The Miracle of the Gulls - Faith Promoting or Fiction

[Snow]

The cricket war of 1848 or the “Miracle of the Gulls” is an LDS faith-promoting story held dear by many Mormons as a prime example of how God intervenes in the lives of people when they exercise faith.

In the spring and early summer of 1848 in the Salt Lake Valley, the saints’ first crops were coming in well. Then tragedy struck - hordes of crickets (wingless Anabrus simplex, about 1.25 inches long) swept into the valley and began to devastate the crops. The pioneers battled the crickets with water, sticks, brushes and ropes and mallets and still the crickets feasted upon the precious crops. In the midsts of the saints’ desperation, California gulls, which had heretofore not been in the valley, flew in, feasted upon the crickets, disgorged themselves of the undigested critters and feasted some more, until finally, the crops were saved, the saints were delivered and the hand of God hand answered the saints in their time of need.

But is that the whole / real story?

For those who are interested in history a closer examination is in order. A few questions might be asked. Were the gulls really newly on the scene or had they already been in the area? Did the gulls actually prevent the crop destruction? Was the gull behavior out of the ordinary? What else was going on with the crops? Was the harvest ultimately successful? Were the gulls seen as miraculous by those on the scene?

Here’s a summary of what happened.

-The crops had already sustained damage by killing frosts and drought.

-Crickets were not new to the valley

-The gulls were not new to the valley. They are natural enemies of crickets

-Gulls gorging and disgorging on crickets or grasshoppers was not a special circumstance limited to the saints plight. There are other historical accounts.

-Gulls normally regurgitate the undigestible parts of insects they swallow.

-The gulls didn’t arrive until after major damage from frost, draught and the crickets had already occurred.

-The gulls were but one part of the effort at protecting the crops.

-The “miraculousness” of what had happened was not clearly recognized by contemporaries. Diaries, official Church reports and letters, newspaper accounts, etc barely mention it, or not at all. There are some, at least one, contemporary, small accounts that say that the hand of the Lord guided the gulls, but most accounts do not address what later came to be thought of as miraculous.

Certainly the gulls helped the situation and certainly the “miracle” story is a genuine expression of faith, but whether or not God supernaturally performed a miracle is another thing, and probably of secondary importance to the role that faith-promoting stories play in the lives of the saints.

For a fuller treatment, see William G. Hartley Mormons, Crickets and Gulls: A New Look at an Old Story. (William Hartley is a professor of history and research historian for the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute of History at BYU. The paper was first published in the Utah Historical Quarterly 38 - Summer 1970 and was reprinted in New Mormon History.

[pam]

I grew up with the story that the arrival of the gulls was a miracle. Since moving to the SLC area, I have questioned whether it was an actual miracle or simply the case of timing.

I've had people argue with me about why the seagulls were so far away from the ocean. Well, what is the Great Salt Lake basically? Like an ocean but inland. It's full of salt..why couldn't there be gulls?

I found this article awhile back:

Seagulls, Miracle of - The Encyclopedia of Mormonism

This was the settlers first year and harvest there. They were unaware of the habits of seagulls in the area. As Snow mentioned they had already been hit by frosts which did much damage to their crops. The arrival of the gulls was not some miracle..it was coincidence that in their natural migratory pattern it coincided with the problem of the crickets.

I can understand them thinking it was a miracle..but technically more of a coincidence.

[Misshalfway]

My faith is being rocked here people! First Noah and the flood and now this!!!

Why wouldn't God have called on the nearby Gulls? Wouldn't they have been the most logical choice?

[BenRaines]

I saw what are Mormon Crickets for the first time this year here in Idaho. These things are huge. About the size of my thumb. Guys use them for catfish bait here in Idaho.

Ben Raines

[beefche]

Snow, you are wrong. I did a report on this miracle when I was in 6th grade. I'm sure my parents still have my report somewhere (with my awesome drawing of a seagull). You can use that as a reference to know the truth of this.

[Snow]

Now, now - I'm not saying that there wasn't divine intervention... just that when facts are examined, these faith-promoting legends may look a lot different.

The great thing about Mormonism is that we see the advent of a real-life new religious tradition right before our very eyes. We don't have to rely on 2000 year old, non-eyewitness, non-contemporary accounts (as in the New Testament) we are here, now, or we have lots of valid, contemporary accounts to examine and see what really happened.

It's easy to understand how, after 2000 years of oral story-telling, a local but massive flood could conflate into a world-wide flood ala, the Book of Genesis or the original? / older - Epic of Gilgamesh.

[pam]

Kind of like the fish getting bigger with each telling?

[pam]

The thing is..I still like to think of some of these stories as being miracles or faith promoting. Whether I believe them to be factually true matters not..but the stories do hold some meaning to me.

[beefche]

The great thing about Mormonism is that we see the advent of a real-life new religious tradition right before our very eyes. We don't have to rely on 2000 year old, non-eyewitness, non-contemporary accounts (as in the New Testament) we are here, now, or we have lots of valid, contemporary accounts to examine and see what really happened.

