Mormons, Crickets, and Gulls: A New Look At An Old Story BY WILLIAM HARTLEY
WnITHIN PICTURESQUE T E M P L E SQUARE in Salt Lake City stands the graceful bronze and stone Sea Gull Monument, commemorating a highly dramatic experience in Mormon pioneer history. Soon after Mormons reached the shores of Great Salt Lake, so the traditional story goes, their desperately needed first crops were invaded by vociferous black crickets. When the battle to save fields and gardens seemed doomed, the pioneers Mr. Hartley is a graduate teaching assistant in the History Department at Washington State University, Pullman.
Top of the Seagull Monument, standing in Temple Square. Photograph was furnished by the LDS Church Information Service.
