1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Shout out to our super 4 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 1: producer Max Williams. I'm Ben Boland. I want to give 5 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:42,160 Speaker 1: a special thank you at the top of today's show 6 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: to my one and only co host, Mr Noel Brown. Noel, 7 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:48,879 Speaker 1: I've got you in my front in the front of 8 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: my mind here because just from the title, I think 9 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:53,519 Speaker 1: a lot of long time listeners are going to know 10 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: why this this is a hard one for you. Are 11 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: we doing last named Now that's a new addition. I 12 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: don't think I knew you had a last name. You've 13 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: just been to me, right right. I use it use 14 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:09,720 Speaker 1: a lot of personas, but figured we could we could 15 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 1: go a little more formal, you know, like now that 16 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:16,479 Speaker 1: we're spinning out more ridiculous shows, you know what I mean, 17 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 1: what if there's another Knoll or Ben on one of 18 00:01:18,880 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 1: those shows? Yeah, I mean, then if it's like if 19 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:22,720 Speaker 1: there's another Noel Brown or Ben Bull and then we 20 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: gotta start rocking middle names. And I don't think you 21 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:26,759 Speaker 1: want to reveal your middle name. I don't even want 22 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,000 Speaker 1: to talk about mine, so God forbid that ever happened. 23 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: But it's true, Ben I am I do you know. Look, 24 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: let me be real, I'm not as scared of birds 25 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:38,080 Speaker 1: as I make it out to be. And like if 26 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:40,480 Speaker 1: I wouldn't want one to like come at me, you know, 27 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:42,400 Speaker 1: that would freak me out. But I'm not like gonna 28 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,200 Speaker 1: run if I see a bird, you know, like in 29 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: a park or something like that. But I do have 30 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: this theory that my fear of birds stems from an 31 00:01:50,440 --> 00:01:53,559 Speaker 1: unfortunate encounter with seagulls when I was a young child. 32 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: My Grandpapa would take me to the beach and you know, 33 00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: feed the gulls as you do. And I just have 34 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: this like kind a traumatic memory of being swarmed upon 35 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: by goals, possibly California goals. Who's to say, yeah, yeah, 36 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,360 Speaker 1: And you know, those moments in childhood often can be 37 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:13,280 Speaker 1: some of the most impactful memories we've ever had. I 38 00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:16,239 Speaker 1: found out the hard way that some birds in their 39 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 1: bills have something very much like teeth when I was 40 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,920 Speaker 1: a child actor in Nashville's opry Land Amusement Park and 41 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:27,079 Speaker 1: got attacked by some of the birds there, which all 42 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 1: the adults thought was hilarious. I still have a scar 43 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: on my finger from it. I love that you mentioned 44 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: the California Goal because the California Goal is the subject 45 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: of today's episode, The Miracle of the Goals. If you 46 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:45,160 Speaker 1: are a fan of state level trivia, then you may 47 00:02:45,200 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: have run across this kind of weird fact before. Like 48 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,359 Speaker 1: other states, Utah has an official state bird. That official 49 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 1: state bird, however, is the one and only California Goal. 50 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: So first question, why on earth would a state adopt 51 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:05,160 Speaker 1: a bird with another state's name on it. It's a 52 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:07,120 Speaker 1: great question, man. But also I just want to acknowledge 53 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: this is our Utah episode. We never have to talk 54 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:14,239 Speaker 1: about Utah again. This is this is our Utah episode. Um. 55 00:03:14,280 --> 00:03:17,200 Speaker 1: It's true though, but there's a real There's a reason 56 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: why the California Goal is the state bird of Utah, 57 00:03:22,280 --> 00:03:25,280 Speaker 1: and that is because of Mormon settlers. We know that 58 00:03:25,360 --> 00:03:28,160 Speaker 1: Utah has a big, you know, history and tradition in 59 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:32,440 Speaker 1: the Mormon faith, and Mormons are who settled Utah, and 60 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 1: they had a rough go of it. In eight there 61 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:39,680 Speaker 1: was a frost in the month of April that was 62 00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: going to wipe out all of their crops and leave them, 63 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: you know, potentially to starve and freeze. And if that 64 00:03:47,120 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: wasn't enough, they essentially had like a biblical plague like 65 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:56,720 Speaker 1: swarm of crickets that descended upon their fields, also threatening 66 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: to wipe out their crops, and you know, leave that 67 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: to starve and freeze. But here's the thing. The crickets, 68 00:04:03,440 --> 00:04:06,680 Speaker 1: which are actually part of the katie did family, they 69 00:04:06,760 --> 00:04:10,320 Speaker 1: can't fly. They just hop, you know, they hop from 70 00:04:10,360 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: from plant to plant to devour everything in sight. When 71 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: you have a swarm of these things, it is quite 72 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,479 Speaker 1: a formidable thing to behold. And they just didn't know 73 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:21,039 Speaker 1: what to do. They didn't have like pesticides at the time. 74 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,960 Speaker 1: They just could like crush them. But here's the thing. 75 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 1: These and insects are cannibalistic, so when you crush them, 76 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:32,799 Speaker 1: it's like, oh, more yummy things to eat, and they 77 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,680 Speaker 1: start eating the carcasses of their fallen comrades, which just 78 00:04:36,800 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 1: brings on more of these swarming insects. And contemporary reports 79 00:04:42,880 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: journals at the time recalled settlers resorting to eating wild 80 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 1: game and eating wolves to survive. But then we could 81 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:57,840 Speaker 1: get like a hopeful music cue of some sort max perfect. Then, 82 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:03,600 Speaker 1: according to the tail, thousands of goals came to the rescue. 83 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: They came to the rescue the way like the eagles 84 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: come in Lord of the Rings, the Battle of Five Armies. 85 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:13,159 Speaker 1: They descended upon the fields they began eating all these crickets. 