Nobles County MN Archives History - Books .....Chapter V The Grasshopper Scourge - 1874-1875 1908 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 1, 2006, 1:56 am Book Title: An Illustrated History Of Nobles County CHAPTER V. THE GRASSHOPPER SCOURGE-1874-1875. If there had been a belief that the grasshopper visitation of 1873 was only a temporary blight on the prospects, it was rudely dispelled. The story of the years to follow is one of heartrending misery. From Manitoba to Texas the grasshoppers brought desolation and suffering in 1874, the visitation being general along the whole frontier. Especially destructive were they in southwestern Minnesota and in Kansas and Nebraska. A large acreage was sown in Nobles county in the spring on land that had been broken the year before. Then the settlers commenced breaking, and planting "sod corn." When warm weather set in grasshoppers began to hatch from the eggs that had been deposited the summer before and began their ravages as soon as the first tender blades of grain appeared. Whole fields were stripped entirely bare in those portions of the county where the young hoppers were most numerous, principally in the northern and western townships. The southeastern part escaped almost entirely. Had this been the only damage, the county would have survived the infliction. A fine growing season caused the crops in many places to get ahead of the young hoppers. Wheat and oats were growing finely, "sod corn" was an especially good crop, and all garden vegetables were growing as they seldom have since. Then on July 2 came a visitation of "foreign" hoppers out of the northeast, who made it evident that the country was not to escape with the ravages of the young pests. Conditions were such in the early summer that the people realized that something must be done to assist those who had met misfortune. On July 1 the board of county commissioners, composed of I. P. Durfee, chairman; J. W. Miller and M. L. Miller, met at Worthington to consider the condition of the destitute and the sufferers from loss of crops by the grasshoppers, and to provide for their wants. County Attorney M. B. Soule was present and offered the following resolution, which was adopted: Be it resolved by the board of county commissioners of Nobles county and state [of Minnesota] that an amount not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000) be and the same is hereby appropriated for the immediate relief of those persons in said county who are in need of such relief, and that same be expended for this purpose alone, under the direction of said board of commissioners, and in accordance with such rules and regulations as they deem best. And that an order of said county be issued under the direction of said board, bearing interest at the rate of twelve per cent, for the amount of such part thereof as may be needed. County Auditor William M. Bear went to St. Paul, and, through the influence of Governor Cushman K. Davis, sold one thousand dollars worth of the county's paper at its face value to the First National Bank of St. Paul. It must not be imagined that this money was raised for the purpose of reimbursing the sufferers; it was to prevent actual starvation. One hundred barrels of flour and eighteen barrels of pork were purchased and brought to the county for distribution. An informal meeting of the county board was held at the residence of J. W. Miller, in Graham Lakes township, on July 7, when the following residents were named to act as distributing agents in their respective townships: N. H. Smith, [1] Graham Lakes. J. Westinghouse, [1] Seward. C. A. Barrows, [1] Hersey. W. B. Akins, Elk. S. Wass, [1] Wilson (Summit Lake). D. Fogo, Lorain. I. P. Durfee, Worthington. J. B. Churchill, Dewald. R, Stillman, [1] Olney. Jas. Atcheson, Indian Lake. E. S. Mills, Bigelow. Leroy Cole, Ransom. J. D. Roberts, Little Rock. H. S. Barnes, Grand Prairie. These gentlemen at once apportioned the supplies among the most needy. They found many in a precarious condition; the thousand dollars worth of provisions was only a drop in the bucket. The destruction to crops done by the young grasshoppers and those which came on July 2 was as nothing compared with what was to follow. About ten o'clock on the morning of July 15 the grasshoppers were again seen coming out of the northeast. The sky was so full of them that the sun was darkened as with dense clouds, and the roar of their wings sounded like the approach of a storm. This time they came down for good; and what havoc they wrought! Those that alighted on the prairies [2] seemed to know where the grain fields and gardens were, and gathered in them from all directions. Every cornstalk bent to the earth with their weight. The noise they made eating could be heard for quite a distance and resembled that which might have been made by hundreds of hogs that had been turned into the fields. In fact, such was the destruction that