Following his 1820 expedition to map the American West, Major Stephen H. Long named it the “Great American Desert.” Other early explorers, like Zebulon Pike, confirmed Long’s assessment that the Great Plains were unfit for cultivation. But the East was settled — some said overly settled — and Americans needed room to grow. The brave and the dreamers packed their bags and headed west, with visions of turning the Great American Desert into the Great American Breadbasket.
Those early settlers faced obstacles they had not anticipated. Winters were harsh. Tornadoes swept across the land. There was too much rain — and then not enough. Hailstorms could wipe out a crop. Temperatures fluctuated unexpectedly, with intense heat followed by unseasonable cold.
And then there were the pests. Rootworms damaged corn roots. Cutworms attacked crops in their early stages of growth. Grasshoppers became famous for consuming huge amounts of foliage and wiping out entire fields. Farmers might get one pest under control, but another was sure to pop up.
On this date in 1930, three counties were being ravaged by wireworms. According to Professor J.A. Munro of the North Dakota Agricultural College, entire fields in Morton, Cavalier, and Towner counties had been destroyed by the worms. He said that while only three counties had reported damage, “It is well to be on the lookout in other counties in the western and northwestern section of the state.”
Wireworms were a notable pest in the early days of settlement. An article in an 1883 Pembina newspaper admitted, “We do not know of any practical method of ridding land of cutworms and wireworms.” Wireworms are the immature stage of the click beetle. They can damage a variety of root crops, including onions, potatoes, and carrots, but they are not particular. They can decimate a field of sunflowers or strawberries just as easily.
According to a study by the North Dakota State University Agriculture Department, “Wireworms are a resurging pest problem in North Dakota, particularly west of the Missouri River.” The early settlers battled wireworms, and farmers today still must remain alert for possible infestations.
Dakota Datebook written by Dr. Carole Butcher
Sources:
- Bismarck Tribune. “Wireworm Ravages in Three Counties.” Bismarck ND. 6/16/2026. Page 2.
- Pembina Express. “Farm and Field.” 7/27/1883. Page 6.
- Farmers Almanac. “Wireworms: How to Identify and Control Them.” https://www.almanac.com/pest/wireworms-how-identify-and-control-them Accessed 5/28/2026.
- Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. “Great American Desert.” https://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/doc/egp.ii.032.htmlAccessed 5/28/2026.
- North Dakota State University. “Wireworm Control Options.” https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/wireworm-control-optionsAccessed 5/28/2026.
