Report on the lands of the arid region of the United States, with a more detailed account of the lands of Utah

by John Wesley Powell; Willis Drummond; Clarence E. Dutton; Grove Karl Gilbert; A. H. Thompson

Table II.—Precipitation of the Arid Region.

Station.	Latitude.	Longitude.	Height.	Mean precipitation, in inches.					Extent of record.
				Spring.	Summer.	Autumn.	Winter.	Year.
	° ´	° ´	Feet.						Y. M.
Albuquerque, N. Mex	35 06	106 38	5,032	0.83	4.35	2.04	0.89	8.11	12 2
Camp Bowie, Ariz	32 10	109 30	4,872	1.29	7.35	2.03	4.59	15.26	6 8
Camp Douglas, Utah	40 46	111 50	5,024	7.20	2.18	3.24	6.20	18.82	10 3
Camp Grant, Ariz	32 54	110 40	4,833	2.08	6.25	3.27	3.48	15.08	6 10
Camp Halleck, Nev	40 49	115 20	5,790	3.66	1.19	2.31	3.82	10.98	5 8
Camp Harney, Oreg	43 00	119 00	—	2.29	1.09	1.59	3.79	8.76	6 0
Camp Independence, Cal	36 50	118 11	4,800	1.09	0.35	0.62	4.54	6.60	8 2
Camp McDermitt, Nev	41 58	117 40	4,700	3.02	0.72	1.13	3.66	8.53	6 4
Camp McDowell, Ariz	33 46	111 36	—	1.11	4.79	1.73	3.82	11.45	8 2
Camp Mohave, Ariz	35 02	114 36	604	0.81	1.27	0.93	1.64	4.65	9 1
Camp Verde, Ariz	34 34	111 54	3,160	1.25	4.65	2.41	2.54	10.85	6 1
Camp Warner, Oreg	42 28	119 42	—	4.31	1.10	2.53	6.47	14.41	5 3
Camp Whipple, Ariz	34 27	112 20	5,700	3.88	8.07	2.15	5.18	19.28	7 5
Cantonment Burgwin, N. Mex	36 26	105 30	7,900	1.57	2.92	2.42	1.74	8.65	5 9
Drum Barracks, Cal	33 47	118 17	32	2.26	0.26	0.35	5.87	8.74	5 5
Denver, Colo	39 45	105 01	5,250	5.02	3.69	3.16	1.90	13.77	5 1
Fort Bayard, N. Mex	32 46	108 30	4,450	1.54	7.22	2.28	3.28	14.32	7 6
Fort Benton, Mont	47 50	110 39	2,730	5.34	4.48	1.65	1.79	13.26	7 1
Fort Bidwell, Cal	41 50	120 10	4,680	4.95	1.54	3.03	10.71	20.23	8 3
Fort Bliss (El Paso), Tex	31 47	106 30	3,830	0.43	3.49	3.38	1.23	8.53	14 3
Fort Boisé, Idaho	43 40	116 00	1,998	5.16	1.15	2.50	6.67	15.48	9 5
Fort Bridger, Wyo	41 20	110 23	6,656	2.99	2.05	1.68	1.71	8.43	12 10
Fort Buford, Dak	48 01	103 58	1,900	3.76	4.06	2.01	2.01	11.84	7 10
Fort Colville, Wash	48 42	118 02	1,963	3.63	3.04	2.56	4.83	14.06	11 0
Fort Craig, N. Mex	33 38	107 00	4,619	0.70	5.87	3.43	1.06	11.06	15 9
