How the Rocky Mountain Locust Plague Spawned Federal Disaster Relief

Dylan Thuras and Amanda McGowan discuss the Great Rocky Mountain Locust Plague of the 1870s, which devastated the Midwest. Amanda shares a photo of a church carving depicting the Virgin Mary placating enormous grasshoppers, which represents the plague. The plague was a massive swarm of locusts that destroyed crops, ate through leather and clothing, and left people with nothing but their mortgages. The locusts were so thick they blotted out the sun, and their hum was deafening. The plague was caused by a specific species of locust that "hulked out" when there were too many of them, leading to a swarm. In 1873 and 1874, the conditions were perfect for the locusts to thrive, and the swarm was estimated to be the size of the state of Colorado doubled. People tried various remedies to get rid of the locusts, including digging ditches and setting fires, but nothing worked. The plague destroyed 75% of the US farm output that year, leaving people without food and wondering what to eat. Some people resorted to eating the locusts themselves, while others abandoned their farms and moved back east. The government passed bounty laws, and some states provided relief, but it was a national emergency that left many people struggling to survive.