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70 years ago

Jan. 31, 1947

Glacier National Park reported it had 30 people injured by bears in 1941. A study found that 30 percent were injured when they tried to have their picture taken with the bear; 25 percent were associated with feeding the bear; 12 percent were onlookers to someone trying to feed a bear and a brave 6 percent actually tried to pet or touch the bear. One story was that a mother put her 3-year-old child on the back of the bear and said “You can ride him dearie, but remember, don’t pull his hair.”

One of rangers biggest problems was people feeding bears.

“Living on handouts will destroy a bear, just as it will the character of a man,” one ranger noted.

60 years ago

Feb. 1, 1957

The West Glacier Lions Club had set up a tow rope and ski slope in Glacier National Park at Stevens Meadow. Dan Lundgren operated the tow rope. Flathead lawmakers were calling for construction of the Spruce Park Dam up the Middle Fork of the Flathead. The idea was to divert the flood waters into the Hungry Horse Reservoir via a tunnel, which would increase power output at the dam. Spruce Park was never constructed. The site is in the Great Bear Wilderness today.

50 years ago

Feb. 3, 1967

Moisture content in the Flathead snow courses were 39 percent above normal and the Bonneville Power Administration and Bureau of Reclamation would continue their cloud seeding program, “Unless the snowpack indicates a potentially damaging conditions exists.” Silver iodide was used to with the hopes of creating more snow and rain. Meanwhile, they were racing snowmobiles at Cliff Sedivy’s place north of Columbia Falls near Teakettle Mountain. In town, rain had melted the snow and the front page had a picture of a couple of kids playing a puddle of water under a slide at the playground.

40 years ago

Feb. 3, 1977

There was significant debate on the Great Bear Wilderness creating. Noted biologist Doug Chadwick was the Flathead President of the Montana Wilderness Association and a proponent of the wilderness area. But the U.S. Geological Survey told the Forest Service it had good potential for natural gas reserves.

30 years ago

Feb. 4, 1987

Folks were worried that the state was looking to cut funding for Flathead Valley Community College in half. Former Glacier Park superintendent Bill Briggle, who was now the director of the Northwest Regional Office of the Park Service was worried about his job after the Reagan administration had plans to close the Seattle office. The Husky Service Station on U.S. Highway 2 was being razed to make way for the Wallflower flower shop. Dave Windauer and Tom Kemppainen were divisional champions for the Columbia Falls wrestling team.

20 years ago

Jan. 30, 1997

Lanny Luding sold the Belton Chalets to to Heldon Bay Holdings, he announced. A Hungry Horse woman was buried in snow after it fell off a woodpile. April Billi was getting wood when a huge slab of snow came off a tarp and buried her. Mark Mellum, Billi’s brother-in-law dug her out after her nieces found her buried. She suffered a broken ankle and would have died — when she was uncovered her mouth was plugged with snow.

10 years ago

Feb. 1, 2007

Loic Rogers was found drowned in a septic tank near the child’s home in Evergreen. His father, Mark, reported the boy missing and a massive search took place with more than 300 volunteers looking for the boy.

The lid of the tank was above ground. Sheriff Mike Meehan promised a full investigation of the incident. The death was later ruled accidental.