Imagine it’s 1822. James Monroe is serving as the fifth president, a 24th star is added to the flag to represent Missouri, a baby who will later be known as Harriet Tubman has just been born in Maryland — and a gigantic wave of squirrels rips through central Indiana like a tornado, destroying almost everything in its wake.
As nutty as it sounds, The Great Squirrel Stampede isn’t a fable. In September 1822, our home was hit with hordes of squirrels that ravaged crops so severely they were compared to biblical locust swarms.
Calvin Fletcher, the namesake for Fletcher Place, wrote in a letter to his brother, “There was by one man killed round one cornfield 248 [squirrels] in 3 days... Many people lost whole cornfields — 12 squirrels were supposed to destroy as much corn as one hog.”
Another Indianapolis resident recounted, “They come by the thousands for several days. They was so starved and footsore from travelin’ that they wasn’t fit to eat. One day I counted eighteen dead squirrels I shot from a tree without changin’ position or missin’ a shot. We left so many dead ones on the ground that they actually attracted the buzzards.”
Fun fact: The most common squirrel in Indiana is the eastern gray squirrel.
Photo by Vmenkov via Wikimedia Commons
Just as quickly as they appeared, the thousands of squirrels vanished, whether by death or continuing their journey to a new home. Naturalist John James Audubon, who formed the Audubon Society, reported seeing many successfully cross major rivers by swimming — and clinging to the floating bodies of their fallen brethren.
While the Great Squirrel Stampede was the most dramatic occurrence of its type, it wasn’t the only one. Squirrel armies mounted similar but smaller attacks on the Indy area in 1811 and 1845 as well.
Some experts have hypothesized the squirrels were migrating to greener pastures because of deforestation, which left their habitats smaller and less fruitful. Others have theorized the stampede was the result of a few years of plenty that spurred mass reproduction and big litters of squirrel babies, followed by a period of famine that prompted the critters to seek alternative food sources.
Now that over 200 years have passed since our battle with the squirrels, we seem to be on much friendlier terms. In fact, every September, Carmel hosts a Great Squirrel Stampede Family Fun Run + Dog Trot. But if you want to celebrate squirrels year round — who are essential to seed dispersal + forest growth — and help prevent any future stampedes, here’s what you can do:
- Place salt blocks or rings from a pet store at the base of trees or in the crooks of branches. This will help squirrels get the sodium they need in their diet and deter them from destroying the bark on your trees or chewing on your house instead.
- Provide them clean water + appropriate feeding opportunities, such as corn cobs and squirrel feeders. A feeder will help them with portion control — just make sure to place it away from any bird feeders so they don’t get confused and eat your birdseed instead.
