| Plagues of Rocky Mountain locusts caused massive amounts of economic and psychological damage to pioneers living in Nebraska during the 1870s. The men and women affected fought back through local and community efforts that included using smoke, machines, natural predators, and organized days of prayer. State and federal governments attempted to aid those afflicted, passing legislation and organizing the United States Entomological Commission in order to determine the best methods of exterminating the locust. Charles V. Riley was the most influential of the men on this commission, and his numerous experiments led to practical advice that helped settlers deal with the problem. The commission eventually determined that destroying locust eggs was the most effective way to save the Great Plains from the locusts. Their unintended, but perhaps most enduring, legacy was their promotion of diversified agriculture. Pioneers themselves should be given the most credit for saving their livelihoods from the locust menace, as they performed the labor, employed methods of destroying eggs, and experimented with different crops even before the results of the commission were published. In the end, Nebraskans were victorious in the battle against the Rocky Mountain locust, as their actions resulted in its extinction, forever altering agricultural conditions and policies in the state. |
