Grasshopper Cross, Jefferson, SD
N 42° 36.227 W 096° 33.616
14T E 700136 N 4719702
The tall cross in the churchyard of St. Peter’s Catholic Church has a significant story to tell.
Waymark Code: WMAQ72
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 02/11/2011
Views: 7
The tall cross in the churchyard of St. Peter’s Catholic Church has a significant story to tell. During the grasshopper plague of 1876, Father Pierre Boucher, the first resident priest of the parish, led an eleven mile prayer walk to ask God to intervene in their time of hardship. A cross was erected to commemorate the disappearance of the grasshoppers. Although this wooden cross is a replica of the original, its impact still reminds the congregation of the power of prayer.
The cross has a plaque on the vertical beam that says: “Replica of the Original Grasshopper Cross, May 1856, Donor Alex Chicoine, Jr. 1967.
Visit Instructions:
Please take a photo of the cross on your visit.