86 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: According to the legend, the goals even had to stop 87 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: to huke up the crickets and then go back and 88 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 1: eat some more. And they eventually ate so many that 89 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:27,479 Speaker 1: this ni unstoppable force backed off, and the late arrival 90 00:05:27,520 --> 00:05:30,479 Speaker 1: of these birds not only saved the crops, but in 91 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: doing so ensured the survival of thousands of settlers. This 92 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: this was called the Miracle of the Goals, and in 93 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:45,640 Speaker 1: nineteen a monument de picking two big metal bronze seagulls 94 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:49,039 Speaker 1: perched the top of granite column was erected in Salt 95 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:53,279 Speaker 1: Lake Cities Temple Square. I've actually seen this the last time. 96 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: I was in uh Salt Lake City, which is a 97 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: beautiful place with a lot of a lot of striking 98 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:04,599 Speaker 1: arc texture. Right, so this big bird statue didn't stand 99 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: out as much as it might in another city. But 100 00:06:07,440 --> 00:06:11,080 Speaker 1: that's that's the reason that the California goal has been 101 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 1: adopted as Utah's state bird. But today's episode is about 102 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:23,039 Speaker 1: the questions regarding the accuracy of this, the legend of 103 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:27,039 Speaker 1: the Miracle of goals, or the so called cricket War. 104 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:30,479 Speaker 1: How true is the story. It's a good question, Ben, 105 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: and to answer that, we should travel back to eight 106 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:38,800 Speaker 1: after the Mormons had successfully made it through a brutal winter, 107 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: their first winter in the Salt Lake Valley where they 108 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,920 Speaker 1: had settled. And you know, this is a very tough 109 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,719 Speaker 1: group of of settlers. They knew how to work the land, 110 00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:51,440 Speaker 1: and they knew how to deal with the elements, but 111 00:06:51,480 --> 00:06:55,360 Speaker 1: this one was particularly nasty. And the previous autumn they 112 00:06:55,360 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: had laid the seeds for a grain crop that they 113 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 1: were hoping to enjoy in the following spring. It looked 114 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: like it was all going to go their way. All 115 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,720 Speaker 1: of their best laid plans were going to come to fruition, 116 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:09,560 Speaker 1: and they were gonna have a ton of grain on 117 00:07:09,600 --> 00:07:14,000 Speaker 1: their hands. But they essentially began to endure like the 118 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:19,080 Speaker 1: tortures of the damned, you know, some job like biblical problems. 119 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:22,800 Speaker 1: They came two fold. Right, First, this deadly frost that 120 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:26,120 Speaker 1: we talked about, and then that's, you know, depending on 121 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:31,880 Speaker 1: the source insatiable horde of these insects, these crickets, and 122 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: we do have quite a few accounts of this, one 123 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 1: from Mrs Lorenzo dow Young, who wrote, of this period, 124 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: we have grappled with the frost. But today, to our 125 00:07:42,720 --> 00:07:48,000 Speaker 1: utter astonishment, the crickets came by millions, sweeping everything before them. 126 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 1: They first attacked a patch of beans for us, and 127 00:07:51,160 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: in twenty minutes there was not a vestige of them 128 00:07:54,080 --> 00:07:57,800 Speaker 1: to be seen. They next sweep over piece, then came 129 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,560 Speaker 1: into our garden, took everything and clean. We went out 130 00:08:01,600 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 1: with brush and undertook to drive them, but they were 131 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:07,680 Speaker 1: too strong for us. And I want to come in here. 132 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: I want to step back for a moment to make 133 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:14,360 Speaker 1: really important point with some of these sources that we're 134 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: using for today's show. We have members of the Church 135 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: of Latter Day Saints in the audience today, and if 136 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:27,040 Speaker 1: I understand correctly, the current preferred term is not Mormon. 137 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 1: It is l d S where Latter Day Saints. So 138 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: we do realize that on the show, and we of 139 00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: course respect the choice of terms that are preferred for 140 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,880 Speaker 1: the accuracy of these accounts from these experts. We are 141 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,319 Speaker 1: using their words when we when we use the phrase Mormon, 142 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:48,760 Speaker 1: and mean no offense by that. So back to some 143 00:08:48,840 --> 00:08:52,679 Speaker 1: of these quotes I'll read too much shorter ones another 144 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:55,880 Speaker 1: person in the time from these contemporary journals, Eliza R. 145 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:59,680 Speaker 1: Snow says, the morning's frost, in unison with the ravages 146 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,640 Speaker 1: of the crickets for a few days past, produces many 147 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 1: size and occasionally some long faces. And that's because Snow 148 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:11,160 Speaker 1: at the time, like many people, doesn't realize how dire 149 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:15,240 Speaker 1: this situation will become. And then a guy named Isaac 150 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:19,960 Speaker 1: Hate is a little more cognizant. I think of the 151 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,640 Speaker 1: trouble on the horizon, both in terms of literal crickets 152 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:26,960 Speaker 1: and in terms of the future of the colony. And 153 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:30,800 Speaker 1: he says crops began to suffer for want of rain. 154 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,240 Speaker 1: It's quite cold and very dry. Crickets destroyed some crops 155 00:09:34,280 --> 00:09:36,800 Speaker 1: and are eating the heads off the grain as soon 156 00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: as it heads out, meaning when it breaks through the soil. 157 00:09:40,080 --> 00:09:50,480 Speaker 1: And says the prospects for grain are discouraging. That's right, 158 00:09:50,559 --> 00:09:54,720 Speaker 1: and that Susan Young Gates wrote in a biography of 159 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:57,760 Speaker 1: her father, Brigham Young, who was the second President of 160 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 1: the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints, came 161 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: out in ninety wrote of the kind of tribulations they 162 00:10:06,160 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 1: experienced in this way. Just as the crops were giving 163 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:13,480 Speaker 1: promise of a much needed harvest, swarms of crickets hovered 164 00:10:13,559 --> 00:10:17,480 Speaker 1: over the plowed lands like a devastating army, darkening the 165 00:10:17,480 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: earth for miles around, eating off every blade of grass 166 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: and every growing thing. Again really terrifying and and and 167 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: a lot of this language does have that kind of 168 