within four hours after they came down, whole fields of corn and small grain were as completely harvested as though they had been cut with a reaper and hauled away. It was a discouraging sight. After gorging themselves with the crops the hoppers became stupid and piled up in the fields and along the roads, often to a depth of one or two feet. Horses could hardly be driven through them. Stories have been told of railway trains becoming blockaded by the pests, so as to be unable to move until the insects were shoveled from the tracks. After resting from their feast, they took their departure. On August 3 came another horde, seeking to destroy what had been left, and those settlers who had escaped with only a partial loss before were now called upon to go through the tortures of seeing their grain disappear, with no means of checking the disaster. It seems incredible that any grain should have been left, but such is the case. [3] From a carefully prepared estimate made by Auditor William M. Bear, we learn that out of a total of 16,410 acres planted to crop in 1874, only 82,183 bushels of grain and vegetables were saved. Wheat averaged about five and one-half bushels per acre, oats seven bushels, corn two and one-half bushels, potatoes 38 bushels, while all other grain was nearly a complete failure. The old settled township of Indian Lake was the most fortunate, and escaped with small damage. The wheat average there was a little less than ten bushels. [4] The lowest wheat average was in Seward, being less than two bushels. In Hersey and Graham Lakes the loss was also nearly complete. The largest acreage sown was in Worthington township, where 1,465 acres were planted and 10,916 bushels of wheat harvested. Following is Auditor Bear's estimate of the number of acres sown, the number of bushels harvested and the average yield per acre of the different grains and vegetables. [5] CROP Acres Sown Bushels Raised Average Per Acre Wheat 8,887 49,539 5.57 Oats 2,285 16,600 7.26 Corn 3,034 8,210 2.70 Potatoes 357 33,612 38.12 Buckwheat 234 243 1.03 Beans 135 56 .41 Flax Seed 1,299 1,639 1.26 Barley 179 284 1.59 Total 16,410 82,183 The Minnesota commissioner of statistics prepared a report of the estimated loss in the principal grain crops in Minnesota due to the grasshopper raids of 1874. His estimate for Nobles county was as follows: CROP Acres Damaged Loss in Bushels Wheat 7,718 100,272 Oats 2,436 73,690 Corn 2,678 63,871 Total 12,832 237,833 The colonists had now been in the county over two years, and not a crop had been raised. They were poor people when they came; not having realized a cent of income since their arrival, the result can well be imagined. The people were compelled to practice the most rigid economy. Hay furnished the fuel; potatoes, pumpkins and squashes- a few vegetables left by the grasshoppers-furnished the food. Meat was not on the bill of fare, except for those who could use a gun and bag the prairie chickens and ducks that were in great abundance. In this manner a large number of the settlers were obliged to pass the winter. They bore their trials more cheerfully than might have been expected, and made preparations to try their luck again next year. In preparing their land for the crop the following year, the farmers nearly ruined their horses, being without the necessary grain to feed them. About 18,500 acres of land was prepared that fall, [6] which was more than had been sown in 1874. Many were left destitute and badly in need of aid, but during the summer and early fall the actual suffering was not severe. But a few realized what the condition would be when cold weather set in, and steps were at once taken to prepare for the time when food, clothing and fuel would have to be supplied to prevent starvation and freezing. It was apparent that such aid as the state would furnish would be wholly inadequate to meet the demands of the destitute. Several gentlemen concluded that the only safety lay in providing a fund to meet the emergency which was sure to arise in midwinter. To this end J. C. Clark was selected to visit the eastern cities for the purpose of soliciting aid. Assurances were given Mr. Clark by Professor Humiston and others that whether successful or not his expenses would be paid. He succeeded in raising about $1,800 in eastern cities, and, subsequently, about $300 in St. Louis. Others went out soliciting on private account entirely, and were more or less successful in relieving their own wants. [7] Although precautions had already been taken as outlined above, by the middle of October it was realized that a united and more thorough effort must be made to secure funds to prevent terrible tragedies that otherwise would surely come with the wintry blasts. With this in view a mass meeting was held in Miller hall, Worthington, on October 13, to devise means of meeting the emergency. I. P. Durfee was chairman of the meeting and J. A. Town was secretary. The