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It was on this day in 1887 that a rancher in Fort Keogh, Montana reported seeing a "snowflake as big as a milk pan" fall to the ground, recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Fort Keogh is a former United States Army Post on the banks of the Yellowstone River in eastern Montana. The town is named after Myles Koegh, a veteran of the Civil War who earned the rank of major after fighting valiantly in the Battle of Gettysburg. He later fought under General Custer in the Battle of Little Bighorn where he was killed. His horse, Comanche, was found wandering riderless.
In keeping with its military tradition, Fort Keogh supplied thousands of horses for the First World War. In 1924, a beef production lab opened in the town which houses 2000 cows.
At its height in the 1880's, the town of Fort Keogh boasted about 120 buildings. Today, only four remain.
The snow continues to fall on the former fort. But one would be hard pressed to find a snowflake bigger than the 15 inch one recorded on that day back in 1887.
Abandonned building in Fort Keogh circa 1989 courtesy upload.wikimedia.org.
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