Winter of 1886-1887

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The Winter of 1886-1887 was an extremely harsh winter. Although it affected other regions in the United States, it is most known for its effects on the Western United States and its cattle industry. This winter marked the end of the Open Range era and led to the entire reorganization of ranching.

The winter came early, sometime in early November. Strangely enough, the summer had been unusually hot and dry. There were numerous prairie fires, and water sources often dried up. Then in the fall, animals grew unusually heavy coats, gathering more food than usual and displaying abnormal behavior. Few people paid attention to this except for old-timers. When the snow came in the late fall, it was already too late. There was not enough time to prepare for the harsh conditions ahead.

Freezing cold temperatures took the lives of both humans and animals. In some instances, people got lost between the house and the barn and ended up freezing to death very close to their front door. The loss of livestock did not become apparent until spring. It was then that a large number of carcasses of cattle were spread across the fields and washing down streams.

The few cattle that were left were in bad shape. These creatures were skin and bones and their appendages were frozen. They were also very weak and could barely stand. This resulted in the cattle going for much lower prices. In some cases this led to bankruptcy. Also, financial crisis occurred in the early 1890s. This and other circumstances during the aftermath made things even worse and the cattle industry was never restored to its former glory.