following statement of conditions in the county, and the purposes of the meeting was adopted, one section at a time: [8] Whereas, There is urgent and immediate necessity for aid to many destitute families in our county; and Whereas, The efforts put forth and supplies now on hand are totally inadequate to meet the demands which are constantly made for help; and Whereas, We are fully convinced that the more favored portions of our own state and other states do not appreciate the destitution in our midst; therefore Resolved, That we appeal (1) to the charitable of our own state for help; (2) to the people of the United States; (3) to the state government; (4) to the government of the United States, for the preservation of which many of us offered our all during the late terrible civil war. The conditions were discussed in detail. Estimates as to the possible number of families that would require aid varied from two hundred to three hundred. Mr. Durfee, who was chairman of the county relief committee, reported that 37,000 pounds of flour and a large quantity of pork, furnished by the county, had been distributed. He also stated that he had appealed to the governor for state aid. Governor Davis replied that the county government ought to do something for the destitute and suggested that an additional $1,000 bonds be issued. Mr. Durfee informed his excellency that in his opinion the people of Nobles county would sooner leave the state than issue more bonds. This opinion was somewhat borne out when the mass meeting passed a resolution requesting that the county commissioners do not issue more bonds for the purpose of relief. Warren Smith favored the immediate distribution of the $1,800 which had been raised by Mr. Clark, and suggested that the reason the governor did not favor rendering assistance was because that fund was as yet unapplied. Prof. Humiston said that he was satisfied that the governor was not cognizant of any such fund, that the money had been placed in the bank against the extreme suffering which parties foresaw would exist during the coming winter, but that if the time had arrived when it should be given out, it only awaited the order of the proper officers. A committee was appointed to draft an appeal for aid, and soon thereafter was issued the following entreaty, in part: APPEAL IN BEHALF OF THE GRASSHOPPER SUFFERERS OF NOBLES COUNTY. A meeting of the citizens of Nobles county, Minnesota, was held at Worthington, October 13, 1874, at which the undersigned were appointed a committee to draft an appeal to the charitable of our own state and to the friends in our old home states, in behalf of the needy and destitute in our midst. Our people have suffered a calamity as real and overwhelming as if everything had been swept away by fire and flood. We refer to the raids of the grasshoppers during the last two years. Ours is a new country. Most of our settlers came here in the spring of 1872 and since that time. The first year of settlement is necessarily spent in breaking the prairie in order to procure a crop the second season. . . . Thus it will be seen that many of our people have raised no crop in the three seasons of their residence on these new lands. Their need is urgent and immediate. The question may be asked what things are needed. We answer: First, food. Many families have lived for weeks on such vegetables as escaped destruction, and the supply is almost exhausted. They have neither bread nor meat. Second. They need clothing. They have raised nothing to sell, and the clothing they brought with them is worn to rags. We would suggest that yarn for stockings, thread and material for children's clothing be sent. This will give heip and employment at the same time-the best human charity. Third. They need bedding. There are those who are now sleeping under a covering of prairie hay, and winter is approaching. Fourth. They will need seed grain next spring or another year will not relieve the destitution. Some may ask why we do not abandon a country which is liable to such a plague. We answer: We have seen enough in some favored portions of this and adjoining counties to demonstrate the matchless fertility of the soil. In Jackson county, immediately east of us, more than forty bushels, of wheat and one hundred and ten bushels of oats per acre have been reaped in former years. Our climate is as agreeable as any in the world. We have a temperate, intelligent, industrious, moral class of people. Their misfortunes cannot be laid to any improvidence on their part. We came here to make homes for ourselves and our children, and most of us have invested our all here in improvements on our homesteads and have no means to get away, even temporarily. And besides, where else can we go? Is there any land on earth that is exempt from calamities of some kind? We feel that our destitution is only temporary. The grasshoppers did not deposit their eggs here the past season. They