July 2022 • Nebraskaland 37
10,000 Nebraskans were in danger of
starvation. At last, state legislatures
and the U.S. Congress began
appropriating funds for food, clothing
and seeds for the following spring.
Rocky Mountain locusts returned
in other years, but the expansion of
farming so disrupted their habitat
that the species became extinct by the
early 1900s.
Wagner argues that grasshopper
relief eff orts helped establish federal
and state government roles in disaster
relief and in aiding agricultural
producers. Those expectations
developed over the years, but 1874
arguably marks an early turning point.
You could say that grasshoppers helped
shape the world we live in today.
N
Read Alexandra Wagner's complete
article by searching for "grasshopper" at
history.nebraska.gov
Grasshoppers could destroy a cornfi eld in a matter of hours. History Nebraska
RG2570-94-09
A horse-powered grasshopper catcher, recommended in the 1877 Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture.
History Nebraska RA3358
