More on Ford School

After all of the email furor that led me to write last week’s column about the old Ford School, I decided to do a little research. Spent part of two days at the U.S. Forest Service Office talking to officials in charge of managing the property. Guess what? They had not initiated any discussion about the Ford School.

There are no plans to dispose of the building. There are no plans to destroy it or move it to another site. There are no plans to restore it. Bottom line - there is no plan for anything to be done with the building.

That being said, they ARE interested in making a plan, especially if there is a possibility of community interest. Better yet if the North Fork community might be a partner in implementing the plan.

In general terms they believe, and I agree, that the best option is to restore the building in its present location. We believe moving it would diminish some of its history.

Because the building has been empty for years there is no real knowledge of what needs to be done. For sure the windows are broken and need new glass. The foundation needs to be assessed, as well as the roof, while the logs seem to be okay but the sill logs may need to be replaced.

Any restoration may range from relatively minor to a major project.

If the first step is to protect and restore the building itself, the second step would be more difficult. What to do with it to maintain it, and for what would it be used?

The Forest Service is anxious to receive community input, as well as possible help to achieve both steps.

If North Fork groups were to invite the Forest Service, they would be happy to come to the North Fork and work on developing a plan to save and utilize this historic building.

As of now, Mike Flowers, Flathead Forest Archaeologist, will be on the North Fork in May, and Lois Walker and I will give him a tour. Hopefully, the NFIA will invite him to the June meeting and discussions can begin.

To my knowledge, the Ford School is the only remaining school building on the North Fork. We think it was built about the time of World War I and it was in use as a school until World War II, and there has been no North Fork public school since the Ford School closed.

Anyone with knowledge of who built it and exactly when, or anyone with pictures or just stories about the school they are willing to share, please contact me at P.O. Box 3, Columbia Falls, by email to lwilson@aboutmontana.net, or call 406-892-5951.

Larry Wilson’s North Fork Views appears weekly in the Hungry Horse News.