may not be seen here again in a generation. We have faith that next year we will reap bountiful harvests. But in the meantime, many of our people must have help or they will perish. Careful estimates warrant the statement that not less than half of the seven hundred families in the county are partially or wholly destitute. We call, therefore, upon our more fortunate brethren to help us in our distress. If this appeal should meet with a response, let the contributions be sent to I. P. Durfee. chairman of the board of county commissioners, Worthington, Nobles county, Minnesota. He has the entire confidence of all our people, and will make proper distribution of all that is sent. The receipt of all contributions will be promptly and thankfully acknowledged. J. A. TOWN, T. C. BELL, W. M. BEAR, WARREN SMITH, R. F. HUMISTON, Committee. To this appeal there was quite liberal response, but the needs were not over-supplied by any means, and there was some suffering during the winter. The state came to the aid of the grasshopper sufferers when the legislature convened during the winter. On February 12, 1875, General Sibley reported that he had turned over to Nobles county $1,952.82. [9] The distribution was under the direction of the governor. In Nobles county the work of distribution was delegated to the board of county commissioners, and they left the details of the work to I. P. Durfee, chairman of the board, and W. M. Bear, county auditor. To relieve the situation, the legislature granted an extension of time for the payment of taxes in some of the counties, and, of course, Nobles was among the number. Times not improving, the extension was of little benefit. People who had not money to buy food and clothing could not pay taxes. An interesting relic of this period is the following notice published in the public press of Nov. 20, 1874, by County Treasurer Humiston: To Tax Payers: The noble efforts which are being made by many of our settlers to pay their taxes is worthy of a public acknowledgment. Some are still in arrears, and although the time granted by the legislature last winter is past and the personal property tax of 1873 became delinquent on the first day of November, yet I am still receiving taxes at my office. I must very soon call on those who do not call on me, and I do not wish to make any unnecessary trouble or costs, but the laws compel me to make the effort, and it is hoped that it will not be necessary to perform this (to me) very unpleasant duty. H. D. HUMISTON, County Treasurer. The question naturally arises: Why did the people of Nobles county stay in a country in which the grasshoppers wrought such damage? It is doubtful if they would have remained could they have looked ahead and foreseen what they still had to go through, for this was not the end of the scourge by any means. A few discouraged ones did depart for their former homes. All who could went away each summer to work in the harvest fields of more fortunate communities and earn enough to supply their absolute needs. The majority stayed with their claims and weathered the storms of adversity. Hope was, abundant that each year's visitation would be the last. The fertility of the soil had been demonstrated, and it was known that once the country was free from the pests, it would become one of the richest spots in the west. The settlers had invested all their accumulations of former years in improvements, and to desert the country meant that they must go as paupers. Many were literally too poor to pay transportation charges out of the country. A tax levy of 16 mills was made in July, 1874, divided among the several funds as follows: General, eight mills; poor, two mills; road and bridge, two mills; county interest, two mills; floating debt and county orders, two mills. The levy was revised in November, being cut down to 13 mills, divided as follows: General, seven mills; poor, one mill; road and bridge, two mills; county interest, one mill; floating debt, two mills. The assessment showed a total valuation of $432,433, of which $250,125 was on personal property and $182,308 on real property. The total number of acres of deeded and contracted land was 37,444. Seven hundred forty-five persons were assessed. The population of the county, estimated from figures furnished by the assessors, was between 3,000 and 3,500-probably a slight overestimate. Other statistics for the year 1874 show that there were 86 births, 24 deaths, 20 marriages, one divorce and 32 first naturalization papers granted. Despite the prevailing hard times the public schools showed a healthy growth. Ten new buildings were erected, and the attendance was greatly increased. The following items appear in the report of the superintendent of schools of Oct. 31, 1874: Number of districts in county, 37. Number persons five to 21 years, 751. Number persons 15 to 21 years, 197. Number pupils enrolled in winter schools, 105. Average daily