Grasshopper Plagues News Today

12/11/2013: When John Miller became North Dakota’s first Governor in the fall of 1889, he had little idea how demanding his new position would be. In addition to setting up a new state government, Miller was about to face a severe economic crises. Miller, a wealthy bonanza farmer with over 17,000 acres of land, had little experience with poverty.

The grasshopper plague devastated the state for four years, gobbling up a half-million acres of wheat, corn, oats and barley.