The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-10-04


tory of Utah, thus describes the in
cident of the gulls and the crickets'
mo event in western history awak'
ems more interest than the episode
of the crickets and the gulls. 1t
occurred in 1S4S when Salt Lake City
the earliest settlement in the Rocky
mountain region--was less than one
year old. The so called city was not
even village at that time; 1t was
little more than a camp, consisting
of a log and mud fort. enclosing nuts
tents and wagons, with about 1900
inhabitants. Most of these had fol-
lowed Immediately after the pioneers
who with Brigham Young their lead
er. arrived on the shores of the Great
Salt Lake in July, lSi7. President
Young and the others had returned
TO the Missouri river to bring more
of their migrating people to their
new home among the mountains, ana
those who remained were anxiously
awaiting the results of their first Ia
bors to redeem the desert and make
the wilderness to blossom.
Some blowing and planting had
been done by the pioneers upon their
arrival. but the seeds then put In,
such as potatoes, corn, wheat oats
peas and beans, though well irrigat'
ed did not mature owing to the late
ness of the season. The nearest ap'
proach to harvest that year were
a few small potatoes, which served
as seed for another planting. 1t was
therefore their first real harvest in
this region that the settlers of these
solitudes were looking forward to at
the time of the episode mentioned.
Much depended upon that harvest |
NOT only for the people already here,
but for $500 additional immigrants,
who were about to join them from
the far away frontier. The supplies
brought by those who came the first
season had been designed to last only
about ~ months. They were gradual.
ly getting low and these settlers be
il borne in mind were well nigh iso.
lated from the rest OF humanity. "A
thousand miles from anywhere" was
a phrase used by them to describe
their location. They had little COM
munication with the outside world and
that little was by means Of the OK
team and the pack mule. If their
harvest failed, what would become
of them?
'In the spring of 1S4S, 5000 acres
of land were under cultivation in
Salt Lake valley. Nine hundred
acres had been sown with winter
wheat. which was just beginning to
Sprout.
"Then came an event as unlocked
for as il was terrible-tho cricket :
plague! In May and June these de-
structiye pests rolled in black legions
down the mountain sides, and attack
ed the fields Of growing gram, The i,
tender crops fell an easy prey TO
their fierce yoracity. The ground ov-
err which they had passed looked as
II scorched by fire,
Thoroughly alarmed, the commun.
ty-men, women and children-mar-
shalIed theselves to fight the raven
ous foe. Some went through the
fields, killing the crickets, but crush.
ING much OF the tender grain. Some
tug bitches around the farms, turn
ed water into the trenches and
drove and drowned therein the black
heyourers. Others beat them back
with clubs and brooms or burned .
them in fires. Still the crickets pre-. |
vailed. Despite all that could be .
done by the settlers, their hope Of a
harvest was fas. vanishing-a har.
vest upon which life itself seemed to
depend. -
They were rescued, as they be.
lieved, by miracle greater mira
Gle than is said to have saved Rome /.
when the cackling of geese reused
the s!umbering city In time TO heat
back the invading Gauls In the midst
OF the work of ruin, when II seemed
as II nothing could stay the destruc.
ton, great hocks of gurs appeared.
hlling the air with their white wings
and plaintiye cries. They settled
down upon the half ruined fields. At
first 1t looked as If they came but to
help the crickets destroy. But their
real purpose was soon apparent. They
came to prey upon the destroyers. All
day long they gorged themselves. dis
gorged, and Toasted again, the white
guIls upon the black crickets, like
hosts OF heaven and hell contendIng
until the pests were vaniohad 81