. This invasion was confined almost entirely to the north half of Jackson county, only a few getting into the southern townships. and those doing but little damage.
The hoppers remained in the northern part of the county until early in August : then they departed. Considerable damage was done in Christiania township and in the country about Heron Lake. They also entered the townships of Enterprise. Bel- mont and Heron Lake. But these hop- pers were not so numerous as they had been formerly. It was a ragamuffin. Fal- staffin army compared with that of 182 1. Their appetites appeared to be poor, and they were of a degenerate breed : bushels died after laying their eggs, and the ov- hausted remmant departed from the coun- ty. A big percentage of the crop was saved. and the farmers eagerly began the harvest. On August : the Republic sized up the situation as follows:
Our farmers are now engaged in harvesting
"There was really very little that the settlers could de to destroy or check the posts, al- though many schemes were tried. Nothing avalled against the invading hordes, but In the case of the native hoppers the farmers waged a more or less successful war by the use of tar. "Hopperdozers." a sort of drag. made of sheet iron and wood, would be covered with tar and dragged over the ground hoppers would be caught in the tar and de-
stroyed. Another scheme was to prevent pral- re tires during the summer and fall. conserv- Ing the grass until after the hoppers had Matched in the spring. Then on a given day the county would be burned over and the masts destroyed. Ditches would be dug and the hop- jeers driven into them and destroyed; scoop nets were used, but little headway could be made with them. In some of the counties bounties were pald for them. In seven such counties 58.019 bushels were captured, upon which houn- ties aggregating $76.785.4 were paid: still no difference was noticed in the damage done.
the finest crop over grown in Jackson county. This township |Des Moines]. and perhaps others, will undoubtedly the present season produce as much as was ever before raised in one year in the entire county. True, in - eral towns the hungry hoppers have injured the crops, but in the county at large there i- a bountiful yield. We may be wrongly informed as to the amount left, but by frequent inquiries in regard to crops in the localities the war-1 devastated we find that portions of the crop are saved and in instances fiells are not in. jured at all. But if there is an approach lo a total loss in any township we have got to learn of it. Not only wheat and cats are im mense, but corn, to use Donnelly's favorite word. is "enormon -. "
The crop was well secured. all working with a will in gathering the yield. It was i new experience-the harvesting of a crop. But the anxieties of the season were not yet over. During the entire work he- ginning August 31 there was a continual downpour of rain, which did much dam- age to grain in shock and stack. That in the shock sprouted, and all was more or less damaged. Blight damaged some of the wheat, and instead of grading No. 1. it was second and third grade.
The conditions during the winter of 1515-16 were so much better than they had been during the two preceding win- ters that very little relief was needed. and the county was able to supply its own speel for the next erop.
In 18:5 for the first time a united of- fort was made to fight the grasshoppers. On August 21 a county grasshopper con- vention was held at Jackson to devise means of fighting the common enemy the next season. H. H. Stone was chairman of the convention and E. P. Skinner was secretary. A general committre was named, composed of the following named gentlemen : Alexander Fiddes. Edward Orr. Hans Knudson, Henry Knudson, Il. 1. Phelps. J. P. Prescott and M. B. Mil- Hard. These gentlemen were delegated with power to have general supervision of the campaign and to appoint three persons in rach township to work with them. The
KIDIE DU NORD
STATE MINNESOTA
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT.
Saint Paul, Mar. 15, 16 MINNESOTA
To the Board of
Country Commissioners of Jackem &o. Mvier. Contienen; I have received a Communication from a Mr. Mais Freed of Herr Lake in your county tatiany that himself and family and a few ofhis neigh. bord are in a very destilister Condition as a result of the grovehoffer lavages and That he have failed to obtain the air he" had applied for from you. No means are at my disposal for the relief of such case and I can only comments the matter to you attention with the hope that your way back zeneselves justified in the alleviation ofsuch actual suffering as cens have presented.
A REMINDER OF GRASSHOPPER DAYS
HEN. YAK PUBLIC LIBRARY
AT OT, LENOX AND TATEN FOUNDAT OUR
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1
153
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
principal objeet to be attained was the preservation of the prairie grass until the following spring.
