June 3, 1875…Grasshopper Plague of 1875
Invading Missouri in 1873, swarms of grasshoppers and locusts had overrun, by the next year, thirty-five western counties, devastating fields, orchards, grass, and trees. So furious did the plague become that Governor Charles H. Hardin issued a proclamation setting aside June 3, 1875 as a day of prayer and fasting for aid.
After the first mention of insect ravages in records of 1820, the next attack was in the 1850s, followed a decade later by two years of destruction. The severe blight of 1873-1875 affected territory to Canada and the Rockies, but the storm center hit four tiers of counties in eastern Kansas and two tiers in western Missouri. This plague, the union of an invasion from the northwest and a new crop from the eggs laid the preceding fall, continued the destruction from the middle of May until the first part of July. Missouri Pacific and the Cameron branch of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroads stopped their trains during runs to allow crews to sand and clear the tracks.
To aid the ruined counties, the State Board of Equalization lowered assessments, and thousands of dollars and tons of food were collected from Missouri and other states. However, poultry thrived on the insects, and people prophesied unlimited profits. Agricultural authorities suggested machines to press grasshoppers, as their oil was reported useful. There was likewise discussion on their uses as a fertilizer and even as a food.
Pages 50-51 of the Henry C. Fike Diaries for May 1875. The May 27 and 30 entries discuss the grasshopper problem in Missouri. For primary source material see…