{"title":"风暴和蝗群:19世纪70年代落基山蝗灾期间美国陆军信号队气象观测员的作用","authors":"R. Raines","doi":"10.1353/gpq.2023.a897849","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Abstract:Locust outbreaks have occurred around the world throughout history. But they did not pose a serious problem in the United States until the explosion of westward settlement in the aftermath of the Civil War. An insect known as the Rocky Mountain locust, which became migratory when under environmental stress, was the culprit. Earlier outbreaks had created problems for farmers in the Great Plains, but the massive infestation in the mid-1870s caused extensive damage and threatened to halt the nation's expansion to the Pacific. An unlikely ally in the fight against the locusts came in the form of the network of weather observers belonging to the US Army Signal Corps. In conjunction with its mission for providing military communications, the Signal Corps became responsible for establishing and operating the US weather bureau from 1870 to 1891. Its national network of weather stations was well suited for providing reports on the locust outbreaks. Working with the commission of professional scientists formed to study the problem and find solutions, the Signal Corps' observers contributed vital information to support that effort. The partnership between the commission and the army represented an early attempt by the federal government to use applied science to tackle a national problem. Ultimately, the farmers themselves brought about the demise of the Rocky Mountain locust. By cultivating the locust's breeding grounds in the river valleys and using the land for grazing, the farmers drove the Rocky Mountain locust to extinction.","PeriodicalId":12757,"journal":{"name":"Great Plains Quarterly","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.1000,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Storms and Swarms: The Role of the US Army Signal Corps' Weather Observers during the Rocky Mountain Locust Plague of the 1870s\",\"authors\":\"R. Raines\",\"doi\":\"10.1353/gpq.2023.a897849\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"Abstract:Locust outbreaks have occurred around the world throughout history. But they did not pose a serious problem in the United States until the explosion of westward settlement in the aftermath of the Civil War. An insect known as the Rocky Mountain locust, which became migratory when under environmental stress, was the culprit. Earlier outbreaks had created problems for farmers in the Great Plains, but the massive infestation in the mid-1870s caused extensive damage and threatened to halt the nation's expansion to the Pacific. An unlikely ally in the fight against the locusts came in the form of the network of weather observers belonging to the US Army Signal Corps. In conjunction with its mission for providing military communications, the Signal Corps became responsible for establishing and operating the US weather bureau from 1870 to 1891. Its national network of weather stations was well suited for providing reports on the locust outbreaks. Working with the commission of professional scientists formed to study the problem and find solutions, the Signal Corps' observers contributed vital information to support that effort. The partnership between the commission and the army represented an early attempt by the federal government to use applied science to tackle a national problem. Ultimately, the farmers themselves brought about the demise of the Rocky Mountain locust. By cultivating the locust's breeding grounds in the river valleys and using the land for grazing, the farmers drove the Rocky Mountain locust to extinction.\",\"PeriodicalId\":12757,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Great Plains Quarterly\",\"volume\":null,\"pages\":null},\"PeriodicalIF\":0.1000,\"publicationDate\":\"2023-01-01\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Great Plains Quarterly\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"1085\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://doi.org/10.1353/gpq.2023.a897849\",\"RegionNum\":4,\"RegionCategory\":\"历史学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"N/A\",\"JCRName\":\"HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Great Plains Quarterly","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1353/gpq.2023.a897849","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"历史学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"N/A","JCRName":"HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Storms and Swarms: The Role of the US Army Signal Corps' Weather Observers during the Rocky Mountain Locust Plague of the 1870s
Abstract:Locust outbreaks have occurred around the world throughout history. But they did not pose a serious problem in the United States until the explosion of westward settlement in the aftermath of the Civil War. An insect known as the Rocky Mountain locust, which became migratory when under environmental stress, was the culprit. Earlier outbreaks had created problems for farmers in the Great Plains, but the massive infestation in the mid-1870s caused extensive damage and threatened to halt the nation's expansion to the Pacific. An unlikely ally in the fight against the locusts came in the form of the network of weather observers belonging to the US Army Signal Corps. In conjunction with its mission for providing military communications, the Signal Corps became responsible for establishing and operating the US weather bureau from 1870 to 1891. Its national network of weather stations was well suited for providing reports on the locust outbreaks. Working with the commission of professional scientists formed to study the problem and find solutions, the Signal Corps' observers contributed vital information to support that effort. The partnership between the commission and the army represented an early attempt by the federal government to use applied science to tackle a national problem. Ultimately, the farmers themselves brought about the demise of the Rocky Mountain locust. By cultivating the locust's breeding grounds in the river valleys and using the land for grazing, the farmers drove the Rocky Mountain locust to extinction.
期刊介绍:
In 1981, noted historian Frederick C. Luebke edited the first issue of Great Plains Quarterly. In his editorial introduction, he wrote The Center for Great Plains Studies has several purposes in publishing the Great Plains Quarterly. Its general purpose is to use this means to promote appreciation of the history and culture of the people of the Great Plains and to explore their contemporary social, economic, and political problems. The Center seeks further to stimulate research in the Great Plains region by providing a publishing outlet for scholars interested in the past, present, and future of the region."