attendance, 71. Average length of winter schools in months, 3. Number teachers in winter schools, 2. Number pupils enrolled in summer schools, 285. Average daily attendance in summer schools, 221. Average length of summer schools in months, 3 1-7. Number teachers in summer schools, 16. Number pupils enrolled in schools within the year, 311. School houses built during year 1874, 10 frame. Value of schools houses built during the year, $2,435. Total number school houses in county, 11 frame. Value of all school houses in the county, $2,485. Paid for teachers' wages in 1874, $875.81. Cash in treasurer's hands at close of school year, September 30, 1874, $53.83. One improvement in this year of disasters was the establishment of a star mail route in the southern part of the county. The route extended from Bigelow to Ash Creek and passed through the townships of Ransom, Little Rock and Grand Prairie. This proved to be a great accommodation to the settlers in those townships. Two postoffices were established along the route in Nobles county. One was Little Bock, of which J. T. Green was postmaster; [10] the other was Grand Prairie, located first on section 10, Grand Prairie township, and conducted by a settler named Ayers. [11] The legislature of 1875 took prompt action to relieve grasshopper devastated southwestern Minnesota. An act approved March 1, 1875, provided for an extension of the payment of personal property tax in the counties of Martin, Jackson, Nobles, Rock, Murray, Cottonwood, Watonwan, Renville, Lyon .and parts of Blue Earth, Faribault and Brown to November 1. In order to secure this extension it was necessary for the residents to give proof that they were unable to pay their taxes because of loss of crop in 1874 from grasshoppers or hail. The commissioners of Nobles county also took action to relieve the hardships of taxation by abating the interest and costs on the delinquent real estate tax for 1874. All who should make satisfactory proof, on or before December 1, 1875, under oath to the county auditor, that they were unable to pay the 1874 real estate tax, should escape the penalties, providing the taxes were paid at the time of making proof. [12] Notwithstanding the terrible experiences of the two preceding years, the people determined to put in a crop again in 1875. The ground had been prepared, but the farmers were without seed grain and without the means to purchase it. The legislature came to their rescue with an appropriation of $75,000, the act providing for the distribution of seed grain to that amount, with certain provisions for its repayment. A state board of commissioners was appointed to conduct the distribution, and a local board was named in each of the stricken counties to assist in the work. Daniel Rohrer, I. P. Durfee and Peter Thompson served in Nobles county. The money market was tight, and the state was not able to procure the money to purchase more than $50,000 worth of grain. Applications at once began pouring in, there being between 250 and 260 in Nobles county. The state commissioners arrived in Worthington March 31 and immediately began delivering the grain. Nobles county's share of the $50,000 was about $3,000, and to each applicant was given twelve bushels of wheat. [13] It was expected that so soon as the state could negotiate a loan for the other $25,000 of the appropriation, it would be issued in corn, potatoes and other seed, but this was not done. With the grain received from the state and that which was in the county there was enough to seed about eighty per cent of the prepared land. The seed grain furnished by the state was a Godsend. "Our farmers never started with better prospects as to seed than they do the present year," said the Advance. The grain was sown; it germinated, and appeared above the ground. Then came anxious days. Would the grasshopper scourge again come with its ruin and desolation? As the season advanced the people with deep concern scanned the skies for the appearance of the pests. Eggs had not been deposited in the county the preceding season, and the only apprehension felt was in regard to another invasion. Tidings soon came. On Monday, June 28, it was reported that a vast army was on the way to the northwest from Iowa and other states to the south, headed, it was said, for the Bad Lands of Dakota. They passed over Sioux City in great numbers, and extended as far north as Sheldon. A few stragglers along the right flank of the army were seen in Nobles county and created some apprehension and caused a great deal of upward gazing. But the settlers thanked Providence that, so far, they were in the suburbs of the movement. One curious feature of this movement was that it came from the southeast; before the hordes generally came out of the northeast. What few were seen passing over Nobles county did no damage whatever. But on Saturday afternoon, July 10, the grasshoppers settled down in considerable numbers in