The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1871-02-02
CLIMATEOF THE

HARPER's WEEKLY, in a recent inter
esting article descriptive of the country
travcrsed by the route of the Northern "a
cifc Railroad, gives the following reasona-
BILE explanation of the remarkable mild
ness of climate and fertility of soil which
characterizes the vast region which has
come to be known as the New Northwest.
That journal says:
The fact of the mildness of the climate
which prevails along the belt of country
tributary to the line of the Northern Pa
cifc Railroad, is abundantly established.
Nowhere between Lake Superior and Pu-
get Sound is the climate colder than i
Minnesota; and this great State Is not
surpassed as a wheat-produclng region, or
in he~althfulness Of atmosphere. Dakota
| is very similar to Minnesota; and from
| Dakota westward the climate steadily
modifes, until, in Oregon and Washing
ton Territory, there is almost no winter al
all aside from a rainy season, as IN CAN
fornia. Throughout Dakota, Montana,
and Northern Idaho cattle and horses
range out all winter, and in the spring are
fat and strong. Records kept by govern
ment officers at the various military sta
tiSns OF the upper waters OF the MIS-
souri, show that the average annual tenn
perature tor a serious of years has been
warmer in Central Montana than at Chlca-
60 or Albany. This remarkable modlhca-
ton of climate, the existence OF which nc
well.informed person now questions Is
Que to several natural causes, chief among
which are these: First, the country ly-
ing between the 44th and 50th parallels Is
lower by some 5000 feet than the belt ly.
ing Immediately south. The highest
point on the line of the Northern PaclhC
Road is $500 feet lower than the CORES.
ponding summit of the Union and Central
line. Both the Rocky and the Cascade
ranges, where they are crossed by tht
Northern Pacific route, are broken dowr
to low elevations compared with thell
height 400 miles southwark. This differ
ence in altitnde would account for mucf
of the difference in climate, as four de
grees of temperature are usually alowet
for each 1000 feet of elevation. But
second, the warm winds from the South
Pacific, which prevail in winter; and (ald
ed by the warm ocean currents CORES
ponding to our Atlantic Gulf Streaml
produce the genial climate Of our Paclh'
} coast, pass over the low mou2.=in ridge
to the north of latitude 440 and carry
their softening effect far inland, giving t.
Eastern Washington the climate of Vir
GINA, and to Montana the climate o
Ohio, without its dampness and chill.
The same cause.-the depression of tn
mountain ranges toward the north-ac
counts for the abundant rainfall in near
. ly all parts of this vast area. The south
west winds, saturated by the evaporation
of the tropics, carry the rain-clouds east
e ward over the continental DIVIDE, an
: distribute their moisture over the "fer
, tile belt" stretching from the mountain
to the lakes. Further south the noun
tains, with their greater altitude, act as
7 wall against the warm, moist, west winds
: hence the colder winters and the aridlty
: portions of the regions south of Montan
T and east of the mountains. That the cl
mate of chat new Northwest which is no
$ to be opened to settlement, travel, an
trade is such as to make it q congeni'
. home for the migrating millions OF Centr'
j. and Nothern Europe, and the crowded Do
tions of our own land, there is no doubt