Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1871-02-04
Climate Of the New Northwest.

HARPER's WEEKLY, In 4 recent interesting
article descriptive Of the country traversed by
the route of the Northern Pacific Railroad,
gives the following reasonable explanation of
the remarkable midness OF climate and fer
gion which has come to be known as the New
Northwest That journal says
The fact of the midness of the climate
which prevails along the belt of country
tributary to the line OF the Norlh hern
Pacific Railroad, is abundantly establish
ed. Nowhere bet ween Lake Superior
and Puget Sound is the climate colder
than in Minnesota AND this great State
is not surpassed az wheat-producting
region, or ia healthfulness of atmosphere.
Dakota is very similar to Minnesota; and
from Dakota westward the climate stead
lily modities, until, in Oregon and Wash
ington Territory, there is almost no win
ter at all aside from rainy season, as in
California. Throughout Dakota, Mon
tana, and Northern Idaho cattle and
horses range out all winter, and in the
spring are lat and streng. Records kept
by government officers at the various
| military stations on the upper waters of
the Missouri shows that the average
annual temperature for series of years
has been warmer iD Central Montana
than at Chicago or Albany. This re-
markable modification Of climate, the ex-
is,cnee of which no well-informed per-
son now questions, is due TO several nat
ural causes, chief among which are these :
First, the country lying between the
44lh and 50th parallel is lower by some
5000 feet than The belt lying Immediately
south The highest point on the line OF
the Northern Pacific Road is $500 feet
lower than the corresponding summit OF
the Union and Central line Both the
Rocky and the Cascade ranges, where
they are crossed by the Norihern Pacific
rou:e, are broken down to low elevations
compared with their height 400 miles
southwark. This difference in latitude
would account Tor much OF the difference
~ climate as ioRs degrees of temperature
are usually allowed tor each 1000 feet of
elevation. But, second, the warm winds
from the South Pacific, which prevail IN
winter, and (ahled by the warm ocean
currents corresponding to our Atlantic
Gulf S,ream,) produce The genial climate
W WV "S'"N So"''1 p'so VNSi eHo ioW
mountain ridges To the north ot latitude
A and carry the sof,eHing effect far
inland, giving to Eastern Washington
the climate of Virginia, and to Montana
the climate Of Ohio, without its damp.
ness and chill
The same cause.-the depression of the
mountain ranges toward the north-ac-
counts loFthe abundant rainfall in near
ly all parts OF this vast area The south
west winas, saturated by the evapura-
ton OF the tropics, carry the rain-clouds
eastward over the continental divide,
and distribute their moisture over the
"ierlile belt" stretching from the noun
tains TO the lakes Further south the
moHntaiNs, with their greater ahitade,
act as wall against The warm, moist,
west winds hence the colder winters
and the aridity of portions of the regions
south OF Montana and east of the noun
Iains That the climate OF that new
Northwest which is now to b. opened
to settlement, travel, and trade ii such
as to make il congeBial home tor the
migrating millions Of Central and North
ern Europe, and the crowded portions OF
our land, there is no doubt.