In 1873, a great number of Rocky Mountain locusts swarmed eastward from their breeding grounds, reaching as far as Minnesota. The locusts would eat almost anything plant-based: grain crops, hay, garden plants, fence posts, conifers, fruit trees, even clothing. They also attacked livestock. Crops failed that year in most of the southwestern part of the state. The next year, the locusts' eggs hatched.
In 1877, the fifth year of the outbreak, Fr. Leo Winter, O.S.B., suggested building a small chapel dedicated to Mary, where Mass would be offered regularly in thanksgiving if God would end the plague. The first Mass was celebrated in the new wooden chapel on August 15th of that year.
The Rocky Mountain locusts did not return in 1878, and were not seen in Minnesota again. The species is now extinct.
The chapel was destroyed in the cyclone of June 28, 1894.
1952 was the centennial of the St. Cloud Diocese, and a new chapel, stone this time, was built on the same spot as the original chapel.
Besides the chapel itself, the grounds feature an outdoor altar, a shrine to St. Joseph, outdoor Stations of the Cross, and a little garden area dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi.
The chapel is open year round, and there is paved parking at the top of the hill. In winter, the road is closed to motor vehicles, but you can still reach the chapel on foot by going around the gate and using the staircase on the side of the hill, or with a fat tire bike.
To claim a find on this virtual cache:
Please post a photo of your visit to the chapel as part of your online log.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.