Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1885-09-26
LETTER FROM MONTANA.

BUTTE CITY, MON, sept, 1000.
EDITOR INTELLIGENCER:-I my last
letter l stated that l would tell about
the climate. Since then have seen a
diversity of climate without much
travel. Snowstorms and gentle show
ers have, of late, reminded me of April
showers in Missouri.
The great altitude, the buttes, gul-
ches, forests, and mild Chinook from
the meeting of the Japan and Arctic
currents, have much to do in modify
ing the climate of this latitude.
The northern portion of Montana
lies farther north than any of the
states except Minnesota. Butte, the
city from which / write, is about the
same latitude of Chesencook Lake, in
the northern part of Maine. The eli.
mate is never so severe in winter, nor
SO sultry in summer as the easterly
states in the same latitude. The thin
dry air of winter is one of the prime
causes Of moderate cold. When it be-
comes cold, the spell is soon dispelled
by the welcome, gentle Chinook from
the Ocean, but this mild current does
not extend east of the snowy range,
and Nature has provided other causes
the severity of winter i'll that local
ity.
Often the cold is 80 rigid in mid.
winter, that the mercury freezes, but
80 dry is the climate, that even at this
temperature, the people suffer little OF
no Inconvenience in their avOcations
The thermometers here used, contain
alcohol. which never congeals. Forty
degrees below zero is no more rigorous
than twenty degrees below zero in
Missouri.
The mines and quartz mills
never cease their work, cold or hot
but the prospect0r, the ranchero and
bruin all 60 into winter quarters till
gentle May calls them forth.
The greater part of the territory in
this inter- mountain region, is tempered
by the winds called chinook, that blow
from the Pacific ocean, which are
warmed by the great Japan current as
it strikes the coast near Puget's
Sound. The cool nights of summer
are tempered by the winds blowing
from the snow capped mountains.
never knew night here, the past
summer, warm enough for mosquito
to fly after ten o'clock. The summer
nights are always colder than the
| nights Oh the beach, and the days are
never sultry. Although the snow falls
deep and drifts into the gulches and
ravines of the mountains to grea
depths, it seldom lies long in the val
leys. just now the mountain sides
are nearer without snow than they
were in July, yet the snow storms are
more frequent. The snow melting iii
the mountains furnishes the streams
an everlasting supply of water. The
small streams Ofthe upper tribu'a aries
ofthe Missouri and Columbia rivers are
connected during big freshets. Some
of the old timers state that through
this intermingling of waters, the fish
which naturally belong to the Pacific
slope, are often found in the streams
east of the Rocky Mountains.
The air is very different from the
atmosphere of the Mississippi basin.
The air is so clear and transparent
that even small objects can be seen at
great distance, and objects far away
appear near by. This fact have OBJ
served often to my chagrin, in the
chase.
We often have ominous clouds
which would indicate, in Missouri, a
cyclone or heavy rainstOrln, bringing
gentle showers or feathery flakes Of
snow, and in a few minutes after
ward the sky is clear and the roads
rid of mud. In June and July the
clouds are heavily charged with
electricity, sometimes doing consider
able damage. Storms are most violent
around the mountain SUBMITS and in
the passes. Here no one fears a cy-
clone. | have been surprised to see
the women and children walking gay
ly OH the streets when the snow or
rain was gently coming down and
forboding clouds were arising. 1t
took several weeks for the novelty of
going about in showers as we'll as
clear weather, to wear Oft with me,
but now ] see things as a mountaineer.
An umbrella is strange object here.
l believe mine is the only one in the
camp, and l have that packed away
in my office, ont of sight. There is no
demand for such articles here, and
rather than have thousand questions
asked about its manufacture by Indi-
ans, half breeds and descendants from
every foreign tribe of the globe, l
keep it under lock and key.
The high mountains protect the val
leys from destructive cyclones, so
common in Kansas, Missouri and