The year 1826 opened auspiciously. Despite the forebodings of disaster from another grasshopper visitation, the people were in good spirits. This was caused largely by the prospects of the extension of the Southern Minnesota railroad into and through the county, from Winnebago City to Worthington. Surveyors appear- ed in the field during the closing days of 1845 and ran a line to Jackson and from that point westward. It was generally un- derstood that the railroad company would ask a bonus, and on December 28, 1875, a mass meeting was held at Jackson and largely attended. It seemed to be the unanimous desire of those attending that the people should give a liberal bonus and furnish the right of way.
Officials of the road went to Jackson February 27, 1876, and stated that if the ten townships of the southern half of the county would issue bonds to an amount equal to ten per cent of their assessed valu- ation to aid in the construction of the road. the line would be built to Jackson by December 31, 1876, and to Worthing- ton by September 1, 1811.17 The question of issuing the bonds was voted upon at the regular March township elections. Petersburg, Wisconsin. Middletown, Des Moines and Sioux Valley townships re- turned majorities in favor of the bonds : Hunter, Minneota, Rost and Round Lake voted against them ; in Ewington the vote was a tie. During April special elections were held in Minneota, Hunter and Ew- ington, and each of the townships then
1"The bonds to have been issued by the Jack- son connty townships would have amounted to about $37.000, the assessed valuation of the townships at that time being: Petersburg. $34.594; Wisconsin, $38.478; Des Moines, $100,749; Middletown. $40,336; Minneota, $55,314; Hunter. $23,082; Rost, $5.712; Sioux Valley. $33,346; Round Lake, $9,949; Ewington, $8.687. The counties of Martin and Nobles were also asked to vote subsidies.
gave a majority for the bonds. But the road was not built that year, and the bonds were not sold. During the summer the financial affairs of the railroad com- pany got in a bad way, and the promoters found themselves unable to proceed with the extension.
In the northern part of Jackson county, where grasshopper eggs had been deposit- ed in 18:5, very little grain was sown in 1876, but in the southern townships, where no eggs had been deposited, the usual acreage was put in. Late in April the pests began to hatch, and the hatch- ing continued until in June. So soon as they attained sufficient size the young hoppers attacked the fields. The farmers drew up in battle array against them, and many of the pests were destroyed. The ravages were confined to the northern townships until July 3. Then a gentle wind from the north swept clouds of them . to the other portions of the county, and every precinct reported damage. There was no further movement of the hoppers until July 13. On that date another breeze from the north gathered immense numbers of them and wafted them over the line into Iowa. On July 24 came the worst visitation of grasshoppers ever known in Jackson county. Vast clouds of them came down from the northwest and destroyed all small grain left and in- jured the corn. They remained two or three weeks and deposited their eggs.
It was not until the fore part of August that the county was entirely free from the destroying agents. During this time they feasted continually and deposited their eggs.
The prospects were discouraging. Many who had fought the scourge so long gave up and quit trying to raise crops. The Jackson Republie voiced the feelings of the people when it said on July 29:
That the grasshopper question has assum-
9
154
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
ed a more serious aspert than ever before there is no denying. Four successive crops hav. been destroyed in a good portion of southwest ern Minnesota and the fifth assured of destruc. tion. It is useless to recapitulate the trials our people have passed through, or tell how patiently they have waited with the vain hope that the pest would leave us forever; it is use- le-> to theorize or moralize on the past- it is the dark future with which we have to deal and most interests our stricken people. We know that our crop- Lave been nearly all destroyed and that eggs are deposited in every direction sufficient to hatch grasshoppers an- other year to cover every inch of ground in the county, and that is all that need he said on that point.
Many did not give up, however, but re- newed the fight. A mass convention was called to be held at Jackson AAugust 23,18 to "have a general interchange of ideas as to the best policy to pursue in our pres- ent unfortunate circumstances caused by the ravages of grasshoppers." The eon- vention adopted the following resolutions :
Resolved that the state and general gov- ermments be petitioned to make appropriations to reimburse uts for money expended to pre- vent prairie grass from burning and in catch- ing young hoppers in the spring.
Resolved that the county commissioner- be requested to make an appropriation not ex- verding $1,000 for the purpose of making a fire guard sufficient to preserve the grass in vach town.
Resolved further that a committee be ap- pointed to correspond with the governor and with parties in other counties to the end that a general organization he had for the purpose mentioned in the above resolutions.
Resolved that we recommend a general con- vention for the grasshopper district be held at Worthington at an early day. to be called hey the governor of the state, who is hereby in- vited to be present.