various parts of the county. They came from the northeast, and as they were not full grown, it was believed they belonged to the Minnesota valley hatch, eggs having been deposited there in great numbers the year before. Sunday morning they began eating in a few fields of wheat and barley, but most of them waited until Monday before they tested the merits of the growing grain. On Sunday Ransom and Bigelow townships were invaded from the southwest, and a few fine stands of grain in each of those townships were badly damaged. Tuesday, July 13, the greater part of the hoppers took their departure, flying in a northwesterly direction. The damage in Nobles county was not general or great. In no part was there total destruction, and probably not over 100 acres were seriously damaged. By the 16th the grasshoppers had not only departed from the county, but from the state. The settlers kept track of the movements of the grasshoppers as they, would have those of an invading army of soldiers. They knew that only by chance would they escape. They felt as though the sword of Damocles were suspended over them, ready to fall at any moment. The pests were absent only a short time. In the latter part of July they invaded the townships of Hersey, Graham Lakes and Seward-communities which had suffered so greatly the year before-in great numbers. For several days they were there destroying the crops and depositing their eggs. Some of the farmers lost everything, and all in the three townships suffered considerable loss. It is needless to say that the farmers there were discouraged. Some parts of the county had escaped without great loss in 1874 and most of the county did in 1875; but these townships in the northeastern part of the county had now suffered two nearly complete crop failures. The grasshoppers began leaving the northern tier of townships on Friday, July 30, [14] and worked from there slowly southward, depositing their eggs as they went. They invaded Lorain and Elk townships and on the 31st put in an appearance about Worthington in considerably numbers. They were not so numerous as they had been the year before, however, and were only enough to cover one tier of townships at a time. Neither did they eat so ravenously as formerly. They continued their way southward and spread out over several Iowa counties, where they did little or no damage to the crops. It has been a ragamuffin Falstaffin army, compared with that of the 1874 army. Their appetities appeared to be poor, and they were of a degenerate breed; bushels died after laying their eggs, and the exhausted remnant left the county in the first half of August. Oats and garden vegetables suffered most. Outside of the three northeastern townships, where the loss was nearly total, the damage was slight, and an estimate placed the crop at nine-tenths of a full one. Probably twice the quantity of farm products ever before raised was marketed in 1875. The population of the county in 1875, according to figures taken by the assessors in the different precincts, was 2738, divided by precincts as follows: Worthington village 419 Worthington township 207 Little Rock 204 Bigelow 192 Graham Lakes 192 Elk 189 Seward 184 Lorain 182 Ransom 175 Hersey 170 Indian Lake 162 Olney 108 Grand Prairie 107 Dewald 103 2nd Assessment District 67 Summit Lake 62 First Assessment District 15 Total 2,738 There was an increase in the assessed valuation in 1875. The total was $656,363, of which $254,250 was for personal property and $402,113 for real property. The levy was again placed at thirteen mills divided as follows: General, five mills; interest on bonds, etc., three mills; road and bridge, two and one-half mills; floating debt, one and one-half mills; poor, one mill. The first term of court held in Nobles county convened at Miller hall, Worthington, on Tuesday, Sept. 14, 1875, and was in session until Saturday, Sept. 18. Judge D. A. Dickinson, of Mankato, judge of the Sixth district, presided. During the term E. D. Hadley, of Luverne, and Daniel Rohrer, of Worthington, were admitted to practice. Besides the members of the Worthington bar there were present Daniel Buck, of Mankato; E. Clark, of Windom; Geo. L. Otis, of St. Paul; Mr. Seegur, of St. James; J. W. Knox, of Jackson, and Samuel Lord, of Mantorville. There were two criminal cases on the docket. One was against one Larson, charged with selling diseased meat. The grand jury failed to return a true bill. Andrew Jacobson, charged with burglary, was discharged, owing to the fact that the grand jury was not properly drawn. The first list drawn was not signed by the chairman of the board, and the second list was not filed with the clerk of court. The grand jury was therefore declared not competent to find an indictment, and the prisoner was given his liberty. Of the seventeen civil cases on the docket, several were quite important. The only jury case was that of Jesse W. Palmer against Warren Smith