Fort D. A. Russell, Wyo	41 12	104 50	—	4.76	4.56	3.27	1.50	14.09	5 1
Fort Davis, Tex	30 40	104 07	4,700	1.84	8.76	4.72	1.80	17.12	8 11
Fort Defiance, Ariz	35 43	109 10	6,500	2.03	5.91	3.72	2.55	14.21	8 5
Fort Fetterman, Wyo	42 50	105 29	4,973	4.48	4.12	2.99	3.51	15.10	5 7
Fort Fillmore, N. Mex	32 14	106 42	3,937	0.48	4.16	3.02	0.76	8.42	8 3
Fort F. Steele, Wyo	41 47	106 57	6,841	4.57	3.48	3.05	4.28	15.38	5 5
Fort Garland, Colo	37 25	105 40	7,864	3.28	6.70	2.37	2.51	14.86	13 1
Fort Lapwai, Idaho	46 18	116 54	2,000	4.11	2.41	3.38	4.99	14.89	9 8
Fort Laramie, Wyo	42 12	104 31	4,472	5.35	4.40	2.73	1.97	14.45	17 8
Fort Lyon, Colo	38 08	102 05	4,000	4.33	5.44	2.30	0.49	12.56	7 9
Fort Massachusetts, Colo	37 32	105 23	8,365	3.12	5.56	6.28	2.27	17.23	5 1
Fort McPherson, Nebr	41 00	100 30	3,726	6.90	7.56	3.25	1.25	18.96	6 9
Fort McIntosh, Tex	27 35	99 48	806	3.22	6.56	5.38	2.35	17.51	14 7
Fort McRae, N. Mex	33 18	107 03	4,500	2.43	6.15	2.32	0.69	11.59	5 0
Fort Randall, Dak	43 01	98 37	1,245	4.72	6.22	3.40	1.18	15.52	15 6
Fort Rice, Dak	46 32	100 33	—	3.63	4.87	1.54	1.35	11.39	6 1
Fort Sanders, Wyo	41 17	105 36	7,161	3.55	4.15	2.33	1.43	11.46	6 10
Fort Selden, N. Mex	32 23	106 55	—	0.58	4.83	1.86	1.22	8.49	8 5
Fort Shaw, Mont	47 30	111 42	6,000	2.18	2.30	1.34	1.13	6.95	7 3
Fort Stanton, N. Mex	33 29	105 38	5,000	3.03	10.61	4.86	2.44	20.94	7 9
Fort Stevenson, Dak	47 36	101 10	—	3.41	4.97	2.15	1.31	11.84	6 2
Fort Stockton, Tex	30 20	102 30	4,950	1.24	5.66	3.31	1.29	11.50	5 8
Fort Sully, Dak	44 50	100 35	1,672	6.52	7.18	1.70	1.14	16.54	7 8
Fort Union, N. Mex	35 54	104 57	6,670	2.12	11.92	3.79	1.32	19.15	17 5
Fort Walla Walla, Wash	46 03	118 20	800	4.69	2.07	4.98	7.62	19.36	8 8
Fort Wingate, N. Mex	35 29	107 45	6,982	1.96	6.50	3.42	5.44	17.32	9 1
Fort Yuma, Cal	32 44	114 36	200	0.27	1.30	1.36	0.98	3.91	16 6
Ringgold Barracks, Tex	26 23	99 00	521	3.71	7.00	6.31	2.58	19.60	14 2
Salt Lake City, Utah	40 46	111 54	4,534	6.25	6.28	4.71	7.57	24.81	9 2
San Diego, Cal	32 42	117 14	150	1.89	0.36	1.89	5.17	9.31	24 2
Santa Fé, N. Mex	35 41	106 02	6,846	2.17	6.82	3.45	2.47	14.91	19 10