In accordance with the suggestion of the Jackson county convention, a grass-
1The call was signed by A. D. Palmer, W. V. KIng. J. J. Johnson, Henry Knudson. Edward Orr. Dr. E. L. Brownell, Ira G. Walden, Jarch Palmer. G. C. Chamberlin, J. W. Cowing, G. K. Tiffany, Lucius Bordwell. W. Burreson. W. Ashley. Eugene Logue, Thomas J Knox. C. H. Sandon. M A. Strong, James W. Hunter, John J. Smith, Willlam A. Fields, James E. Palmer. 11. A. Williams, Alexander Flddes, Milton Mason and John Jungbauer. The mass convention was called largely through the efforts of Cap- tain Jarch Palmer. He and several others were In the office of the county auditor one day. discussing conditions when he suggested holding a convention to discuss ways and means of overcoming the posts. A petition was drawn up by County Auditor William V King and Was circulated by Mr. l'almer.
hopper convention, containing delegates from all the devastated counties of south- western Minnesota, met at Worthington September 20, 1876. Methods of fight- ing the common enemy were discussed and plans made for reducing the ravages. Re- lief from the United States government was asked.
The legislature of 1811 appropriated money for the relief of the destitute and $15,000 for the purchase of seed grain. The law provided for the repayment of this money by those receiving the grain ; in case it was not paid back the county was bound to make payment to the state. Applicants were obliged to furnish affi- davits as to their condition. and the coun- ty commissioners and county auditor acted as a board to determine the worthiness of the applicants. Two hundred eleven ap- plications were granted in Jackson county and thirty rejected. From LaCrosse township came 31 applications - the largest number from any one township. There was none from Hunter. On March 29, 1811. the county auditor received a check for $4,431-Jackson county's share of the appropriation-and this was dis- tributed in grain, giving $21 worth to cach successful applicant.
Every plan to rid the state of the lo- custs having failed. Governor John S. Pillsbury named a day for fasting and prayer. and by proclamation requested every citizen to observe Thursday, April 26. as a day on which to hold religious meetings and ask for deliverance from the scourge. In Jackson the day was ap- propriately observed. the Republic report- ing the services as follows:
Fast day (Thursday, April 26) was duly ola served in town by a general recognition of the governor's proclamation. In the forenoon quite a large congregation assembled at the church. where the services were conducted by Rev. E. Savage.
. In the afternoon there was an in- teresting social meeting at the church, in
155
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
which many of our leading Christian citizens participated, and which was attended by a large number who ought to be Christians. Certainly the governor's fast day was well observed in Jackson by our business men not only, but by our citizens generally. Two large congregations were present, many of whom are seldom seen inside the ehureh.
The annual dread was felt again in the spring of 1877-and this time the set- tlers were agreeably disappointed. The season was admirably adapted to two ends: the best possible development of small grain and the worst possible develop- ment of the locusts. The cool rainy weath- er of the spring and early summer seem- ed to have been sent on purpose to give wheat and other small grain a rapid and healthy growth, and at the same time give the grasshoppers a slow and feeble development.
The hoppers hatched during the month of May and began eating on a few fields. but not enough to do any great damage. The farmers carly commenced fighting their enemy with kerosene oil and the tar "hopperdozers." But the most satisfac- tory destroying element proved to be a little red parasite, which attacked and destroyed the eggs in the fall and early spring and later the young hoppers, load- ing down their frail wings and carcasses until it was almost impossible for them to fly. Bushels of the pests died as soon as their wings were grown.
Early in June the press reported little damage to small grain. but that the corn was suffering to some extent. Cool weath- er continned until the middle of June, having the effect of keeping the hoppers quiet and off the fields. Said the Republic on June 16: "Many people begin to take courage and actually are hopeful of a part of a crop." In the latter part of June the grasshoppers became more ae- tive and did some injury to small grain. they having confined themselves almost exclusively to corn and garden truck be-
fore. But about the first of July they be- gan taking their departure, flying gener- ally to the northwest, and within a few days all had left the county. None but the Jackson county hatch had visited the county, and it became apparent that nn- less there was a raid of "foreign" hoppers, the bulk of the erop was safe. And the invaders did not come. Swarms of them were occasionally seen flying high in the air afterwards, but they did not alight. The cheering situation was reported by the local press on July 21:
Certainly the situation about us is cheer- ing. The grasshoppers have gone, and there is a feeling apparent that they have left us permanently. Crops are in the main good. We do not think there are a half dozen farmers in the county who have lost their crops during the season, though of course more than that number have been damaged more or less. But generally wheat, oats, barley, peas and pota- toes are looking well, but corn is backward. It is truly encouraging to have such cheering reports come in from the farmers and we gladly make note of their success.
