Columbia Falls History
Exactly twenty-one hours ago this column reported on a new little book by Ivan O’Neil’s cousin and my good friend, the late Carle O’Neil. The name of the book is, “Muscle, Grit, & Big Dreams.” Following are things locals should know from that book:
The first name of the town was “Monaco” used by a new post office as of Jan 19, 1891. The P.O. was given the people of Bad Rock country, with James J. Kennedy as post master. He had a “splendid” ranch in that neighborhood “conveniently located.”
The name “Monaco” was changed to Columbia Falls in July of 1891 with Kennedy still postmaster. Carl’s book covers all the bases regarding the origin of the name Columbia Falls. Kennedy was from California and came to visit his brother who was the mayor of Missoula and he “fell in love” with the Flathead, buying a 160-acre “farmstead” at Columbia Falls for $600.
Meanwhile, a key person on Jim Hall’s Great Northern staff had earlier leaked word in Butte and Helena that the Great Northern Railroad would enter the Flathead Valley through Bad Rock Canyon and this had motivated Butte Bankers to form a company to buy and tie up land in the Columbia Falls area. The company filed a townsite plat in March of 1891, and in September, this story appeared in the Missoula Gazette: “Twenty miles north of Demersville is the town of Columbia Falls. Its site is the most eligible in the Flathead Valley, and the visitor cannot fail to be favorable impressed with the town and its location. It is laid out on a high, level tract of bench land with heavy pine timber on all sides, giving a park-like appearance. The river is half a mile away from the center of town and between it and the river is a low bottom covered with a heavy growth of timber.”
The Butte bankers had their influence going because the Butte paper had a big story in the November 6 issue of 1891 saying “The principal point in the Flathead region is going to be Columbia Falls, which seems to possess all the natural advantages to build a great city … Not only will the Great Northern pass through Columbia Falls, but most likely the Northern Pacific branch will be extended to the same point. Of course there is room for only one large city and there is no doubt that Columbia Falls will be the business center of the Flathead Region.”
The NP actually did consider running a branch line from Polson up to Columbia Falls because of the then believed vast coal fields in the North Fork. Local old timers know the sad but funny story of one magnificent flop when a steam boat was built and went up the river to get some coal. Captain Lanneau said the boat couldn’t make it up to Coal Creek but the owners ordered him to try. The Kalispell Graphic reported “… not knowing the difference between a mud scow and a government gun boat, they ordered him up anyway.” Some of the wreckage can still be seen by trout fishermen in the area between Blankenship and Hungry Horse.
An ad in the April 24, 1891 Missoula Gazette said the town of Columbia Falls was started on March 1 and … “has now under construction or in operation: two saw mills, flouring mill, stone quarries, retail store, sash and door factory, grain elevator, lime kiln, water works, lath and shingle mill, brickyards, wholesale merchandise, wholesale liquors, newspaper, National Bank, $20,000 steamboat, $30,000 bridge, $40,000 hotel.”
Carle O’Neil ends his chapter on the North Valley with this observation:
Carle O’Neil’s fascinating history book was sold as a fund raising project by the non-profit Northwest Historical Society in 1996. Finding if there are any copies still around would be an interesting project for a local scholar with patience and spare time.
SOMEBODY! Go do it!
G. George Ostrom is a national award-winning Hungry Horse News columnist. He lives in Kalispell.