In 1847, when the first pioneers arrived in the valley of Great Salt Lake, they planted crops so they would have food. As the grain began to ripen, thousands of crickets came to the fields and started eating the crops. The people tried to fight them off with brooms, shovels, water, and even fire, but there were too many crickets. The pioneers fasted and prayed and then continued to try to get rid of the crickets. Their prayers were answered when seagulls appeared in the sky.
John R. Young described what happened. "There must have been thousands of (seagulls). Their coming was like a great cloud; and when they passed between us and the sun, a shadow covered the field... At first we thought that they, also, were after the wheat and this thought added to our terror; but we soon discovered that they devoured only the crickets." (Memoirs of John R. Young, as quoted in William E. Berrett, The Restored Church [1961], 285; see also 283-84)." (Gospel Art Picture Kit)
The seagulls would eat the crickets until they were full, fly to the nearest stream, take a few sips of water, spit out what they had eaten, and then they went back to eat more. After about 3 weeks the crickets were all gone and the crops were safe.
This story is special to our family because John R. Young is one of our ancestors. His father is Lorenzo Dow Young, who is the brother to the Prophet Brigham Young. John R. Young is the father of John Royal Young, who is the father of Dee Christopher Young, who is the father of Lillian Ruth Young, who is the mother of Peggy Dee Larsen.
