Sandhill Cove
St. Cloud
St. Cloud was part of this reclaimed land. Being extremely fertile, 420 acres were planted with sugarcane. A sugar mill was built near the lake which could produce 200 tons of cane every 24 hours. In its time it was the largest sugar mill in America.
St. Cloud became known as "A Soldier's Colony" when, in 1909, 35,000 acres were produced to build a veterans' colony. A lottery was held and land was offered at $50 for one small town lot, plus 5 acres outside of town.
Today, while still paying homage to its founding veterans, St Cloud has become the retail and commercial center for eastern Osceola County. Once depending primarily on agriculture, it has diversified to include a varied retail trade, manufacturing and healthcare services and facilities.