It was a year of jubilee. Every resi- dent seemed to be imbued with new life. Business men began increasing their stocks of goods; farmers began getting their lands in readiness for the next year's crop and putting up hay for the increased herds of stock that grasshopper times com- pelled.
Yet conditions were not so rosy as one might imagine. The several years of dev- astation had discouraged the farmers of Jackson county to such an extent that each year saw less and less grain sown. The spring of 1877 witnessed the planting of a very limited acreage, and the com- paratively big yield per acre did not re- sult in the bountiful times that would have come had the farmers sown as in former years.
Of the sixty-one counties Minnesota contained at that time, Jackson ranked thirteenth in the yield of wheat per aere. Sixteen hundred forty-one acres were
156
HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY.
sown : 33,208 bushels, or 20,22 bushels per acre, were harvested. In the production of oats the county ranked fourth, being surpassed only by Goodhue, Polk and Steele counties. The total yield of oats was 66,005 bushels, or 13,33 bushels per acre. The corn crop amounted to $1,623 bushels, or 19.63 bushels per acre.
Because of the bettered condition, in the fall of 1812. a few land seekers-the first in five years-came to the county to spy out and purchase choice tracts of land. A seed grain appropriation was again made in 1828. and Jackson county people received 1,525 bushels.19
So far as Jackson county is concerned the terrible grasshopper scourge was prac- tically ended. In its whole history up to this time there had been only a few years when the county had been free from
sources of devastation. For years the savage red man laid a heavy hand on the county and retarded its settlement: for another period of years the grasshoppers performed a like service. Hundreds of good citizens had been forced to leave; other hundreds had been prevented from coming.
The condition of the county at the close of the year 1832 has been told by a gentle- man who made a trip over the Sioux City & St. Paul railroad in November. He said :
The country gives evidence of the -ad effects of the grasshopper plague in the thousands of acres of land that have once been broken and perhaps a crop or two taken from them. The owners have left them to grow up to weeds. not daring to risk the chances of harvesting their crop -. Nothing so forcibly brings to the mind of the visitor the reality of the grasshop- per scourge as the sight of these desolate. weed-grown tiekts, with occasionally a deserted home standing cheerless and lone in the midst of the broad prairies.
The history of Jackson county's dark days are ended. Henceforth the story is one of advancement.
1Neighboring counties received seed grain In bushels as follows: Cottonwood. 4,600; Waton- wan. 2.790; Martin, 2,300; Nobles, 3,443; Mur- ray, 800.
CHAPTER XII.
PROSPEROUS TIMES-1878-1894.
A NEW era in the history of Jack- son county begins with the year 1818. Three events of that year mark the turning point to better times : the disappearance of the grasshoppers, the building of the county's second railroad. and the revival of immigration.
It will be remembered that so early as 1866 preparations had been made for ex- tending the Southern Minnesota railroad from Houston to the west line of the state. The United States government had granted large areas of land to the state of Minnesota to aid in the construction of railroads, and the state had in turn given these lands to the Southern Minnesota Railroad company, m consideration that it should extend its road to the west line of the state on or before February 25, 1877. Owing to financial embarrassment and the terrible grasshopper scourge, the railroad company had not been able to complete its line, although it had builded a considerable distance to the westward, and many of the lands were about to re- vert to the state as forfeiture for non- compliance with the terms of the grant. For many long years the people of south- ern Jackson county had anxiously awaited the coming of this road, which meant so mueh to them.1
""Every now and then surveyors of railroads' have come and gone, railroad officials from dif-
The road was built to Winnebago City. and late in 1872 it was announced that the company had sufficient funds and the inclination to extend the road 45 miles further, to Jackson, providing the lapsed land grant were renewed. Nearly every- body was in favor of renewing the grant, and on March 6, 1878. the Minnesota leg- islature, in a memorial to congress, asked for a four years' extension of the grant." The sentiment of the people of Jackson county is shown by the following resolu-
ferent lines have come and made propositions to supply us a road, and they would go. Thus the long years have rolled away, and our little town and struggling conimunity have survived without a road, our merchants have hauled in their goods on wheels, slow coaches have brought our mails and transported passengers and express packages."-George C. Chamberlin in Republic. November 30, 1878.
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