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:31,080 Speaker 1: you know, biblical kind of weight to itu, which which 169 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 1: makes a lot of sense. It's kind of funny too 170 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: when you think of crickets like as uh, you know 171 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:38,120 Speaker 1: the sound you hear when like a joke doesn't land. 172 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:42,679 Speaker 1: This is a much different sound. This would have been 173 00:10:42,760 --> 00:10:46,679 Speaker 1: like an absolute just cacophony of buzzing and you know, 174 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:52,520 Speaker 1: just crunching and really really scary stuff hittering. Sustress. I do, 175 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:54,640 Speaker 1: I do have to tell you that one of my 176 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:58,680 Speaker 1: first questions in the research for this was the following, 177 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:01,600 Speaker 1: as a guy who is eating crickets in the past, 178 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:04,280 Speaker 1: you know, I'm not alone here. They are a food 179 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:08,359 Speaker 1: source like the rich in protein other people, the original 180 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:13,199 Speaker 1: residents of this part of the world, I had probably 181 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:16,560 Speaker 1: eaten them in the past, right, Like, wait, nol Max, 182 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:18,840 Speaker 1: have you guys? I just want I'm very curious. Have 183 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 1: you guys ever eaten crickets. No, I have not, but 184 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: I would try it. I would definitely do it. I 185 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:26,360 Speaker 1: just have never been in the opportunity where someone's like, 186 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 1: heyat this cricket, but yeah, I'll give it a try. 187 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,560 Speaker 1: There's a really good takaria here in Atlanta called Alta Sorrow, 188 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:36,640 Speaker 1: and they include crickets as an add on to any 189 00:11:36,679 --> 00:11:39,560 Speaker 1: of their of their dishes, their tacos. I have not 190 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:41,720 Speaker 1: had them, but I know that they're very popular in 191 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:44,839 Speaker 1: Mexico and um other parts of the world, and very 192 00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: very common as sources of protein, like you said, and 193 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:49,480 Speaker 1: you can put a nice seasoning blend on them and 194 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 1: they are probably really crunchy and delicious. I'm all about it. 195 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,319 Speaker 1: I just like, like Max said, I haven't really been 196 00:11:54,360 --> 00:11:55,959 Speaker 1: in that situation, and that's not true. I mean, I've 197 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:57,680 Speaker 1: been to the taco place and I thought about it, 198 00:11:57,679 --> 00:11:59,719 Speaker 1: but I think I decided not to. You know what, 199 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,840 Speaker 1: after the story, next time, I will because you gotta wonder. Bend. 200 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:06,760 Speaker 1: You're right, the Native American population that lived in this 201 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,280 Speaker 1: part of the world prior to the LDS community kind 202 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,560 Speaker 1: of coming and settling would have eaten these, It absolutely 203 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: would have been a very reasonable staple food for them. 204 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:20,400 Speaker 1: Kind of right, yeah, absolutely, And now you know, I 205 00:12:20,480 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: know where the three of us are gonna go hang 206 00:12:23,320 --> 00:12:26,000 Speaker 1: when we will we get for our when we get 207 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:29,600 Speaker 1: together for our first in person kick at session. You're 208 00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 1: you're absolutely right. No, A lot of indigenous residents, a 209 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: lot of Native American foragers were not just eating crickets, 210 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 1: but they were eating insects of one kind or another. 211 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:45,080 Speaker 1: According to Utah archaeologist David Mattson, there is an array 212 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: of ethnographic and ethno historical data on how they were 213 00:12:49,120 --> 00:12:52,199 Speaker 1: eating these insects, how they would capture them, how they 214 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: would prepare them, and then how they would ultimately consume them. 215 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,720 Speaker 1: And what's interesting to me about this is, you know, 216 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:01,360 Speaker 1: ridiculous just Wrians. As you may or may not know, 217 00:13:01,800 --> 00:13:05,080 Speaker 1: we're all based here in the South and the southern 218 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:08,559 Speaker 1: parts of the US. There is one culinary rule, which 219 00:13:08,640 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 1: is you can fry anything. So I bet like the 220 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 1: early LDS settlers would have been able to fry stuff. 221 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 1: It just it didn't seem like food to them culturally, right, 222 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:24,160 Speaker 1: And instead they went for the wolves, which would have 223 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: probably been quite greasy and gaming. It's almost like they 224 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:30,240 Speaker 1: missed the boat on this, right, Ben. Yeah, yeah, Because 225 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:34,400 Speaker 1: the thing is, now, what they were getting was if 226 00:13:34,440 --> 00:13:38,120 Speaker 1: it were not for these, uh, this cultural unfamiliarity, that 227 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:42,400 Speaker 1: they were getting a kind of extra side dish, even 228 00:13:42,400 --> 00:13:45,160 Speaker 1: an entree. You know, Now you could have crikets with 229 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 1: your grain and it would have been super super easy 230 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:54,240 Speaker 1: to harvest these. Mattson has this great line where he 231 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:57,840 Speaker 1: looks for a comparison and he says, I estimate that 232 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 1: if a whale fell out of the sky, you can 233 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:03,640 Speaker 1: get more calories just eating crickets than you could cutting 234 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:07,560 Speaker 1: up the whale, Which I think is that if that 235 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:10,600 Speaker 1: feels like hyperbole, but at the very least it gives 236 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:13,800 Speaker 1: you a sense of just how many crickets were talking about, right. 