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Many Glacier Hotel manager Ian B. Tippet in the lobby of the hotel, Aug. 29, 1976. (Mel Ruder photo)
70 years ago
March 28, 1947
Workers were completing 50 prefabricated homes in the Hungry Horse Village to accommodate workers on the Hungry Horse Dam. In addition, there were 25 duplexes. There was also preparation to move the Spotted Bear Road out of the way of the eventual reservoir. About 20 miles of road would have to be rebuilt. It was estimated that the logging of the South Fork for the reservoir would result in 80 to 90 million board feet of timber. A horse that died about 2.5 miles up the North Fork Road was causing unpleasant odors in Columbia Falls.
60 years ago
March 28, 1957
The VFW was closing its bar in town. The club decided to offer the building to Moody’s Clothing. A company was digging peat up the North Fork and had plans to bag and sell it. Miss Emelia Cook, a fifth grade teacher, was named Columbia Falls’ “Woman of the Year.” Mrs. John Fabian, caretaker at the Lake McDonald Lodge, had one of the most scenic clotheslines in the world — Mount Brown was the back drop to the line, in Glacier National Park.
50 years ago
March 31, 1967
Big Mountain was reporting 153 inches of snow at the summit. The employment at the Libby Dam construction was expected to be 1,800 people and there were 687 men working on the expansion of the Anaconda Aluminum Plant in Columbia Falls. Mr. and Mrs. Cal Oien were set to purchase the Polebridge Store (Mercantile) from Mr. and Mrs. Ted Ross. It was the only retail outlet between Columbia Falls and the Canadian border.
40 years ago
March 31, 1977
The job picture was improving. The unemployment rate in the Flathead had been 15.9 percent the winter before. Now it was 13.3 percent in January. Glacier was revising its bear policy, with the hopes that all bear sightings would be reported in the same day they occurred. The mountain snowpack improved in March, but it was still below normal, at 68 percent of average.
30 years ago
April 1, 1987
The drinking age was set to rise to 21. It had been 19. Don Falcon and daughter Dawn were given the “High Point Youth Mare of the Nation” award for their showing of their red roan quarterhorse mare, A Pretty Conclusion in Florida. It was the first time a horse from Montana won the award. Chrys Landrigan was set to buy the Polebridge Mercantile from Karen Feather.
20 years ago
April 3, 1997
Noted author and mountain climber J. Gordon Edwards wrote an opinion piece saying that United Nations extremists wanted to take control of our national parks. Edwards was worried the Park Service was shutting out local voices in its planning meetings and that biosphere reserves were being made without local, state and Congressional approval. Vaughn Shafer of Hungry Horse measured 184.5 inches of snow at his home, as the winter of ‘96-97 shattered snow record totals. At the airport, there was an even 12 feet of snow for the winter, eclipsing the winter of ‘51-’52 when 101 inches were recorded. Problem was, it was still snowing, the stories noted.
10 year ago
March 29, 1997
Fire damaged the RBM Lumber Mill in Columbia Heights, but a quick response by firefighters helped saved the mill from burning down entirely. Glacier Park was holding community “listening sessions” on future park operations, as President Bush had set up a program that would match federal dollars with private donations to fund park projects. Superintendent Mick Holm was making the rounds, visiting cities and towns in Montana to keep up the public outreach.