Historical stuff to wonder about

A friend mentioned the other night that she'd taken her mom shoe-shopping in St Cloud last week.  She said it was tough finding the "right" dress shoes in a size 10 (40 or 42, European).  It seemed like the choices were limited--lots of cute shoes in smaller sizes, but not in tens.  Since that's my size too, we commiserated.  Do they order fewer large size shoes in the first place, or, do the tens sell so well that there aren't many left by the time I need shoes?

I know, that's not historical.  Deal.

This next came from an 1875 ad in the St Cloud Journal by one J.E.West and a group of speculators trying to raise capital to build the Grand Central hotel.
Check the huge list of prizes that might be won by those buying shares (right column at the link). This was April first, a celebration planned for July third, and the hotel would be finished by October first, 1875. The timeline was remarkable all by itself, but look at the list of fireworks--how was this possible? I mean, did anyone actually see the words "St. Cloud Hotel Enterprise" written in fire in the sky? And if so, how come last night's fireworks were "just" unnamed colorful starbursts?

And while we're checking pages from the St Cloud Journal, here's an interesting pair of announcements from two unhappy men in Sauk Centre.  Wouldn't you love to know what actually happened there?

Ok, not historical either: 

"Big families are like waterbed stores; they used to be everywhere, and now they're just weird."  --Jim Gaffigan

☺

The St Cloud Journal Newspaper

....Select bits from 1866, 1874 & 1875

Remember a few pages ago, I mentioned that the St Cloud Journal was the successor to Jane Grey Swisshelm's "Visiter" newspaper?  Well, here're a few interesting articles from the Journal--partly to illustrate the we-can-do-ANYTHING mood of the times--like this first article--and partly as a reminder of day to day stuff they dealt with--like the runaway horses on St Germain Street.  If you're from St Cloud or the area, you'll recognize names like Herberger and Metzroth.  

Some of this is just plain cool, and one is very sad.

(The rest of this story, HERE).

Mike Sand pays a fine

 St Cloud Journal , July 3, 1875

Wow! Larry found that the Library of Congresses newspaper collection Chronicling America now includes the St Cloud Journal.  There's a description and details like how long it lasted, but all you need to know here is that the SCJ was a chatty little advertiser dealing mostly with a smallish group of acquaintances, and the stores they used ☺.

It was bought from Jane Grey Swisshelm after St Cloud proved it couldn't tolerate an uppity white woman running a newspaper.  Swisshelm's nephew, Wm Bell Mitchell, bought her out and pretty much avoided controversy for years.  Mitchell was the same guy who wrote the History of Stearns County, so there's that.

But, the article above--how do we know this was OUR Mike Sand?  Well, see the man he assaulted?  John Ferschweiler was a neighbor in LeSauk Township and the brother of a woman who married-in to the Sands...we've posted about them before.  

And here's Mike, still single at 23, fighting in the streets of St Cloud and being arrested for it.  His fine-and-cost combo was equal to about $350 bucks today.  WOW ☺

THANKS, LARRY!!