237 00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:16,960 Speaker 1: I guess the argument is that like the crops the 238 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: crickets were devouring, possibly would have generated less sustenance than 239 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: the crickets themselves if they had only kind of looked 240 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:25,840 Speaker 1: at it through a different lens and realized like, oh, 241 00:14:25,880 --> 00:14:28,600 Speaker 1: this is actually good, good be food. M hmm. I 242 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:30,760 Speaker 1: think that's a I think that's a good point, right, 243 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:35,160 Speaker 1: Because they're they're protein rich rather than carbohydrate rich, but 244 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,840 Speaker 1: there's another thing here. We know that LDS members at 245 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:44,040 Speaker 1: the time, We're not clueless. They knew that the native 246 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: populations would forage for insects. And you can even see 247 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: notes again in those journals where there are people who 248 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:55,600 Speaker 1: are saying, look, you know, the native communities here have 249 00:14:55,880 --> 00:15:00,680 Speaker 1: used insects as a food source, and according to reports, 250 00:15:01,120 --> 00:15:04,400 Speaker 1: some of the more desperate or I guess we could 251 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: say open minded settlers would even eat a couple of 252 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 1: bugs now and then. But they also said this was 253 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 1: a last resort, and they felt like the crickets themselves 254 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: were vindictive little demons. Well, I mean, especially when you 255 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:23,160 Speaker 1: read all the language you know around this and all 256 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:25,320 Speaker 1: the accounts like they did look at this as like 257 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:28,600 Speaker 1: almost a biblical plague, and I imagine that they would 258 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:31,840 Speaker 1: they would associate uh, those crickets with some sort of 259 00:15:31,880 --> 00:15:34,440 Speaker 1: malevel of force or at the very least like the 260 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:36,680 Speaker 1: hand of God, and maybe probably not a good idea 261 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:39,360 Speaker 1: to eat them, you know, like possessed with some kind 262 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:42,520 Speaker 1: of you know, bad spirits or something like that. Um. 263 00:15:42,560 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: But in May of eighteen forty eight, after this you know, 264 00:15:47,440 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: epidemic of crickets, the Pioneers were severely malnourished. They were 265 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 1: not looking so good. They were very hungry, and they 266 00:15:55,840 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 1: were desperate to the point where they would have eaten anything. 267 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:00,880 Speaker 1: So again, it's just a shame. It feels like a 268 00:16:00,920 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: missed opportunity. But the doctor pretty meeks it was a 269 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: pioneer doctor. He described the winter of forty eight for 270 00:16:09,720 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 1: his family like this. He said, my family went several 271 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:15,920 Speaker 1: months without a satisfying meal of victuals. I went sometimes 272 00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,760 Speaker 1: a mile up Jordan to a patch of wild roses 273 00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 1: to get the berries to eat, which I would eat 274 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:25,040 Speaker 1: as rapid a hog stems. And all I shot hawks 275 00:16:25,120 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 1: and crows, and they eat well. I would go and 276 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 1: search the mire holes and find cattle dead, and would 277 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: fleece of what meat I could and eat it. And 278 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:37,080 Speaker 1: then he talks also about how they would eat wolf 279 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:41,520 Speaker 1: meat and uh and roots and thistles and various unpleasant 280 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:43,640 Speaker 1: you know, things that could just get out of the earth, 281 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: um but not particularly tasty. And then he goes, finally, 282 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 1: the crickets came so thick it made the earth black 283 00:16:50,400 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: in places, and it did look like they would take 284 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: what little we had growing, which looked nice and flourishing. 285 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:00,400 Speaker 1: Now everything looked gloomy, our provisions giving out, and the 286 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:02,800 Speaker 1: crickets eating up what little we had growing. And we 287 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 1: a thousand miles away from supplies right right, protein, protein everywhere, 288 00:17:09,240 --> 00:17:13,200 Speaker 1: but not a bite to eat, apparently, And things only 289 00:17:14,119 --> 00:17:17,840 Speaker 1: only worsened as we get to what will be known 290 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,920 Speaker 1: as the Great Cricket War. These farmers are watching, they 291 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:25,640 Speaker 1: feel helpless and impotent as crickets devour acres and acres 292 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:28,720 Speaker 1: of not just grain, but also vegetables. And of course 293 00:17:28,800 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 1: we can't tell this story without mentioning Brigham Young. At 294 00:17:32,320 --> 00:17:35,080 Speaker 1: the time, he was leading a large group of people 295 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:38,960 Speaker 1: across the plains, and he was getting reports that some 296 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:42,600 Speaker 1: folks were considering leaving the area that would become Utah 297 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:45,880 Speaker 1: and heading out west, lighting out for the territories, going 298 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:50,560 Speaker 1: to Oregon, or California or Oregon, as I believe some 299 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:56,640 Speaker 1: people pronounce it. Other people told Young to stop letting 300 00:17:56,720 --> 00:18:02,080 Speaker 1: folks migrate over there, because other people were already starving, 301 00:18:02,560 --> 00:18:06,119 Speaker 1: and families were like it sounds funny today, but we 302 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:09,199 Speaker 1: have to realize this was a serious life or death situation. 303 00:18:09,680 --> 00:18:14,000 Speaker 1: People were fighting back crickets with brushes with sticks, whipping 304 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:16,800 Speaker 1: at him with ropes and and no matter what they did, 305 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:21,400 Speaker 1: they could not stem this insectoid tied. There's a guy 306 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,960 Speaker 1: named William G. Hartley who's really interesting. He wrote about 307 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 1: the miracle of the goals in an article called Mormons, 308 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:31,359 Speaker 1: Crickets and Goals, a new look at an old story. 309 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 1: And he wrote this back in nineteen seventy for an 310 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:40,240 Speaker 1: historical publication called Utah Historical Quarterly. And he's the one 311 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 1: who gives us a great example of the various tactics 312 00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: people tried. The LDS members of the Saints tried. When 313 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:51,600 Speaker 1: the brooms and the clubs and the sticks didn't work, 314 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: they tried to drown the crickets, and then they tried 315 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: to drive them into fire. And then they went into 316 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 1: the fields with ten pay ends and bells to claim 317 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,520 Speaker 1: and hope that they could scare them with noise. I know, 318 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 1: that's almost like the kind of thing you think about 319 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:10,879 Speaker 1: with other, you know, religious cultures, for example, I think 320 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,399 Speaker 1: Chinese New Year right where they bang on you know, 321 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:16,359 Speaker 1: to pots and pans and set off fireworks to like 322 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:19,359 Speaker 1: scare away evil spirits. This this seems to be obviously 323 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:21,440 Speaker 1: it's functional as well. But I don't know that crickets 324 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,000 Speaker 1: really spook easily. You know, I feel like they're kind 325 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:29,160 Speaker 1: of I have a one track mine. I'm gonna tell you, man, Yeah, 326 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:32,000 Speaker 1: I had I had pet crickets growing up. You know, 327 00:19:32,160 --> 00:19:36,200 Speaker 1: I was I, I uh was an outdoors kid, so 328 00:19:36,760 --> 00:19:38,480 Speaker 1: you know, i'd have like a frog in a box 329 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:43,200 Speaker 1: real like, here's my new turtle, pal and gear got 330 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:46,879 Speaker 1: years and years ago. Now, I got some crickets and 331 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:49,640 Speaker 1: I caught them in the wild because I wanted to 332 00:19:49,960 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 1: feed them to a lizard that I also caught. But 333 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:54,919 Speaker 1: I didn't know anything about the lizard, and I just 334 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 1: thought it made sense. But then I learned about lucky crickets, 335 00:19:58,080 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 1: and I was like, okay, I'm gonna keep a few 336 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,720 Speaker 1: of the ease. And then one of our family friends 337 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:07,080 Speaker 1: growing up as an adult like, shook his head and said, 338 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:10,000 Speaker 1: you should just you should just let the crickets go 339 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:11,720 Speaker 1: or try to feed him to the lizard. And I 340 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,160 Speaker 1: said why and he said, because crickets are dumb. And 341 00:20:15,280 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 1: I didn't realize this, knol, until I had this cricket 342 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: and a little homemade to terrarium, and I had like 343 00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: a little I can't stress how small an amount of 344 00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 1: water this is, and the cricket managed to drown in it. 345 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,919 Speaker 1: It's it like popped in and just laid there and drowned, 346 00:20:31,920 --> 00:20:35,000 Speaker 1: poor little guy. I'm just saying they're not They're not 347 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:38,879 Speaker 1: gonna get insectmentsa for sure. No, I got you. And 348 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:42,920 Speaker 1: crickets are you know, popular or I guess staple foods 349 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:47,000 Speaker 1: for feeding lots of pets, like uh, I believe turtles 350 00:20:47,119 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: eat crickets, like you know, you buy crickets usually for 351 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 1: the purposes of food for your for your animals. Yeah, 352 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 1: you're absolutely right. And maybe I'm unfairly maligning the intelligence 353 00:20:58,200 --> 00:21:01,959 Speaker 1: of crickets because I believe they actually breathe through the 354 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:07,000 Speaker 1: sides of their bodies. Uh. Yeah, they've got what are 355 00:21:07,040 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: they called spiritles on the side. So maybe maybe I 356 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,320 Speaker 1: was just a sadistic child, you know what I mean, 357 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: maybe I could have saved I'm haunted, No, I'm haunted, budness. 358 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 1: At least you weren't like pulling the wings off of 359 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:24,440 Speaker 1: flies or anything, right, and and at least it wasn't 360 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:28,640 Speaker 1: a horde of crickets. So we know that all these 361 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:33,600 Speaker 1: all these attempts did not work, and that's when the 362 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:39,240 Speaker 1: goals appeared to save the day. So as the pioneers 363 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:44,959 Speaker 1: are increasingly concerned about their future, you know, the future 364 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:49,240 Speaker 1: of their families, the future of their community, everything, they 365 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:53,800 Speaker 1: turned to religion and they have a three day fast 366 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:57,360 Speaker 1: and prayer. And again, you know, I love that you're 367 00:21:57,359 --> 00:22:00,879 Speaker 1: pointing out sort of the spiritual and religion just mindset 368 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:05,680 Speaker 1: in which this occurs, because these are seeing as divine 369 00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:10,120 Speaker 1: actions and so they you know, so it makes sense 370 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:13,680 Speaker 1: that they would turn to attempts for divine intercession, right, 371 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 1: and they, you know, the secular things aren't working. You 372 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:19,199 Speaker 1: can't hit them with a broom, and you can't drown them, 373 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: and you can't burn them. So according to Susie Young Gates, 374 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 1: they try this three day fast prayer ritual and in 375 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:39,639 Speaker 1: their minds it absolutely works. And we're gonna get into, 376 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:43,240 Speaker 1: you know, how much did it work and how much 377 00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:46,120 Speaker 1: did these goals actually save the day, because you may 378 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: have noticed we are talking about and reading accounts of 379 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:53,280 Speaker 1: people saying that the crickets like devoured everything. So you 380 00:22:53,359 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 1: have these goals swooping in and eating the crickets and 381 00:22:56,640 --> 00:23:00,119 Speaker 1: getting rid of them. But by that point, sure a 382 00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,160 Speaker 1: lot of damage already done, wasn't there. Batter, that's a 383 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:07,600 Speaker 1: very good point. Yes, no, you are correct, because the 384 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:12,360 Speaker 1: it's not as if the goals automatically came chasing the crickets. Right. 385 00:23:12,680 --> 00:23:16,800 Speaker 1: These people went through some trials and tribulations, and when 386 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:20,159 Speaker 1: they are at their lowest point, when they are seriously 387 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,919 Speaker 1: considering the end of their community as they know it. Well, 388 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,119 Speaker 1: let's turn to Susie Young Gates for this. After the prayer, 389 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:31,400 Speaker 1: after the three day fest, she writes, and behold a 390 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:34,920 Speaker 1: miracle rising from the borders of the lake appeared myriad 391 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:38,480 Speaker 1: snow white gulls. From whence they came? And what was 392 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 1: their purpose? The pioneers could not determine. Settling upon fields 393 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: black with the millions of crickets, the gulls seize them 394 00:23:45,960 --> 00:23:49,600 Speaker 1: and swallowed them, as if unable to fully gorge themselves 395 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 1: when their crops will full, the birds would hop over 396 00:23:52,359 --> 00:23:56,400 Speaker 1: a ditch bank or convenient hillock and disgorge themselves, then 397 00:23:56,480 --> 00:24:00,640 Speaker 1: return again defeat upon the countless crickets. The people student 398 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,200 Speaker 1: all at this direct answer to their prayer. I mean 399 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:06,679 Speaker 1: that sounds like a miracle. It does, it does, It 400 00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:08,480 Speaker 1: makes for a good story. I love the use of 401 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:11,200 Speaker 1: the word disgorged. That's just a fancy word for puke. 402 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,560 Speaker 1: Like we said at the top, like hillock. What's a hill? Hillock? Uh? 403 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:19,199 Speaker 1: Small hill? Rivulette? So yeah, exactly, maybe yeah, maybe like 404 00:24:19,240 --> 00:24:21,439 Speaker 1: a hill. Let you know, like a like a small 405 00:24:22,080 --> 00:24:25,840 Speaker 1: diminutive hill, but that you have more you know, accounts 406 00:24:25,880 --> 00:24:28,640 Speaker 1: like this, like orzen f. Whitney said something similarly. When 407 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:32,040 Speaker 1: it seemed that nothing could stay the devastation, great flocks 408 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:35,360 Speaker 1: of gulls appeared, filling the air with their white wings 409 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:39,560 Speaker 1: and plaintive cries, and settled down upon the half ruined fields. 