 a fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high old silver, the Lone Ranger. When thousands of square miles of range country were thrown open to settlers shortly after the civil war, a new wave of emigration swept into the western United States. Most of the newcomers were farmers and the cattlemen bitterly resented their intrusion. They warned and threatened an open warfare might have followed if it had not been for the masked rider of the planes. It was he who made both ranchers and homesteaders realize there was room for everyone in the great new country and that every man's help was needed for the winning of the west. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse silver. The Lone Ranger rides again, almost waiting on the trail ahead. Having several hundred steers ahead of them, a small group of cowboys and their employer found their way blocked by the gleaming barbed wire strands of a homesteader's fence. Beyond the fence lay a field of ripening wheat. The steers milled aimlessly and Jim Roberts, spurring his bay, chanted orders to his waiting men. All right buck, cut that wire. Cut it from here to that second post. Right away boss. Rest your hold them steers' defenses down and drive them through. We'll give nesters wheat to feed on. Hurry it up boys. No you don't Jim. What the? Just tell that Jim for them wire clippers in his hand to climb back in the saddle. Then tell the others to turn that cattle. I don't aim to see the first decent crop I've got in three years ed up by no man's steers. Don't try nothing Jim. I might pull this here tricker and you get peppered some at buck shop. And I got a second barrel old prime for your hands if they get rambunctious. Ask me to handle this, hombre boss. Better not try it fella. And where I am I couldn't miss. Then who'd be left to pay your wages. Look here Mr. Ralph. I keep still. Lodge, I'm cutting your fence and my steers are going through. So you can do either one of two things. Put up with what you can't help. Try to put in and wish you hadn't you cattleman think right well yourselves don't you don't interfere. The way you see it I ought to just stand aside and watch while your steers ruin your work or maybe you think I ought to even give you a hand maybe cut the wire for you myself. Well Jim maybe I'm just a farmer but I fight for what's mine. Now you steer is going through that fence where six to your one only I got the drop on you you think if we turn back this time there wouldn't be another I reckon that would but I'll keep watch you nesters ain't wanted here so I've no this is cattle country what's more it's open range that's the way it's been that's the way it's going to stay some of it you can't up and listen for a spell you cattleman still got all the open range in need or can use raise your cattle toward the hills and we'll never have trouble that ain't farm and comfort but this is one day the whole of this is going to be farmed and you can't stop what's going to be finish not yet here's something for you to think about I homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres here and most of us planted that hundred and sixty supports me and my family and raises crops to send to town it was still open range it wouldn't support a third of the stairs you got here now it's us homesteaders that are making this land valuable you can fight it all you want to Jim but the day of the open range is done far anything more that's all fine all right boys knock down that fence and keep on going that's right but get him what's going on that homestead right those others are trying to drive that herd into those fields now this is a game where we can play a hand let's go get him up so we come on come on here with the cowboys and the efforts to drive the stairs into life plumbers fields but the swift approach of the lone ranger and his faithful Indian companion was unnoticed hurry boy hurry get him up follow her get him on charge right into the town to her scan of those stairs and we'll have a chance come on boy hurry follow not until too late did Jim robert see the two great stallions and their recklessly riding masters i don't know who you mean to know but you sure saved me plenty aren't you large plumber that's me mr but i stick to your guns large and watch out for the cattleman come to the huh hey wait come on so get it up sky wait hold on there wait a minute back to last night's camp kimosabi huh get him up when he took care of roberts this trouble has just begun come on old fellow i don't get even for this every dough girl nester in the county you'll get the notion he's man enough to stand up to us what are you going to do round up the ranchers time for a showdown we'll clean out this county once and for all i don't you fellas are going after every common they too old a toad a gun you're right east west north and south come to get here prano now hustle i look for you back before night for the bacon about ready tunnel uh it not take long now we want to eat and be ready roberts knows that if he waits too long to strike back the homesteaders will be just that much harder to handle not right this fight had to come no kimosabi there's no way it could have been avoided no one can expect the cattleman to take second place without a struggle and on the other hand no matter how many times they're defeated the homesteaders will come back for more they've learned not to give up easily they fought against odds since they left their homes in the east drought windstorms floods hail and dust they've suffered them all and kept on when you fought and won against nature tata fight with men looks easy they finally won their fight with the land kimosabi this season for the first time in years there are splendid crops everywhere not right one more rain to see them through it'll harvest time and they'll be set well maybe rain soon yes uh you look clouds huh they're moving this way pretty fast tata those clouds may mean a real storm and you wait what matter those clouds tata somehow they don't look right mean that savvy that doesn't look like rain oh and it doesn't look like dust i tata i've seen clouds like those just once before in my life what you mean i mean tata or those clouds are what i fear they are roberts needn't worry his work will be done for him having returned to his cabin after his encounter with jim roberts lodge plumber was suddenly called the door by his wife very quick huh sorry oh what's wrong look over there lodge over well dog gone it's gonna rain