NOTES ON THE CLIMATE OF MONTANA. 



By Mr. Qraxville Stuart, of Deer Lodge, Montana Territory, 



The winter of 1857-'58 was very mild. Snow did not lie longer than 

 a few days in any of the principal valleys. The cold was not intense, 

 except for a few days in December and January. Cattle and horses in 

 the open air, and without any food or shelter except such as they got 

 on the prairie, gained steadily in flesh all the winter, and came out fat 

 in the spring. 



The winters of 1858-'o9 and 1859-'60 were very similar, averaging, 

 probably, a little colder, and with a little more snow, but quite pleas- 

 ant in the main. 



The winter of 1860-'61 showed a gradual increase of cold and snow 

 over former years, but still stock did well ; and the winter would not 

 have been called a bad one in Iowa or Illinois. 



The winter of 1861-'62 was one of great and unusual severity, snow 

 falling to a depth of from six inches to two feet, varying in dilferent 

 valleys and in different parts of the same valley. I have observed that 

 the fall of snow is very capricious and irregular ; for instance, the de- 

 posit of snow in a given locality may be quite small during a bad winter, 

 while in the following one, even though much milder, the snow-fall at 

 th^t point will be double or treble as much, while other points, which 

 had deep snow during the first, will be comparatively free from it dur- 

 ing the second winter. This is especially noticeable in the higher val- 

 leys and in the passes leading from one to another. 



The winter of 1862-'63 was quite as mild as that of 1857-'58, and 

 throughout the country, as far as Salt Lake, it was even milder, for 

 wagons drawn by both horses and oxen made two trips, in mid-winter, 

 from Bannock City to Salt Lake City and back, with heavy loads, and 

 without being incommoded by snow or severe cold. They crossed the 

 main range of the Eocky Mountains (by the Medicine Lodge Pass) and 

 the Porte jSTeuf Mountains twice on each trip, and without any other 

 food for their animals than bunch-grass. This is, however, a feat that 

 has not been accomplished since, many parties having lost large num- 

 bers of cattle and mules in trying to make one trip in each of the three 

 succeeding winters. The lowest temperature in Deer Lodge during this 

 winter was 12°, which was during a snow-storm, on the 23d or 24th of 

 October. 



The winter of 1863-'64 was but little inferior to the preceding one, 

 snow lying but a few days at a time in the valleys, although it was 

 quite deep on the mountains, and the weather averaged somewhat 

 colder. A severe storm of wind and driving snow occurred on January 

 7, in which the temperature fell to — 33°, but the cold snap lasted only 

 about a week. 



The winter of 1864-'65 showed an increased degree of cold and snow 

 again. The temperature fell to — 34^ on one occasion, while during De- 

 cember and January the cold was severe ; but the snow was not deep 