410 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,399 Speaker 1: All day long they gorged themselves and YadA, YadA, YadA. 411 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:44,960 Speaker 1: You get it. But doesn't all this kind of sound hyperbolic, 412 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:47,520 Speaker 1: do you, Ben? Doesn't all this sound like as an agenda, 413 00:24:48,000 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 1: like it's trying to really push this angle of like 414 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 1: it was a miracle from God and we made it happen. Yeah. 415 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,560 Speaker 1: And you know that's the thing, because I would almost 416 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:03,239 Speaker 1: categorize the counts in two different sort of buckets. So 417 00:25:03,320 --> 00:25:07,160 Speaker 1: the people who are writing on the ground as this 418 00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:09,600 Speaker 1: is happening to me, it makes sense that they would 419 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:12,399 Speaker 1: absolutely see this as an act of the divine or 420 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,960 Speaker 1: a miracle. But the people writing in the years and 421 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:20,040 Speaker 1: decades afterwards, I think they might be playing a little 422 00:25:20,080 --> 00:25:23,760 Speaker 1: telephone and they may be embellishing, you know. Um. We 423 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: know specifically that it was around early June, maybe June 424 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: ninth or so, when these goals first appeared, and they 425 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 1: stayed for three weeks. They showed up every day for 426 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:39,800 Speaker 1: three weeks, and one pioneer, John Smith, said that there 427 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 1: must have been thousands and thousands of them, and people 428 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:48,320 Speaker 1: were amazed to find these lumps of dead, vomited crickets. 429 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,960 Speaker 1: That's one of the things that people focus on and 430 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,600 Speaker 1: one of the things that made it, I believe, seemed 431 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: miraculous to them. The goals were just because they were 432 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:01,239 Speaker 1: eating and regurgitating crickets. It's almost like they were just 433 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 1: there to kill them rather than to eat their fill. 434 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:10,879 Speaker 1: So this I think adds to that legendary status. And man, 435 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,520 Speaker 1: it just became more and more of a legend ever 436 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:17,160 Speaker 1: since then, like less than five months later, people were 437 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:20,400 Speaker 1: writing about this and it was starting to make more 438 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 1: and more news. We have multitudes of accounts of this. 439 00:26:25,880 --> 00:26:32,239 Speaker 1: But despite these glowing accounts and these stories that make 440 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 1: this seem like an epic, which in a way it was, 441 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:37,439 Speaker 1: we do have to note this was not the only 442 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:43,280 Speaker 1: time crickets invaded the area, right, I think crickets regularly 443 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:48,360 Speaker 1: returned during harvest seasons. And not only that, Like, this 444 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:52,360 Speaker 1: wasn't like the first miraculous appearance of seagulls either, Right, 445 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,119 Speaker 1: they were very much, you know, something that would have 446 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:57,920 Speaker 1: been around most of the time, right, I mean even 447 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 1: even today, like in Salt Lake City, seagulls are known 448 00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:04,560 Speaker 1: for being kind of like the billy goats of the air, 449 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:07,160 Speaker 1: Like they will eat just about anything and are often 450 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:13,160 Speaker 1: seen kind of hovering around like garbage dumps for example. Right. Yeah, 451 00:27:13,240 --> 00:27:14,760 Speaker 1: that's a good way to put it. I like that, 452 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:18,440 Speaker 1: the billy goats of the city. Yeah, there's not much 453 00:27:18,480 --> 00:27:23,000 Speaker 1: that seagulls won't eat, sometimes to their detriment. But we 454 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:29,879 Speaker 1: know that after crickets came back during the harvest season 455 00:27:30,000 --> 00:27:34,359 Speaker 1: other years, and sometimes in different parts of Utah, even 456 00:27:34,400 --> 00:27:36,760 Speaker 1: more crickets showed up than the ones that showed up 457 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:43,280 Speaker 1: in and pretty much every single example of a cricket invasion, 458 00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:47,240 Speaker 1: the goals came back to feast on the crickets again. 459 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:50,639 Speaker 1: So what we may have been seeing was just a 460 00:27:50,760 --> 00:27:53,640 Speaker 1: natural phenomenon or a cycle, you know what I mean. 461 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:56,480 Speaker 1: If that makes sense, but it's still it's still those 462 00:27:56,520 --> 00:28:00,359 Speaker 1: other ones, even those other cricket infestations, even if they 463 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 1: were bigger, they still didn't get as much press as 464 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:08,040 Speaker 1: the eighteen forty eight miracle. Exactly right, exactly right. No, No, 465 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:11,960 Speaker 1: it's very true, and I think, you know, again, not 466 00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:14,160 Speaker 1: to be cynical, but it does all kind of point 467 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:17,600 Speaker 1: to this being a bit of a trumped up miracle 468 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,719 Speaker 1: that kind of became this legendary part of of the 469 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 1: lore of Salt Lake City or of Utah and of 470 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:28,520 Speaker 1: the LDS faith. Those things are important. I'm not saying 471 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:32,119 Speaker 1: it didn't happen um or it wasn't a consequential occurrence 472 00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 1: that maybe helped them out, but it does sure seem 473 00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:36,760 Speaker 1: like they were a little bit on the late side 474 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 1: in terms of like swooping in the save of the day. 475 00:28:38,680 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 1: So let's explore that just a little bit. It is 476 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,280 Speaker 1: a very like I said a hundred seventy years later, 477 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:49,280 Speaker 1: historians like Stephen Harper, for example, or William Hartley, Casey Griffith's, 478 00:28:49,320 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 1: you know, specifically Brigham Young University, who are all scholars 479 00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 1: of the Church or Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints 480 00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:01,560 Speaker 1: at Brigham Young University have tried to, you know, clarify 481 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 1: some of the aspects of the story that even they 482 00:29:04,920 --> 00:29:09,360 Speaker 1: feel have been overstated or over dramatized. Let's say, the 483 00:29:09,480 --> 00:29:13,040 Speaker 1: various popular accounts that we've read that I'll kind of 484 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:16,640 Speaker 1: have a bit of an air of hyperbole to them. 485 00:29:16,800 --> 00:29:20,920 Speaker 1: They are looking to kind of improve upon those accounts, 486 00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:24,560 Speaker 1: or the very least back them up with more historical 487 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:27,680 Speaker 1: facts rather than these legendary qualities they seem to have. 488 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:30,680 Speaker 1: Hardly writes this about it. He says, the fact remains, 489 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:35,080 Speaker 1: nonetheless that the Mormon pioneers would have suffered more than 490 00:29:35,120 --> 00:29:38,800 Speaker 1: they did had not the goals come to their aid. Okay, physically, 491 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:43,160 Speaker 1: the goals helped avert a complete agricultural disaster. So they 492 00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:46,480 Speaker 1: definitely had decimated a lot of the crops, but they 493 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:52,200 Speaker 1: weren't completely too late to help, you know, salvage some 494 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:55,720 Speaker 1: of it. Right, Yeah, Yeah, And let me give some 495 00:29:55,840 --> 00:30:00,680 Speaker 1: context for what Harper, Hartley and Griffith's are were working through. 