Table III.—Precipitation of the San Francisco Region.

Station.	Latitude.	Longitude.	Height.	Mean precipitation, in inches.					Extent of record.
				Spring.	Summer.	Autumn.	Winter.	Year.
	° ´	° ´	Feet.						Y. M.
Alcatraz Island	37 49	122 25	—	2.59	0.01	1.85	12.04	16.49	9 5
Angel Island	37 51	122 26	30	3.52	0.02	2.75	12.29	18.58	5 11
Benicia Barracks	38 03	122 09	64	4.10	0.13	2.28	8.39	14.90	18 3
Fort Miller	37 00	119 40	402	7.25	0.00	2.94	8.81	19.00	6 9
Fort Point	37 48	122 29	27	3.66	0.03	2.28	11.39	17.36	14 11
Monterey	36 37	121 52	40	4.43	0.26	2.24	8.78	15.71	12 3
Sacramento	38 34	121 26	81	5.55	0.09	2.76	10.84	19.24	18 3
San Francisco; Presidio	37 47	122 28	150	4.80	0.49	2.68	12.32	20.29	20 2
San Francisco	37 48	122 25	130	5.03	0.22	3.05	13.19	21.49	24 4

Table IV.—Precipitation of the Region of the Lower Columbia.

Station.	Latitude.	Longitude.	Height.	Mean precipitation, in inches.					Extent of record.
				Spring.	Summer.	Autumn.	Winter.	Year.
	° ´	° ´	Feet.						Y. M.
Astoria, Oreg	46 11	123 48	52	18.90	5.72	18.19	34.80	77.61	22 4
Cape Disappointment, Wash	46 17	124 03	30	14.97	5.97	20.46	29.84	71.24	5 9
Fort Dalles, Oreg	45 33	120 50	350	3.91	1.16	5.78	11.27	22.12	12 8
Camp Gaston, Cal	41 01	123 34	—	14.76	1.15	9.92	31.56	57.39	12 0
Camp Wright, Cal	39 48	123 17	—	8.26	0.27	8.17	27.27	43.97	9 8
Fort Crook, Cal	41 07	121 29	3,390	6.37	0.97	4.55	11.29	23.18	9 0
Fort Hoskins, Oreg	45 06	123 26	—	14.69	2.65	14.88	34.48	66.70	6 9
Fort Humboldt, Cal	40 45	124 10	50	9.36	0.73	6.49	18.73	35.31	11 2
Fort Jones, Cal	41 36	122 52	2,570	5.23	0.91	4.19	11.37	21.70	5 0
Fort Steilacoom, Wash	47 11	122 34	300	8.98	2.81	10.12	17.01	38.92	12 9
Fort Stevens, Oreg	46 12	123 57	—	17.67	7.88	18.21	34.81	78.57	6 5
Fort Umpqua, Oreg	43 42	124 10	8	16.83	2.86	15.64	32.08	67.41	5 10
Fort Vancouver, Wash	45 40	122 30	50	8.70	3.78	9.17	16.72	38.37	16 11
Fort Yamhill, Oreg	45 21	123 15	—	13.10	2.39	13.20	26.90	55.59	9 3
Portland, Oreg	45 30	122 36	45	13.75	2.50	11.31	19.64	47.20	7 0
Port Townsend, Wash	48 07	122 45	8	5.45	4.22	2.31	4.07	16.05	5 6
San Juan Island, Wash	48 28	123 01	150	5.01	4.60	7.89	10.84	28.34	9 4

DISTRIBUTION OF RAIN THROUGH THE YEAR.

In a general way the limit of agriculture without irrigation, or “dry farming”, is indicated by the curve of 20 inches rainfall, and where the rainfall is equally distributed through the year this limitation is without exception. But in certain districts the rainfall is concentrated in certain months so as to produce a “rainy season”, and wherever the temperature of the rainy season is adapted to the raising of crops it is found that “dry farming” can be carried on with less than 20 inches of annual rain. There are two such districts upon the borders of the Arid Region, and within its limits there may be a third.

First District.—Along the eastern border of the Arid Region a contrast has been observed between the results obtained at the north and at the south. In Texas 20 inches of rain are not sufficient for agriculture, while in Dakota and Minnesota a less amount is sufficient. The explanation is clearly developed by a comparison of the tables of rainfall with reference to the distribution of rain in different seasons.

Table V.—Precipitation of Texas.