These stories can also be heard on Sunday mornings around 10 am on WILD 102’s “Look Back in Time” program. Each week’s radio story will be posted here on our website.
Weekly radio stories are researched, compiled, and read by Sheila Winstead, RCHS Board Member.
September 22, 2024
One hundred years ago, farmers were being encouraged to get rid of some pests that were having a
detrimental effect on crops. In the Roseau Times-Region from May 2, 1924, I found this article.
“Roseau County Crows Threatened with War. Predatory Habits of this Bird Angers Farmers. Asks for
Bounty as War Bonus.
Ravages of the crow, causing big loss to his corn crop and to his turkey flock has caused A. R. Miller to
declare that there should be absolute restriction of the crow immigration into this county and that
violation should be punished by death. To this end he would have the county pay a ten-cent bounty on
every crow killed.
“My spring planting of corn was practically ruined last year,” he said, “and what was left to be harvested
in the fall was partly destroyed by the crow.” He said further that the crows would watch for the hen
laying an egg and would swoop down upon it and eat the egg before the hen could get off the nest.
“Damages to farmers done by crows is enormous,” he said, “and the only way we can protect ourselves is
by killing them.” This should be encouraged by the county offering a bounty of ten cents per crow. That
will just about pay for the cost of the shells.
Other counties have declared war on the pest in that manner, and as a consequence Roseau county has
become sort of a game reserve for them.
What is true in Mr. Miller’s case is also true in the case of the other farmers. Other counties not only pay
that bounty on crows, but gophers are also counted as undesirables and have been put in the same class
as crows. The cost of the bounty on these animals and birds would be small compared with the saving it
would mean to the poultry and grain crops in the county.”
A week later, a story from the Ada Index was reprinted in the Times-Region:
“Roy Thorson, a farmer near Wadena, cites an instance to show how much damage crows will do. He
heard the bleating of a new-born lamb at the rear of one of the sheds on his farm and hurrying to the
spot found a crow vigorously pecking away at the defenseless creature. Another few minutes and the
eyes of the lamb would have been gone and the hoops would have soon followed. Marcus Boyer, of the
same township, lost a number of lambs that way last year.”
Then in the May 16, 1924, issue, the Roseau County Board had made a decision:
“At a special meeting of the county board held last Friday, a resolution was passed placing a bounty on
gophers and crows. The resolution followed a discussion on the matter, in which it was shown that these
pests are doing considerable damage to farm crops.
Attention was called to the fact that most counties have been waging war on these pests. As a result, the
crows have discovered that Roseau county has become a safe place to come to as a summer resort. They
had become so numerous of late years as to become a real menace to crops.
The bounties offered are in accordance with Sections 5202-5203 Minnesota Statutes of 1913 as amended
by Chapter 290 Laws of 1917. On common gophers and ground squirrels the bounty under this resolution
is 3 cents each, for each pocket gopher 5 cents, and for each crow killed between May 15 and June 15
and between August 15 and September 15, ten cents.
The procedure necessary to collect such bounties is fully explained in the following statement submitted
by County Attorney M. J. Hegland:
At the May 9 th , 1924, meeting of the county board a bounty of three cents for common gophers, five
cents for pocket gophers and ten cents for crows was offered. As to the crows, under the law a bounty
can be offered only for those killed between May 15 th and June 15 th , and between August 15 th and
September 15 th . In order to secure the bounty, the claimant must present all four feet of the common
gopher, the front feet of the pocket gopher, and the whole body of the crow, to the chairman of the
town in which they were killed, who must be satisfied that they were killed within the county and by the
person producing them. At the end of each month such chairman sends a certificate to the county
auditor, giving the name of the claimant for bounty and the number of animals or birds that he has killed
during the month. The county auditor will then send to such chairman his county warrant for the total
amount due in such town, and upon receipt of same the chairman will distribute the amount to the
persons entitled thereto.
It is absolutely necessary that all these provisions be complied with. Especially should the claimant
remember to produce all the feet of the common gopher, the two front feet of the pocket gopher and
the whole body of the crow. Unless, for example, the whole bird is produced before the chairman, he is
not permitted to certify to the bounty. It should also be especially noted that the bounty for crows is only
for two months during the year.”
By June 6, those pennies were adding up as this headline shows:
“Gophers and Crows Digging into Treasury. The bounty on gophers and crows offered by the county
started something that is bringing results. Since May 15 th up to the first of this month there were 3,341
gophers killed and 1,182 crows put away, according to the reports received at the county auditor’s office.
But that is only a part, as only twenty-four out of the forty-six county units have reported up to this time.
The crow bounty for the reporting sections amounts to $118.20 and for the gophers, $100.23.”
By July 25, 1924, the total paid out had gone up, and this was the next report:
“Bounty for crows and gophers paid out by the county for the season between May 15 and June 15
amounted to $1,226.59. There were 11,603 common gophers taken, 86 pocket gophers and 8,742 crows.
A 3-cent bounty was paid for the common gopher, 5 cents for the pocket gopher, while the reward per
crow was 10 cents.”
There were lots of ways to help make ends meet 100 years ago.
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for letting us share our county’s history with your listeners by donating air time, studio time, and production staff every week.