In early November 1928, the major daily newspapers in Sacramento, San Francisco and elsewhere reported on a proposed plan of a grand colonization scheme for Grasshopper Valley on the old Gerig Ranch. It would a Polish settlement of some 5,000 people. The primary occupation would be dairy farming and that it would include a cheese factory. Some of the reports were sketchy but it was noted there would a be five churches established there. Lassen County residents found the whole matter absurd.
Because of the extensive news coverage, it alerted the State Colonization Bureau to investigate. This state agency’s primary duties was to inspect all colony proposals to make sure that they were not fraudulent land schemes to bilk immigrants.
On December 26, 1928, 210 Polish colonists arrived in California, but instead of inspecting Grasshopper their itinerary was Stanislaus, Tulare and Merced counties. The Grasshopper project was abandoned.