Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1935-06-15
Signal Corps at Fort KeOgh Started IN 1877;
Later Transferred to Dept. Of Agriculture

February, 1893, when Fl. r. Boynton
again took over the station. This time
BoyntOn served until December, 1894
when r. II. Thompson was appointed
to succeed him. Il. H Thompson con-
tinued on duty until February, 1897:
and in 1895 the office was moved from
the StockgrOwerg National Bank build
ing to the northeast corner Of Main
and 7th streets. ia rooms z and 8. Mr..
9. M Boucher was appointed In 1897
and continued through June, 1893. The
office was again moved on May 81, 1893,
to the Leighton block on Main street
A. W. Kennie was appointed to the
station Ia june, 1893. and continued
through April, 1905, when the duties
we're again taken up by G. M. Boucher
who continued an uninterrupted tour Of
duty until July, 1922. During this per-
iod, the office was moved on Sept. IL,
1905, to the Foster g. Bruning building
on the Northeast corner Of Main and
7th streets, room /. The office COM
tinued at this address until its as
signment to quarters in the new Fed
eral building on October 2, 1916, where
it is today.
In the summer Of 1922 orders were
issued to make it a first-order station
and assigned commissioned personnel
to duty. T. E. Gull, from the New
Orleans office, took over the station
on the LIST Of August, 1922, relieving Mr.
Boucher. Some new equipment was
added to this station, and duties in
creased. T. e. Gull served at the sta
ton from that time until January, 1928,
when illness forced him to retire from
the service. W. T. Lathrop Of the Hell
ena office temporarily took charge, I'M
til the LIST Of April, when B. P. Hughes
Of Lansing, Mich, was assigned the per-
manent duty at Miles City; he con-
tinued until the present day.
In 1929 the station began making a
daily weather map, and in 1890, after
the disastrous flood of 1929, River and
Flood work was also assigned this sta
ton. In October, 1888. airways work
was added to the station duties, and
supervision Of Billings, Hysham and
Glendive Always stations was assigned I
the office.
During the AZ odd years Of record un-
der the weather bureau, and IA addi-
tional years under the Army Signal
corps, some very interesting weather
records have accumulated. On Jan.
IS, 1888, temperature Of SIS degrees
below zero was officially recorded. From
that date until 1888, this temperature
was the lowest ever recorded in the
United States The stations record high
temperature is Ill degrees In July, 1901
This range Of 176 degrees in tempera-
ture remains without parallel in the
United States. The station also shows
q 24-hour range Of IS degrees on jan
uary IL, 1912, the temperature rising
from IS degrees below zero to 40 de-
grees above.
The normal temperature for the sta
ton is asa degrees. The warmest year
Of record was 1891 with an average
mean temperature Of 49.7, while the
coolest was 1899, with an average mean
temperature Of 42.4 degrees However,
the second coolest year was 1927, with
an average mean of 42.8 degrees. A
Of 30 degrees or above has
been recorded ON 80 consecutive days
from June 19, 1919 to July /, 1919: and
we have an average Of 81 days year
at 30 degrees or above. Freezing tenn
peratures occur on an average of 1874
days year; and 100 days from NO
Vember 19, 1928 to March IL, 1929, were
freezing or lower. Zero or
over temperatures are recorded on the
average OF 30 days year; and from
Jan. 8, 1916 to Feb. 10, 1916, a period
If 80 days, zero was recorded on each
lay. On Jan. 81, 1929, the temperature
reached zero at 1000 p. m, and from