kate i reckon this is our lucky year that wonderful life well i should smile it is but didn't i tell you didn't i say if we just stuck it out long enough everything to turn out dandy i know but it was so hard sure it was honey but things will be different now yes we're gonna have wheat and corn enough to pay what we owe buy us some decent grub and clothes for a change and maybe even have enough leftover for building a bigger place to live guys after all we've been through it's going to be swell lodge aren't those clouds coming up awful fast look just a minute ago you could barely see him now they're beginning to cover the whole sky yeah the noise of recollect ever seen a storm blow up this faster for do you think that it'll rain enough to spoil the crops shucks not a chance of it let it pour the more it rains the better what's that what's what i heard something yes they're large it's a mask man and there's a red skin they come in honey they're the gents i was telling about they're such a hurry gosh look at them come he said they were friendly would they be riding to warn you trouble trouble i mean with the cattleman well i don't know i hope not but they could be sounded like he said grasshoppers tundra into the shed with silver and scouted lies those are grasshoppers coming millions of them they're coming on the wind look there they're here already grasshopper quick inside in a minute they'll be so sick they'll blind you this way come get blackheads and seal up the windows crops i can't save them there isn't a thing you can do they'll cover the ground in just like they'll eat everything they land on you get inside quick like hurry but my wheat the core will be finished you can't prevent it come no let me go there must be something i can do i'll lose everything i can't hide will you turn the close the door oh listen to them friend it's too much too much easy man nope i'm done for this is just one thing too many okay when this is over we're clearing out we're heading back east we curtain falls on the first act of our lone ranger drama before the next exciting scenes please permit us to pause for just a few moments how to continue our story there had been grasshopper plagues before but never an equal to this one that had struck with such devastating swiftness the grasshoppers covered the ground solidly to a depth of two and three inches every attempt by the frantic homesteaders to destroy them failed for each one killed a hundred seemed to spring up in its place and at last they departed as they had arrived in cloud-like forms upon the wind they left behind them a countryside stripped bare the lone ranger and tonto would return to their camp surveyed the ruin looked kind of farms for miles not a growing thing left alive on one of them it plenty bad nothing could have been worse come at a worse time when you expect nothing but disappointment one more doesn't seem to matter but when what you've worked for is almost within reach and then disaster strikes it's a miracle you can still hold on to your faith and courage not right for instance lides miley was struggling to get a foothold privation didn't seem so bad oh when his crops promise so well this season even the threats of the ranchers couldn't frighten or discourage him good fella one of the best but now he's ready to give up and so our scores more like him a week ago it looked as though this district was more than halfway on the road to becoming a rich thickly settled community now all who can will leave those who remain will have nothing suffering is going to be terrible kimosabe especially a homesteader who isn't in debt even at the best they hardly had enough food and clothing to do them now there'll be almost paupers and then need plenty help and out the government will supply a seat for those who remain to start over again and it will do what else it can but such things move slowly well appetites don't wait not right i'd like to do two things bring help to those who needed most and somehow persuade those who plan to leave to give this country another try and the west needs them how do it i i've been thinking of a plan uh it sounds impossible we're told the homesteaders what i have in mind they'd laugh at me but we'll try it anyhow tunnel call scott here scout here old fella where we go jim robber's place is to the west tunnel if we're going there come on get him up scott come on old fella come on the grasshoppers had made it unnecessary for robber to rally the cattlemen and drive the homesteaders from the district he was satisfied the plague had finished them it was just a dusk one day that he and one of his men were riding slowly homeward after a chip of inspection and see where any damage was done to us book that wasn't boss grasshoppers don't need prairie grass we're lucky they did we have plenty of starving steers in our hands gosh you ever see anything like it then will is down by the creek bar get off them as clean as if they've been peeled with a knife them critters got appetites that's what their nesters found out uh-huh did you see over towards the trail i counted six wagons headed east heading back to where they belong and there'll be more that by the end of the week half of the nesters will be gone good riddance sure saves us a fight well here we are boss oh boy holy holy oh i can i'll drop over to the cookhouse and get me a bite to see you later come inside first huh your horse will wait there's some things i want to go over with you oh sure i'll be sending a trail herd out one of these days maybe i'll send you with it if i do what do you close the door robbets the mask man you did you hear me close that door there's a hold up mr i don't i've been waiting for you i don't know this isn't a hold up and what in thunder do you want roberts the homesteaders need help what's it they've lost everything they have no food no money no clothing that's just fine i'm talking to roberts you can't they have nothing roberts while you and the other ranchers are wealthy what are you getting at you choose you could help them hey you have beef and other supplies for food there's sturdy clothing to spare you could even afford to loan the homesteaders money well i'll be boss this umbra is clean local stranger you mean to stand there and say i should help out them nesters you and the other ranchers like you you really mean that this ain't your notion of a joke i mean it and dog gonna book ain't right you are local my mr i to soon help on nesters i would a rattler whatever