Introduction

 

Introduction Archival Sources

Weather has always been a critical factor in the lives of Montanans, as well as a continual source for discussion, speculation, and tall tales.

 

The early miners needed to understand the weather to know when the ground would be unfrozen enough to dig, when the creeks would have enough water for panning gold, when the snow would be too deep to get to their claims. A sudden cloudburst could wash away weeks of work. Homesteaders and ranchers needed to understand the weather to know when to plant crops, when to calve or lamb, when to cut the hay or harvest the wheat. A sudden afternoon halestorm could destroy an entire year's work. Roadbuilders also had to understand the weather, to know which locations would be prone to avalanches, and which could be flooded during spring runoff. The list goes on.

 

Nobody in Montana is unaffected by the weather. As global warming becomes a more and more frequent topic for discussion, understanding the history of weather in Montana may assist researchers in determining how much of the current warming is simply a cyclical pattern and how much is a symptom of global warming.

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Archival Sources

 

• Anaconda Copper Mining Company records, (Manuscript Collection 169)

Includes 2 weather related files: "Weather observations and instruments" 1903-1940, 1952 (includes daily reports, 1908-1914); and Meteorological charts, 1908-1958, both taken by Great Falls Reduction Dept.

 

• Joseph Richard "Skookum Joe" Anderson diaries, 1886-1895 (Small Collection 1818)

Joseph Anderson was a prospector in the Absaroka, Beartooth, Judith, Little Belt, and Crazy mountains of Montana. The collection contains eight journals (1886-1895) kept by "Skookum Joe" Anderson in which he describes prospecting activities; financial transactions; the events of his daily life; and the weather.

 

• Hugh Baker interview, 1998 (Oral History 2179)

Hugh Baker was a homesteader near Medicine Lake, Montana . He discusses family efforts to improve the property; chores; weather; Depression conditions; changing crops over time; work at Fort Peck Dam; electrification, and other topics.

 

• Charles Banderob interview, 1982 (Oral History 310)

Charles Banderob, (b. 1905), a Ballantine, Montana resident, discusses the farming history of the Huntley Project area, the struggles of farmers during drought and the Great Depression years, and his involvement with, and benefits of, the Farmers Union.

 

• James V. Bennett diaries, 1929-1051 (Manuscript Collection 236)

James Bennett was a Scobey, Montana, area farmer. His diaries describe farming activities, family matters, weather, and other topics of wider interest.

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