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70 years ago

Jan. 24, 1947

Front page story featured Chance Beebe, a former assistant chief Glacier Park ranger, biologist and renowned mountain lion hunter. Beebe tracked down the “phantom” mountain lion up the North Fork in 1923. The cat was known as the phantom because it would backtrack in its own tracks, then leap off the trail, avoiding the dog’s pursuit. But Beebe, with a mongrel from the streets of Columbia Falls, tracked down the elusive cat and shot it on the third day of the hunt. Another hunt lasted 12 days in the South Fork at Spotted Bear, went north to the Middle Fork at Nyack, then ended at Tiger Creek in the South Fork. Beebe’s wife had a mountain lion coat, made from the skins of five cats Beebe had taken.

60 years ago

Jan. 31, 1957

Lake McDonald had frozen over the second winter in a row. It usually only froze over about every five years. Crews were working in sub-zero weather to build a 90-foot bridge over Big Creek up the North Fork. Liquor sales were down. In 1956, the state liquor store sold $145,930.60 of liquor, down from $187,655 in 1955. Susie, a well-known ewe bighorn sheep in Many Glacier was found dead. She was believed to be about 16 years old. Susie was known for letting herself into the caretaker’s cabin by nudging the door open.

50 years ago

Jan. 27, 1967

Two more potlines were under construction at the Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant. Ralph M. Parsons Co. was the general contractor. The Montana Legislature was considering closing the Montana Veterans Home in Columbia Falls in favor of providing care for residents at the Galen State Hospital. Bids for the Libby Dam were set to be open Feb. 16 in Seattle.

40 years ago

Jan. 27, 1977

There was a warning issued about cases of measles coming to the Flathead Valley. There were a lot of cases in Lincoln County at the Libby Junior High and the fear was that the disease was going to spread to the west. Flathead County had hired Wilbur Walter to fight welfare fraud. He was doing a good job, with 37 cases in three months. “Freeloaders get the Ax” was the headline.

30 years ago

Jan. 28, 1987

Pilot Mike Strand of Kalispell made an emergency landing on his small airplane on the North Fork Road just north of Columbia Falls. He’s bought the aircraft that day in High River, Alberta and was flying home when he flew into a blizzard en route to Glacier Park International Airport. So he landed in the road and taxied the aircraft into town, stopping at the North Fork Lanes bowling alley, which had a parking lot big enough for the Cessna 182. Columbia Falls resident Gary Hall was on the game show, “The Price is Right” and won a $1,000 set of gold clubs.

20 years ago

Jan. 23, 1997

Glacier Park biologist Steve Gniadek found a set of wolverine tracks near Apgar in the snow while he was out doing the annual Christmas bird count. He figured he just missed seeing the animal as the tracks were fresh and there was heavy, wet, snow falling. The state Legislature was giving little chance to a proposed sales tax. Montana is one of the few states in the union that still does not have a statewide sales tax.

10 years ago

Jan. 25, 2007

Canadians also showed their opposition to the Cline Mine, a coal mine that was proposed near the North Fork of the Flathead River in British Columbia. A rare owl, the Northern Hawk Owl, was spotted during Glacier Park’s annual Christmas bird count. The birds are fairly rare today as well, though they are occasionally spotted in the Park’s numerous burns, both on the Park’s east and west sides. The Columbia Falls speech and debate team won the divisional title.