No we don't. It is rare indeed that an actual miracle is recorded. We have faith promoting stories that may be very real (we get them all the time in general conference). But the supernatural accounts are rarely recorded. I believe it is because they are sacred and people tend to tell close family members or friends who know how to keep a confidence.

I am aware of a real supernatural miracle, but I don't share it because it's not mine to share. As one of my BYU professors taught, "God does not reveal Himself to blabbermouths."

[beefche]

The thing is..I still like to think of some of these stories as being miracles or faith promoting. Whether I believe them to be factually true matters not..but the stories do hold some meaning to me.

Not to contradict you or your experiences, but that's how urban legends are created--and unfortunately, false doctrine is perpetuated. Anyone remember the Boyd K Packer story of the youth of today will be worshipped? Yeah, sounds wonderful and I'm sure many people found a lot of comfort in it, but completely and utterly false and false doctrine.

It's one thing to tell a story that is faith promoting, it's another to tell a story as if it were completely and utterly true.

[beefche]

Let me clarify....

I'm not opposed to faith promoting stories. I love them and am often touched by them. What I am against are perpetuating lies that deceive and teach false things.

I think the difference for me are what is the story teaching? Is it teaching that prayers are answered? Or is it teaching that you can commit sin and avoid consequences? The seagull story is the former, the stories of how a missionary breaking mission rules and is rescued by the 3 Nephites is the latter.

[skalenfehl]

I've shared some great miraculous experiences in my life, a couple of which saved my life or me from severe bodily harm. One time a friend of mine, an atheist, upon hearing one of my experiences, remarked at what an amazing coincidence it was. I'll never forget that day and even now refer to the many miracles in my life as "amazing coincidences".

[pam]

Not to contradict you or your experiences, but that's how urban legends are created--and unfortunately, false doctrine is perpetuated. Anyone remember the Boyd K Packer story of the youth of today will be worshipped? Yeah, sounds wonderful and I'm sure many people found a lot of comfort in it, but completely and utterly false and false doctrine.

It's one thing to tell a story that is faith promoting, it's another to tell a story as if it were completely and utterly true.

I'm not talking about the stories such as those that get passed around the web etc. I'm talking about stories such as the seagulls, such as Noah and the Ark, those kinds of stories. The Noah story is in the Bible. If I were to start breaking down each and every story to prove the fallacies in them..I would have little to believe in when it comes to scripture. I do understand about translations over hundreds and hundreds of years.

If those that came and settled the Salt Lake Valley want to believe the seagulls were a miraculous intervention..then who am I to say...sorry couldn't have been done.

I do agree though about some of the faith promoting stories that we read can be totally made up and untrue and those I have a dislike for.

[Moksha]

A lot of prayer was needed to save the
Saints from these Mormon Crickets...

[pam]

Is that photoshopped or is that real?

[KrazyKay]

Where's the laugh button

[Prodigal_Son]

Whatever happened to the belief that "all good things come of God"?

[bytebear]

I am curious. Has there ever been another similar incident in the 150 history of Utah? I have never heard of another cricket infestation, or a massive seagull retaliation? If this wasn't a miracle, why doesn't it happen ever few decades?

[Wingnut]

Anyone remember the Boyd K Packer story of the youth of today will be worshipped? Yeah, sounds wonderful and I'm sure many people found a lot of comfort in it, but completely and utterly false and false doctrine.

You mean this? :)

[Guest missingsomething]

I've had people argue with me about why the seagulls were so far away from the ocean. Well, what is the Great Salt Lake basically? Like an ocean but inland. It's full of salt..why couldn't there be gulls?

Pam,

I grew up in Western PA - far from any ocean. A large flock of seagulls (close to 200) landed one night in our town - in a large parking lot - that was water logged from heavy rains. The closest ocean of water is 7+ hrs away.

So, yeah- doesnt matter where they are in relation to the ocean... and mine is no myth -saw it with my own eyes.

[Snow]

I am curious. Has there ever been another similar incident in the 150 history of Utah? I have never heard of another cricket infestation, or a massive seagull retaliation? If this wasn't a miracle, why doesn't it happen ever few decades?

Salt Lake Valley, 1850.

Salt Lake Valley, 1855 (grasshoppers)

Rush Valley (Utah) 1904

Mandan ND, 1921

Montana 1924

Colorado, 1933 (an estimated 1 million gulls on scene to eat the crickets)

Oregon 1938

Tooele, Utah 1937-38

Oregon 1947

Utah 1952

[Snow]

Click Here:

[pam]

I can't remember exactly where I was driving..but the road I was on was just covered with these and moving just as depicted in the video.

[Moksha]

I have never heard of another cricket infestation, or a massive seagull retaliation? If this wasn't a miracle, why doesn't it happen ever few decades?

Good point. The California Gulls have found more tasty treats in Liberty Park and around various dumpsters. Even the seven year itch for these bugs seems to be desynchronized, yet they still plague crops.

[Maureen]

We even have gulls in Edmonton. They're attracted to the fast food restaurants. :)