Pestiferous Ironclads: The Grasshopper Problem in Pioneer Utah

Davis Bitton and Linda P. Wilcox Utah Historical Quarterly, 46 #4 One of the most dramatic and famous moments in Mormon history occurred in 1848 when the first crop in Utah was threatened by a plague of crickets. Fearing the loss of food needed for survival, the settlers fought the ravenous insects by every possible means. Then, when it appeared …