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Girl Scout Week, 1962 had Carol Livingston, Jean Fisher, Marceen Logan and Janet Shay decorating windows at Davall’s in Columbia Falls. It was the Golden Anniversary of the scouts.
70 years ago
Nov. 28, 1947
F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. was awarded what was believed to be the single largest timber sale on state-owned land in Northwest Montana. The sale, just north of Whitefish Lake, was for 16.18 million board feet. Columbia Falls Marshall Byron West got a two-way radio in his car, so he could communicate with the Sheriff’s office. The Columbia Falls basketball season was opening with a game against St. Ignatius.
60 years ago
Nov. 29, 1957
John and Frank Craighead had an article about geese living in the Flathead Valley in National Geographic magazine. The story was about the geese nesting on islands and the shore of Flathead Lake. It featured 15 illustrations — 12 in color. Plum Creek’s box plant was going strong and employed 29 men.
50 years ago
Dec. 1, 1967
The year 1967 was ranked as the fourth worst fire year in Glacier Park history at the time. The worst year was 1910. In 1929, the Half Moon Fire burned about 100,000 acres — 50,000 in the Park. The 1967 fires burned about 12,000 acres. July in 1967 saw .11 inches of rain and August just .17 inches of rain — similar to what happened in Glacier this year.
40 years ago
Dec. 1, 1977
Author Doug Chadwick wrote a story about new roads and industrial logging that was planned for the Canadian Flathead. There was also concern about coal mines and further motorized use in the region and the eventual connection between the U.S. and Canada by road. The logging happened — the road system up there is rough at best today. But the coal mining and connecting roads never happened. The border today remains closed.
30 years ago
Dec. 2, 1987
There was a campaign on to tell kindergartners in Columbia Falls schools not to smoke. The kids were given anti-tobacco buttons. The hope was to have a tobacco-free class of 2000 when the kids graduated from high school. Bill Sapa was named the most valuable player of the 1987 Glacier Twins baseball team.
20 years ago
Nov. 27, 1997
Columbia Falls couple Dutch and Jim Porteus were raising a host of turkeys for slaughter for Thanksgiving. They were selling the birds for $1.25 per pound, which was more than the 89 cents per pound they were selling for in the grocery stores. Dutch said the birds were “dumber than a post.” But they tasted good. Raising turkeys had been a family business for the past 10 years.
10 years ago
Nov. 29, 2007
A Columbia Falls man was facing banishment from the City of Columbia Falls. Mark Irvine pleaded guilty to burglary in the case and as part of the plea agreement, prosecutors wanted to ban him from the city, Hungry Horse and West Glacier. Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Commissioner Vic Workman shot and killed a grizzly that charged him while he was elk hunting. Workman claimed bears should be de-listed from the Endangered Species List.