Montana’s Great Die Up Of 1886; Cold, Harsh & Historic

• Due to a series of mild winters, ranchers didn’t have much feed stored for cattle over the winter of 1886
• Winter of 1886 came early and on one of the worst days that winter, an inch of snow fell every hour for 16 hours
• Both humans and animals were killed

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In the 1880’s Montana, Wyoming and The Dakotas were invaded by investors in cattle looking to make big, fast money.

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By the time 1886 rolled around ranch managers weren’t storing much winter feed for their herds, as a few of the prior winters had been more mild.

Disaster Hit The Region In 1886

The summer of 1886 was hot and dry. It’s reported there were numerous prairie fires and water sources around the region began to dry up.

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The first snows were a bit earlier than usual, in November, and it was brutal. Both animals and humans were killed by the devastating cold and wind.

Then Things Got Really Bad

One day, about an inch of snow fell every hour for 16 hours straight.

Then, a chinook wind came through the area and melted much of the snow.

Shortly after the Chinook Winds, the temperatures dropped to 63 degrees below zero.

Due to the winds freezing the snow and the snow freezing over top of the grass, the remaining cattle were unable to break through the ice to eat the grass underneath.

Ranchers were helpless and many could do little but watch their herds perish.

5,000 Starving Cattle Made Their Way To Great Falls, Montana

On the outskirts of Great Falls, Montana, residents reported hearing cattle bawl in hunger as the starving animals made their way through neighborhoods eating saplings that they’d planted the previous spring.

The Number Of Cattle Killed Wasn’t Fully Realized Until The Following Spring

Ranchers reported cattle carcasses all over the prairie and even in streams. There were so many dead cattle in the rivers and streams that it became hard to find drinking water.

It’s estimated that millions of cattle died that winter, 362,000 in Montana alone, sending many ranchers into bankruptcy.

The Devastating Winter Changed The Face Of Ranching

Learning from what became known as “The Great Die Up”, in the 1890’s most ranchers were growing food for their cattle making them farmers AND ranchers.

Open range ranching was seeing its end, and this was the era that ushered in barbed wire fences.

Sources: History Channel, Wikipedia