A 65th birthday
K.J. HASCALL / Hungry Horse News
There is considerable country weekly newspaper tradition in Columbia Falls," wrote Mel Ruder, founder and original editor of the Hungry Horse News Aug. 8, 1946.
When Ruder, a 31-year-old Navy veteran, founded the newspaper now at the foot of Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls, he had high hopes, many of which came to fruition. Ruder's writing style is instantly recognizable. His photos have been featured in numerous publications. He was a fantastic editor who won a Pulitzer Prize. The newspaper you hold in your hands is famous worldwide.
In volume one, edition one of the Hungry Horse News, Mel's bold headline across the top of the broadsheet read 'Work Continues Despite Moratorium.' He noted that pre-construction work continued on the Hungry Horse Dam project despite the halting of awarding contracts under the public works program.
Mel noted in his quirky style that "Bikini had nothing on us, for Columbia Falls unknowingly anticipated the atomic bomb by 54 years when it named its main street 'Nucleus.' The nucleus is the heart and positive charge of every atom.
"Founder Frank Langford in 1891 probably wanted to get away from such ordinary names as Main or Center street, so he called the principal street Nucleus, which meant about the same thing as main or center. They weren't very atom conscious.
"Since Almagordo, Hiroshima Nagasaki and more recently the two Bikini tests, the nucleus is thought of as the heart of the atom, so we enter the atomic age with our main street's name, now 55 years old, right in step with the times."
And perhaps showing a sign of the times, Mel ran a brief snippet about Glacier National Park attendance. Mel Ruder himself played a big part in showcasing the upper Flathead Valley, Canyon and Glacier National Park. In 1946, the Park saw more than 2,000 people enter a day. In 1945, 67,000 people visited the Park. In 2010, we're well on track to reach 2 million again this year.
Mel hired Gladys Shay (nee Van) as society editor and reporter. One famous photo shows Gladys perched atop a hay bale, proofing pages.
Shay recalled the rigor of working at the newspaper with a top-notch newspaperman:
"He was a perfectionist, persistent, competitive and could be compassionate," she wrote. "His personality could be abrasive if interrupted during his few hours in the office.
"Correct spelling of names, dates, places and other information was a prime requirement. Research involved hours many times.
"Mel was very protective of news and thoroughly irritated if a story broke elsewhere before we had it. This even carried down to the death of a prominent resident who dared to die Friday. Press day was Thursday."
Mel's tenure as editor ended in 1978, when he sold the newspaper to Brian Kennedy from Wyoming. Following Kennedy as managing editor were Tom Lawrence, Jerry Garner, Chris Peterson, Joe Sova, Tom Hess and yours truly. Many other journalists have found their voice at this newspaper. Hungry Horse News alumni include Burl Lyons, former Daily Inter Lake editor and publisher; Scott Crandell, assistant managing editor at the Daily Inter Lake; Lynnette Hintze, features editor at the Daily Inter Lake; and Rob Cheney and Michael Jamison, both of the Missoulian.
Sixty-five years after its founding, the Hungry Horse News continues chugging away at the news business. Over the years, the "Horse" has featured in its pages coverage of devastating fires, the completion of the Hungry Horse Dam, the popularity of Glacier National Park, area sports, state championships, Heritage Days and North Fork Road debates.
Mel wrote in that first edition, "Now the 'Hungry Horse News and Columbian' starts. No other newspaper in the world is going to be more interested in the upper Flathead valley, its development and people, than this paper."
There's one thing that hasn't changed.