496 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 1: This was considered a legitimate miracle because of the events 497 00:30:05,880 --> 00:30:09,360 Speaker 1: of eighteen forty eight. The community revered the bird, and 498 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: they even started creating laws to punish people for killing 499 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:16,680 Speaker 1: a goal that would be a fine of five dollars, 500 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 1: but you could also have been found in violation of 501 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,479 Speaker 1: the law by quote, harassing the bird. I don't know 502 00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:25,800 Speaker 1: what extent that. I don't know how they defied harassment, 503 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,120 Speaker 1: but I love the idea of somebody new to town 504 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:31,080 Speaker 1: walking down like a main dragon Saal Lake City seeing 505 00:30:31,080 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 1: a bird and going hey, you you know, knucklehead, and 506 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:37,479 Speaker 1: then they get busted. They get thrown in the you know, 507 00:30:37,560 --> 00:30:40,200 Speaker 1: the bird harassment tank and they have to pay five dollars, 508 00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:42,960 Speaker 1: which was a lot of money in eighteen eight. We 509 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,560 Speaker 1: know that it was called a miracle as soon as 510 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:50,920 Speaker 1: September of eighteen fifty three, and people got into this legend. So, 511 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:55,440 Speaker 1: like you said, centuries later, Uh, these historians are working 512 00:30:55,640 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: against a really popular idea, you know what I mean. 513 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:02,760 Speaker 1: I'm sure there are people who are aware of the 514 00:31:02,800 --> 00:31:06,240 Speaker 1: other occurrences and they're saying, well, this is kind of 515 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:09,200 Speaker 1: a legend, but we want to hold onto it because 516 00:31:09,200 --> 00:31:11,760 Speaker 1: we really like this story. And now you have to 517 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: be part of being an historian sometimes is you have 518 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:20,640 Speaker 1: to be the party pooper who comes in and like says, actually, uh, 519 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:25,200 Speaker 1: this is this is weird, because hardly found something really 520 00:31:25,480 --> 00:31:31,200 Speaker 1: interesting when he looked at the original descriptions of those 521 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:34,680 Speaker 1: cricket invasions, and he says it must not be overlooked 522 00:31:34,720 --> 00:31:37,960 Speaker 1: that this official summary of Valley experiences from the first 523 00:31:38,040 --> 00:31:42,920 Speaker 1: arrival of the Pioneers until nine nowhere mentions the goals, 524 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:48,480 Speaker 1: despite prominent notice paid to the cricket plague. So this 525 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:53,280 Speaker 1: leads hardly to argue that the actual physical benefit brought 526 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:59,000 Speaker 1: by those goals could not probably wasn't as extensive as 527 00:31:59,080 --> 00:32:01,880 Speaker 1: the story would of us believe. And that's that's pretty interesting. 528 00:32:01,920 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: I think it goes to your point about the timing 529 00:32:04,520 --> 00:32:06,600 Speaker 1: of when the goals showed up and how much help 530 00:32:06,640 --> 00:32:10,120 Speaker 1: they actually provided. Yeah, that's true, um, But but again 531 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:15,040 Speaker 1: it wasn't an absolutely zero some game. They possibly appeared 532 00:32:15,040 --> 00:32:18,760 Speaker 1: on a smaller scale than um is believed or is 533 00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:21,480 Speaker 1: is recounted by. Again, like some of these accounts just 534 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:25,000 Speaker 1: very clearly have kind of an agenda. But it did happen, 535 00:32:25,200 --> 00:32:27,760 Speaker 1: and it was something that did make a difference. And 536 00:32:27,840 --> 00:32:30,960 Speaker 1: there's a really good quote from Griffith's in the Desert 537 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,400 Speaker 1: News where he says, I'm not ready to tear down 538 00:32:33,440 --> 00:32:36,480 Speaker 1: the seagull monument on Temple Square because the goals are 539 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: only a symbol of the greater miracle that the pioneers 540 00:32:39,640 --> 00:32:42,160 Speaker 1: were able to survive in the valley at all, given 541 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:45,080 Speaker 1: the conditions they lived in. The modern lesson might be 542 00:32:45,280 --> 00:32:48,200 Speaker 1: constantly scanning the horizon for a flock of goals when 543 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:51,760 Speaker 1: help might be before us in a smaller, more simple way. 544 00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:53,440 Speaker 1: That's a really good point. It's a good way of 545 00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:56,200 Speaker 1: looking at it. So the goals, in making them the 546 00:32:56,240 --> 00:32:59,280 Speaker 1: state bird and in erecting this monument, they really are 547 00:32:59,320 --> 00:33:01,280 Speaker 1: more of a sim bowl kind of, right of like 548 00:33:01,320 --> 00:33:05,040 Speaker 1: the perseverance of of these settlers and these pioneers, and 549 00:33:05,040 --> 00:33:08,000 Speaker 1: about their resilience in the face of like all this adversity, 550 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:11,640 Speaker 1: which absolutely happened. But maybe the gulls were not like 551 00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:15,160 Speaker 1: the magic bullet from on high that everyone seems to 552 00:33:15,280 --> 00:33:16,960 Speaker 1: think they were. At least, you know, some of the 553 00:33:16,960 --> 00:33:20,280 Speaker 1: accounts would indicate, Yeah, yeah, you know, we're not. We're 554 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:25,120 Speaker 1: not here to disparage a good story, right, So we're 555 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 1: glad to report that the real truth is not too 556 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:33,000 Speaker 1: far off from fiction. If you live in Utah today, 557 00:33:33,320 --> 00:33:36,880 Speaker 1: you'll see the core elements of this story. Seagulls are 558 00:33:37,120 --> 00:33:39,840 Speaker 1: everywhere in the Salt Lake valley and they eat bugs. 559 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:43,760 Speaker 1: But to your point, Noel, they will eat almost anything 560 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:47,840 Speaker 1: up to and including garbage. You called them billy goates 561 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:50,000 Speaker 1: of the sky. I think it's fair to call them 562 00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:55,920 Speaker 1: airborne taraars. If anybody remembers that guy, the guy that 563 00:33:56,240 --> 00:33:58,440 Speaker 1: maybe ate a baby, we talked about him last episode two, 564 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:03,560 Speaker 1: I think unproven that it's again also the stuff of legend. Right, Um, 565 00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:05,479 Speaker 1: so I don't know that there you have it like, uh, 566 00:34:05,560 --> 00:34:08,520 Speaker 1: I think, um, it's it's interesting the way you're right 567 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:13,000 Speaker 1: that historical game of telephone happens, especially when there's sort 568 00:34:13,040 --> 00:34:17,040 Speaker 1: of like a a need to create sort of like 569 00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:21,480 Speaker 1: a rallying point, you know, story with which all future 570 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:24,080 Speaker 1: you know, members of this faith can kind of rally around. 