Grasshopper Plague

The pioneers in the Norseland Area were attacked by grasshoppers during the years of 1874-1877. The worst year was 1875. During that year, Nicollet County reported 5,000 acres of damage. During this plague, the state of Minnesota allowed counties to offer a bounty on all grasshoppers caught and destroyed. The price paid by the Nicollet County Auditor was from three to ten cents a bushel. Read a full account of the plague in our coming book. Find out which Nicollet County farmer caught 633 bushels of them. Learn about the cottage industry that developed as local entrepreneurs built "hopperdozers" to trap the locusts. Remember, "History Matters!" end