Winter of 1886

The snowy winter of 1886-87 devastated Montana cattle ranches during the heyday of the open ranch. Cattle already weakened by a dry summer endured continuous snow in November and December. A midwinter thaw caused by a warm Chinook briefly exposed grass, but a deadly freeze then locked the range in ice and left little for the cattle to eat. Thousands died, and by spring the range was dotted with carcasses and swollen bodies floated in the rivers. Half the Kohrs-Bielenberg cattle were lost, but Conrad Kohrs borrowed $100,000 from a banker in Butte, replenished his herds from Idaho and Texas, and recovered his losses in three years. The young cowboy-artist Charlie Russell sketched the scene.

Deer Lodge, Montana · United States