Seagull Monument
The Seagull Monument (" Seagull Monument ") is located in the area of Temple Square, the center of downtown Salt Lake City , the capital of the US state of Utah .
According to the Mormons , the first settlers in the Salt Lake Valley grew grain and other crops for the first time in the spring of 1848 after a harsh winter. After a late frost and the following months of drought, the fields were also hit by crickets , which probably came from the foothills of the mountains east of the valley. The Mormons used sticks, fire, and water to fight the insects and prayed for help. After two weeks, numerous seagulls (presumably California gulls ( Larus californicus )) flew from the nearby Great Salt Lake to the fields and ate the crickets. They did this for about two weeks, which saved a large part of the crop.
The Seagull Monument was erected in memory of this event. The California gull is now the state bird of Utah.
