The Largest Snowflake in the World

I am currently in Miles City, Montana.  The most interesting thing about Miles City (as found on Wikipedia) is not the historical connections to the Battle of Little Bighorn, the connection to the great cattle drives of the Old West, or the world famous bucking horse sale that takes place here every spring.  The best information is this: “Guinness World Records reports that the largest natural snowflake ever measured, 15 inches in diameter, was recorded at Fort Keogh on 28 January 1887.” 

Fort Keogh was the first form of Miles City, named after Miles Keogh, one of the soldiers killed during the battle of Little Bighorn in 1876.  Captain Keogh rode the horse called “Comanche,” the sole surviving member of General Custer’s command.  The fort was established immediately following the battle and was founded where the Tongue River joins the Yellowstone.  Miles City formed a bit later when General Nelson Miles, the commander of Fort Keogh, evicted merchants who were selling booze to his soldiers and turning them into a raucous mob.  The evicted merchants established what became Miles City about two miles down the banks of the Yellowstone River.

Still, I am fascinated by the thought of that snowflake.   Naturally, the claim of the snowflake is unsupported.  Nonetheless, I think I am going to run with this information and use it broadly.  

I have been trying to imagine watching a snowflake like that drop from the sky.

--Mitchell Hegman