The Winter of 1886-87:

The winter of 1886-87 in Montana, often referred to as "The Great Die-Up" or "The Big Die-Up," was a catastrophic event that dramatically reshaped the burgeoning free-range cattle industry of the American West. Following a period of unchecked expansion and several mild winters, the region was ill-prepared for the brutal conditions that descended, leading to immense losses and ultimately, the demise of the open-range era.

The Heyday of the Open Range

Prior to 1886, Montana and other northern plains states were seen as a rancher's paradise. Vast, unfenced grasslands provided seemingly limitless grazing for cattle, requiring minimal investment in infrastructure or winter feed. European and American investors, lured by the promise of quick profits, poured money into large-scale cattle operations. Herds swelled to unprecedented numbers, with some accounts suggesting as many as 80,000 head being managed in a single season. This era saw the rise of iconic figures like Nelson Story, who famously drove thousands of Texas Longhorns north to Montana in 1866, and powerful organizations like the Montana Stockgrowers' Association, formed in 1884 to address the challenges of this burgeoning industry (Montana Ranching History).

The allure of the open range was based on a simple, yet ultimately flawed, premise: that nature would always provide. Mild winters throughout the early 1880s lulled ranchers into a false sense of security, leading many to forgo the traditional practice of putting up hay for winter feed. This overconfidence, coupled with significant overstocking of the range, created a precarious situation. The sheer number of cattle, combined with a series of hot, dry summers and pervasive prairie fires in the preceding years, had already begun to degrade the rangelands. The once-lush grasses were diminished, and water sources dwindled, leaving the animals vulnerable even before the harsh winter arrived (History.com, Smithsonian Magazine).

The Winter's Fury: The Great Die-Up

The summer of 1886 was particularly parched, leaving the range barren. Signs of an impending harsh winter were observed early: birds flew south sooner, beavers collected more wood, and some cattle grew unusually thick coats (Wikipedia: Winter of 1886–87). The first significant snows fell in November, heavier and earlier than usual. However, the true catastrophe unfolded in January 1887.

On January 9, 1887, a blizzard of unprecedented intensity swept across the northern plains. Sixteen inches of snow fell in as many hours, accompanied by gale-force winds and temperatures that plummeted to 40, 50, and even 60 degrees below zero in some areas (Big Sky Journal, History.com). Cattle, already weakened from the preceding dry summer and lacking any stored feed, were ill-equipped to survive. The deep snow made it impossible for them to dig down to the scant remaining forage. To make matters worse, a brief warm spell, a "Chinook" wind, melted the top layer of snow, only for brutal cold to return, encasing the landscape in a thick, impenetrable layer of ice. This effectively sealed off any remaining grass, condemning the cattle to starvation (History.com).

Ranchers, many of them absentee owners living far from the plains, could do little but watch their herds perish. Animals froze to death standing upright, and carcasses piled up against fences, in coulees, and along riverbeds (Big Sky Journal, American Cowboy). The scale of the death was horrific. Estimates suggest that between 50% and 90% of the cattle on the northern ranges perished (Wikipedia: Big Die-Up, Smithsonian Magazine, American Cowboy). In Montana alone, an estimated 362,000 head of cattle, more than half of the territory's herd, were lost (Milton Ranch LLC). The stench of rotting carcasses lingered for months after the spring thaw, contaminating water sources and painting a grim picture across the vast landscape (Big Sky Journal, History.com).

Future President Theodore Roosevelt, whose cattle ranch in the Dakota Territory was severely impacted, famously remarked in a letter to Henry Cabot Lodge, "Well, we have had a perfect smashup all through the cattle country of the northwest. The losses are crippling" (Wikipedia: Winter of 1886–87).

"Waiting for a Chinook": Charlie Russell's Iconic Depiction

Amidst this devastation, a young cowboy and aspiring artist named Charles M. Russell, working on the O-H Ranch in the Judith Basin of Central Montana, created a small, poignant watercolor that would become one of his most famous works and a powerful symbol of the winter's tragedy.

The story goes that the ranch foreman received a letter from the owner, asking for an update on the herd's condition after the relentless winter. Instead of a written report, Russell painted a small, postcard-sized watercolor and sent it back. This simple, yet evocative, image depicted a lone, emaciated steer, head down, standing forlornly in deep snow, surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves. The caption Russell scrawled across the bottom, "Waiting for a Chinook," spoke volumes, encapsulating the desperate hope for a warm wind to melt the snow and bring relief, a hope that for many cattle and ranchers, would never materialize. The painting is also sometimes known as "The Last of Five Thousand" (Russell Country, ResearchGate).

This postcard-sized painting, initially a stark and honest report on the ranch's dire situation, quickly gained notoriety. The ranch owner showed it to friends and business acquaintances, and it was eventually displayed in a shop window in Helena, Montana (Russell Country). Its raw realism and emotional impact resonated deeply with those who had witnessed or suffered through the "Great Die-Up." It launched Russell's career, establishing his reputation as an artist who truly understood and could portray the realities of the American West. He later created a more detailed version of "Waiting for a Chinook," which remains one of his most recognized and enduring works, a testament to the brutal winter of 1886-87 and its profound impact on the cattle industry (Russell Country).

(Sources for "Waiting for a Chinook" include:

"Charlie Russell - Russell Country | Explore Central Montana"

"Timeline | Amon Carter Museum of American Art" (which mentions postcard reproductions of the painting)

"Waiting for a Chinook, 1886: The Last of 5000 by Charlie Russell... - ResearchGate"

"The Great Die-Up | Colorado Encyclopedia" (which mentions the painting in context)

"Winter of 1886–87 in the United States - Wikipedia" (which also references the painting)

"The 1887 Blizzard That Changed the American Frontier Forever - Smithsonian Magazine" (which discusses the context of the painting's creation)

The End of an Era and Lasting Effects

The "Great Die-Up" delivered a decisive blow to the open-range cattle industry. The financial losses were staggering, with many large cattle companies, some with significant foreign investment, going bankrupt. The number of large-scale cattle companies in Colorado, for instance, dropped from fifty-eight in 1885 to just nine in 1888 (Colorado Encyclopedia). In Montana, once-thriving outfits like the McGavic Johnston Cattle Company and the Merridan Cattle Company were decimated, and many sold out or went out of business (Milton Ranch LLC).

The winter forced a fundamental shift in ranching practices. The romanticized image of limitless grazing gave way to a more pragmatic and sustainable approach. Ranchers learned the hard lesson that they could no longer rely solely on nature's bounty. The immediate consequence was a significant reduction in herd sizes. More importantly, the disaster spurred the widespread adoption of fenced pastures and the systematic cultivation and storage of winter feed, such as hay (History.com, Smithsonian Magazine). Barbed wire, which had been gradually introduced, became an essential tool for defining property lines and controlling herds, effectively ending the era of boundless open-range grazing (Colorado Encyclopedia, Montana Ranching History).

The social landscape of Montana also changed. While many ranchers abandoned their "cowboy dreams" and returned east, those who remained adapted. The cowboy's role evolved from simply herding vast, unfenced herds to more localized management within fenced pastures. Some cowboys, driven out of work, turned to "riding the chuck-line" or even rustling to survive (American Cowboy).

The "Great Die-Up" was a brutal, but ultimately transformative, event. It exposed the vulnerabilities of an industry built on unsustainable practices and a romanticized view of the Western landscape. While it marked the end of the unfettered open range, it ushered in an era of more diversified and managed ranching, with a greater emphasis on land preservation and animal husbandry. The stark lessons learned during that devastating winter laid the groundwork for the modern ranching industry, forever changing the face of the American West.