571 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:26,320 Speaker 1: It's something that you know, we see and like the 572 00:34:26,400 --> 00:34:29,200 Speaker 1: Christian Bible, where it's like is this story like more 573 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:32,360 Speaker 1: of a an allegory or is it meant to be literal? 574 00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:34,760 Speaker 1: And you know, obviously there are folks who take everything 575 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:36,799 Speaker 1: in the Bible as being completely literal, and then there 576 00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:39,120 Speaker 1: are those who feel that they are more kind of 577 00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:41,960 Speaker 1: metaphors or stories that you can kind of learn lessons from. 578 00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 1: But that probably didn't happen exactly the way they're they're told, 579 00:34:45,960 --> 00:34:50,920 Speaker 1: but they're effective nonetheless, right, yeah, absolutely, And crickets are 580 00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:54,200 Speaker 1: still there, and they can still be a problem. They 581 00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:57,120 Speaker 1: can still be a threat. As recently as two thousand 582 00:34:57,160 --> 00:35:00,480 Speaker 1: and three, crickets did more than twenty five million dollars 583 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:04,480 Speaker 1: of damage agriculturally speaking. But you may be happy to 584 00:35:04,560 --> 00:35:07,640 Speaker 1: know that some farmers have come up with a new 585 00:35:07,680 --> 00:35:11,520 Speaker 1: method of fighting them that doesn't involve seagulls. According to 586 00:35:11,520 --> 00:35:15,160 Speaker 1: our good friends at Mental Floss, some farmers found that 587 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:20,319 Speaker 1: lasting rock music around their fields apparently kept the crickets 588 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:24,239 Speaker 1: at bay. And you might be wondering, what what rock 589 00:35:24,320 --> 00:35:26,680 Speaker 1: music are they talking about? Right? Are they going indie? 590 00:35:26,880 --> 00:35:29,480 Speaker 1: Are they going clam rock? Are they going heavy metal? Well, 591 00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:33,280 Speaker 1: according to the Wall Street Journal, crickets are not fans 592 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:36,719 Speaker 1: of Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones. So that's that's 593 00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:40,480 Speaker 1: your key, that's your new insect repellent. Folks must be 594 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:44,600 Speaker 1: a frequency range thing, I guess there. Maybe they are. Yeah, 595 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:46,239 Speaker 1: I wonder if you could like get rid of a 596 00:35:46,239 --> 00:35:49,160 Speaker 1: plague of crickets with like a certain note, like a 597 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:51,799 Speaker 1: certain frequency that would just cause them all to flee 598 00:35:51,840 --> 00:35:53,839 Speaker 1: and terror, or maybe you just have to play like 599 00:35:54,040 --> 00:35:56,520 Speaker 1: sticky fingers for them or something. You know, that's a 600 00:35:56,560 --> 00:35:59,760 Speaker 1: good question, and you know this inspires me to propose 601 00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:02,279 Speaker 1: that we maybe we in the future we can make 602 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:06,120 Speaker 1: an episode on music as a weapon. Actually, that could 603 00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:07,640 Speaker 1: be on stuff they don't want you to know, as 604 00:36:07,680 --> 00:36:11,480 Speaker 1: well our the other show that we do together. Agreed, No, agreed. 605 00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:13,839 Speaker 1: I love the idea of sonic weapons. I don't love. 606 00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:17,080 Speaker 1: It's terrifying, and we've actually seen them deployed in a 607 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:20,200 Speaker 1: certain kind of crowd dispersal situations during a lot of 608 00:36:20,239 --> 00:36:22,320 Speaker 1: these protests. I think there was sort of like an 609 00:36:22,360 --> 00:36:26,319 Speaker 1: example of a use of experimental sonic weapons. And where 610 00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:28,719 Speaker 1: was it been? Somewhere in South America? Right, Yeah, there 611 00:36:28,719 --> 00:36:32,280 Speaker 1: have been sonic weapons used to disperse crowds of humans 612 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:37,440 Speaker 1: and protests. There have been sonic weapons apparently used to 613 00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:44,240 Speaker 1: interfere with embussies in Cuba as well as allegedly China. 614 00:36:44,800 --> 00:36:47,279 Speaker 1: This story has has a lot of legs. Man, it's 615 00:36:47,320 --> 00:36:53,600 Speaker 1: got a lot of cricket legs. Oh gosh, let me 616 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:55,680 Speaker 1: get some chirps on that. When Max got me with 617 00:36:55,719 --> 00:36:58,320 Speaker 1: the chirps, are is this's the thumbs up from Max? 618 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:01,319 Speaker 1: That's how Nolan I know that we've done We've done 619 00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:05,920 Speaker 1: an okay job here, but we want to Oh wow, okay, 620 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:08,880 Speaker 1: we got a hand wave from Max. Max, what's a 621 00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:12,000 Speaker 1: hand wave me? Scale one to ten. I'll leave that 622 00:37:12,080 --> 00:37:15,000 Speaker 1: up to your own interpretation, right there, Fair, I'm gonna 623 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:18,759 Speaker 1: be haunted Max. He's such an enigma. But yeah, Hughes 624 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:23,239 Speaker 1: thanks to Max as always, superproducer Max Williams, Alex Williams, 625 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:26,680 Speaker 1: brother of Max, who composed this theme. Christopher Haciotes here 626 00:37:26,680 --> 00:37:30,719 Speaker 1: in spirit, Jonathan Strickling, the Quister miss that guy zoom 627 00:37:30,760 --> 00:37:33,560 Speaker 1: bombs us again soon. Yeah, he's our one man plague 628 00:37:33,560 --> 00:37:37,359 Speaker 1: of crickets, which I wonder if he knows how many 629 00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:40,239 Speaker 1: weird nicknames we give him at the end of the show. 630 00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:42,360 Speaker 1: I hope he enjoys them. The one and only Quister. 631 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:44,480 Speaker 1: Folks give it up for him. Also give it up 632 00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:48,319 Speaker 1: for our excellent research associate Gabe Louisier, our friend of 633 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:52,680 Speaker 1: the show, Eve's Jeff Coat and uh no, I gotta say, yeah, 634 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:55,160 Speaker 1: this this is a This is a pretty fun When 635 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:59,040 Speaker 1: I would categorize this as um gosh, would it be 636 00:37:59,080 --> 00:38:03,120 Speaker 1: a step too far to see it's modern us mythology? 637 00:38:03,800 --> 00:38:06,759 Speaker 1: I think so. That that was the thing that fascinated 638 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:08,400 Speaker 1: me about it too, and that's you know, I mean, 639 00:38:08,440 --> 00:38:10,480 Speaker 1: I mean, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day 640 00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:15,160 Speaker 1: Saints is relatively speaking, a you know, newer religion, so 641 00:38:15,239 --> 00:38:17,960 Speaker 1: it's it's interesting to look at the kind of mythology 642 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:19,919 Speaker 1: behind that. And there's a lot more to it as well, 643 00:38:20,320 --> 00:38:23,920 Speaker 1: um that maybe we should discuss on another episode. Agreed, Agreed. 644 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:26,920 Speaker 1: Main takeaway from this one is you don't have to 645 00:38:26,920 --> 00:38:30,960 Speaker 1: trust seagulls, but respect their work. We'll see you next Potbox. 646 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:39,880 Speaker 1: For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit the I 647 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:42,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 648 00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:43,840 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.