Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-02-12

High ON the ridges at the head
waters Of knnumerable creeks and
streams, feeding the pelIucid Co
Iumbia to the west and the muddy
Missouri TO the east, Old Nan
Winter has remOdeied the contours
of the Rockies with vOiuminOus
blankets of snow. This Is by no
means new or novel circumstance.
On the contrary, SO far as Is known
the scenic winter snow blanket In
these parts Is as old as the noun
tains themselves. Some years the
others light, but never in the
chronicIed history Of man has tt
been entirely lacking. This, in the
economic constituency Of the sur
rounding land Is an extremely Inn
portant point.
The agriculturalist In the valley looks
to the mountains for water TO irr1gate
his crops; the city dweller depends on
them for water to aSSuage his thirst
and supply an untold number OF SAN
itary purposes; the power plant on
the river must have q sustained water
level In the mountain streams TO keep
its many large turbines turning; the
Iumberman Rnxiously awaits the noun
tain freShet to float his logs to the
mill: and to the livestock operator
grazing his cattle on the dry adjoin-
ing grasSlandS, the continuance OF
mountain-fed springs means the du-
ference between success and failure.
Should the snow cover ever be lack
ing in the highlands under the normal
progression OF seasons, SUFFERING pc.
yond description would fall on these
dependents for to them the snow water
is the silver line Of Life.
just as a continued deficiency IN the
mountain SHOWS may ultimately result
in ruin, so also can an overabundance
of the white uplifted mass prectpitate
disastrous floods equally capable OF
wreaking havoc on the resident civ
ilization.
In his years Of dealing with the great
white cover that annually spreads IT.
self over the rugged local landscape,
the white man has learned that one
of his most dependable equalizing |
factors reserving the moisture wnen
the snowfall is light and helping hold
it in check when heavy-is the forest. |
birthplace of Rivers
For this reason, although there are /
well-defined edges for the snow DIAN
ket, 1t Is not unnatural to find that !
the true birthplRces OF the mighty /
western rivers are securely tucked away /
beneath the deepest folds, far back IN
the vast inaccessible reaches OF our
national forests.
The litter of twigs and needles under
the forest trees tmpedes the flow OF
water from melting snow and diverts
it into the loose, rich soil below. Seep-
ing slowly through these porous Top
LAYERS. the water is well on It's way 70
the deep underground reservoirs from
which the stores Of liquid gold are
poured into springs, streams and rivers
throughout the arid summer months.
Pioneers were not long in recogniz-
ing q relationship between the size OF
the snow banks in the mountains ana
- xfffaf oh
creeks. streams and rivers during the
spring and summer months, but for
some time little, If any, scientific
study was actually applied TO author
itatively determine just what the re-
lationship might be.
The first stream-flow preoicClons
were largely based on reports OF snow
depths IN the mountains and In days
gone by hundreds OF so-called snow
takes" for measuring snow depths we're
distributed through all the national
forests of this region. Forest rangers,
at their isolated, snowbound stations,
read and recorded the depth MEASURE
ments shown on these snow stakes at
intervals throughout the winter months.
IN estimating the probable amount
of r1lnoff water from the SnoWbankS,
however. this early information on
now depths proved to be Of little ma
5erial value and In some instances Leo
20 costly misconceptions.
When the great snow depths were
in the mountains it was sup
oosed that wet springs and prosperous
summers would follow but close op-
eryerg eventually discovered that sucn
vas not always the case. AT otner
times when relatively low snow depths
,nneared and forecasts Of drouth were
nade. the prognosticators were some
Times embarrassed to find the seasons
eactInQ in Just the opposite manner
If became obvious rom Ine
neaoer tests applied that snow depths
vavse M SIRE indication OF the amount
y PRECIPITATION that fell during the
rtufer. nor OF the true amount OF
vater in the hills.
AZ a result Of these laundering M
scientists were awakened
4 are fact that important undiscovered
arrnfa Law hidden IN Ghe neecy winter
~@ssSga NJ Kfxe mountains wen VARIANT
~ 49, NssssrmrRmA wxHmsA OF awaited re-