for libel. The trial occupied several days, and the case was decided in favor of the plaintiff, who was given a verdict of one dollar. Following were the jurors who served at this first term: Grand jurors, Michael Snyder, John T. Green, A. Buchan, Charles Fake, T. P. Crowe, C. B. Loveless, Coleman Guernsey, W. G. Randall, John D. Brown B. F. Tanner, David Fogo, J. R. Dewey, Alfred Terry, James Thom, John DeBoos, W. B. Akins, O. A. Fauskee, G. M. Plumb, G. T. Bulick, A. W. Burnham, David Bates, William Cuff, Otto Berreau. Petit jurors-Peter Sweitzer, J. Tarbert, John Alley, T. H. Parsons, William H. Parry, H. C. Rice, H. M. Johnson, Frank Densmore, E. W. Hesselroth, Charles Peterson, Henry Brayton, B. D. Churchill, Richard Bergraff, L. B. Hardon, Robert Firth, James Parshall, E. J. Bear, A. O. Conde, Charles Drury, William Ditty, B. W. Lyon, L. E. Kimball, B. F. Congdon, John Hart. ENDNOTES [1] Were superseded by Julius Westinghouse, Graham Lakes; Jonas Parshall, Seward; A. A. Parsons, Hersey; J. J. Weaver, Wilson; J. V. Bartow, Olney. [2] The name applied to these pests is a misnomer. They never ate grass. [3] " . . . We have stated that half a crop of wheat had been raised. Since threshing this, will have to be slightly changed, for the crop falls a little below half a crop. Nobles county raised this year two or three times as much wheat as it needed to bread the county, but, as we stated before, those who have any surplus must sell to pay debts and procure other supplies. Those who raised nothing are left destitute and must be carried through the winter."-Worthington Advance. Oct. 3, 1874. [4] When relief supplies were distributed later in the year the people of Indian Lake requested that no supplies be sent into that township. [5] Said the Advance of Jan. 20, 1875: "These figures will be interesting to the future historian of the great grasshopper visitation. When Nobles county is annually turning out an average of from 17 to 25 bushels per acre, and when several more railroads will be demanded to do the carrying for the fertile prairie regions of this latitude, these figures will be looked upon with a melancholy interest, and our children will wonder at the pluck and energy of the people who stuck it through." [6] Estimate by Auditor Bear. [7] It is possible that a few took advantage of the terrible conditions prevailing, and, representing themselves as duly authorized collectors for the relief fund, were in reality working for their own benefit. The Advance of September 26, 1874, said: "Our correspondent mentions the fact that some one from Hersey township has gone to St. Paul begging, and has secured quite a sum of money and a good supply of other articles. We judge from the tenor of the statement that this was done on private account entirely. Of course if people will go abroad and beg there is no way of preventing them, but these persons are bringing reproach upon the whole region and giving us the reputation of chronic mendicants. We heard a few days ago that one man from Graham Lakes township had recently been through Wisconsin and Michigan begging. This is his second begging tour, and no doubt he is realizing a handsome sum. We wish to warn the public against all beggers from this region who profess to have letters from responsible parties in this county. The papers are generally forged, and when it is known that there is an organized method of obtaining and distributing supplies, people ought to refuse those who are begging on private account." [8] Published in the Claim Shanty Vindicator of Oct. 21, 1874. [9] The total amount distributed was $15,551.56, divided among the devastated counties as follows: Pinewood $200.00 Martin 1,363.87 Rock 1,400.00 Cottonwood 3,237.02 Watonwan 1,808.83 Jackson 2,817.82 Murray 1,902.82 Nobles 1,952.82 Brown 300.00 Others 768.38 [10] He was succeeded by W. T. Jones, and he by Wm. Parry, who remained in charge until the office was discontinued Dec. 31, 1903. [11] Ayers was succeeded by Oscar Lund, Geo. Barnes, Oscar Bryan and John Butcher. The office was discontinued in 1884, when Ellsworth village was founded. [12] Commissioners' Journal, June 10, 1875. [13] The settlers were slow in paying for this grain, and accounts were carried on the books of the county until November, 1903, when the last payment was made. [14] "We were at Graham lakes on Wednesday [August 4], and found there was scarcely a grasshopper in the whole northern portion of the county. At present they do not extend more than three or four miles north of Worthington. -Worthington Advance, Aug. 6, 1875. Additional Comments: Extracted from: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY MINNESOTA BY ARTHUR P. ROSE NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA PUBLISHERS 1908 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mn/nobles/history/1908/anillust/chapterv10gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mnfiles/ File size: 36.1 Kb