happened to him it can't be too bad to suit me why i hope they refuse ain't that what i'm saying well well i don't keep buck covered um you watch him hey what let go take your hands off me why you don't stand still come along follow us turn up hey hold on what do you think you're doing i'm going to make a wager huh i'm betting that a man with a courage to meet his enemies in a pair of fights will be too decent to strike them on the down you can't and fuck i'll win that bet hey come back here stop them fellas help take out the boss stop them stop them lides plumber determined to leave the district for the east and call on a number of his neighbors everywhere he went he was met with the same conditions howdy ma'am is jake to home oh it's it's you lides but no we ain't you ought to be soon won't you step in and wait thank you the harsh nanny harsh edlin the oven oh now that look here look at this not a fight to eat in a house not one bite and ain't been for the past two days of course the young ones crying and when i hear it i just feel like crying myself it's bad with everybody ma'am i'd help out if i could with our grub give out today i know it's like jake went into town yeah he went there to beg food can you imagine that my men haven't a big oh it's awful bacon let me come out here big and we'd be well off that's what i come about ma'am you folks figuring on going east we would if we could we only got one horse now wagon so older to fold a piece inside a hundred miles mm-hmm well i've been talking to some of the others yeah i thought if we all went together we could make out somehow those ever got wagons can take others with them and there won't be such a waste of grub we'll sell the little we can maybe we can raise enough cash to see us through and and we could go with you if you'd like to like to oh the folks like to stay where they're starving they like to see their young insides like a grub lige if you can fix it so there'll be room for us me and jake'll thank you to our dying day we'll manage somehow ma'am you can plan on it when are we leave if everything goes all right in about three days oh oh thank heaven that's just the first call we're making robin's you take me back i'll see you jail you'll go back that's better but not until you've seen what human misery can really be come on old fellow hurry boy hurry in spite of the ranchers protests the masked man forced him to witness the suffering of the homesteaders it was on the following day that buck stepped outside the bunkhouse stopped short then began shouting while he ran hey fellas it's the boss the boss is back hey there's the boss hey boss what happened where's the masked man my gosh how far do you have to walk a foot oh my no let's put up let's just shut up what's the matter once i start to send you to round up the rest of the ranchers and we call it off uh-huh want no need of them well there is no you mean on the count of the homesteaders just so and you want all the common to come here you're deep i want a prano tell the boys to settle up my dolly boss i don't know but what you're right when you get a fellow down put the book to him then you know you got him licked you don't serve you sure i do boss sure i do all right man you heard what he said settle up and hit the trail in the meantime it did not take long for the homesteaders to complete their preparations for leaving two days later they gathered with their families and their wagons at largest cabin it was a pitiful sight their clothing was in rags their faces showed the unmistakable marks of hunger and yet it could be easily seen that they were finding it difficult to leave the district they listened while large addressed their men and so folks we have to go whether we want to or not so there's no use crying over it maybe we can get started again somewhere else maybe in a year or so we'll all be jingling so much cash in our jeans we'll have forgot about all right look what is it cattlemen cattlemen marathons conks can't even leave us be when we're licked well that's all right with me if i didn't mean for them we wouldn't be so bad off here's our chance to get in one last lick before we're gone for good fillers what do you say should we give it to them good for once good then get the women and youngins inside the rest of your prime your guns when i say the word let the pool cats have it all right men once over their heads to give them warning all right now i brought them up short now another to see if they won't turn yellow and run hey wait hold your shots that's friends of ours hold up put down those guns then tend them pool cats to clear out all right they're not here for trouble robert's right here alone come here and tell them why you came now look here mr don't start trouble until you know they're here for trouble what else it bring them robert's can speak for himself oh boy oh that's a way for folks to act when other folks are trying to do them a good turn and bullets come so close they can hear them buzzing what do you say about a good turn lights a mask man here so to open my eyes huh he showed me how you folks were starving he showed me just what it meant to you to have to leave your farms after your work so hard to get him if this is some trick it isn't large listen large you're swearing i uh well i don't know just how to explain myself but when you're fighting a fella you kind of forget that maybe he's just like you want some needs the same things you want tell him the rest roberts where when i seen how you folks was hungry for grub and wearing what's almost rags and such the might morn at bargain for so i called my friends together we talked over and decided maybe the most of the fight we'd been doing was foolishness and at robert's place they brought stores of supplies for every man woman and child here what's that just help yourselves take what you want and pay it back when you can you might be welcome mask man did you do this for us did you come to the no wait a minute come on say wait come back i want to come back here oh no you're yelling at him you won't come back you ever see his like nope but he seems to know what he's about and he told me something i'm likely to remember for a good long time something i reckon will turn out true huh what's that he said if once we helped you folks we'd never be able to fight you again yeah because you can't hate a man you've done a favor that's one of them things you can't deny i've just heard is a copyrighted feature of the lone ranger incorporated