No headline
The old Mint Bar in Hungry Horse was being moved to Mountain View when the trailer hit a bump and it went off into the ditch in the Bad Rock canyon, Feb. 5, 1953. It took crews all weekend to clean up the mess. They took apart the building, which was made with railroad ties, one tie at a time.
70 years ago
May 16, 1947
William Adair, a North Fork pioneer died. Adair, 80, came to the Flathead in 1895, and in 1904 leased land 22 miles north of Belton in what is now Glacier National Park. He established a general store and in 1916 he moved the store to his homestead at Polebridge. He sold the store to Mr. and Mrs. Rover in 1943 and moved to Kalispell.
A big black bear opened the door of Art Anderson’s car in Glacier Park looking for food. Anderson had parked his car near the Garden Wall and went off to plow snow as a member of the Park’s plow crew. There was no food in the car, but the door closed behind the bear and the bear destroyed the interior. Anderson said he wished the bear knew how to open a door from the inside.
60 years ago
May 17, 1957
Crews were going to drill holes upwards of 400 feet into the side of the mountain to keep the Babb-Many Glacier Road from sinking. The hope was to insert perforated pipe that would drain the water away and keep the road from slumping. Doesn’t appear to have worked — the road slumps in several locations still today. Logan Pass was set to open May 28. Glacier Park Co. announced meal price increases. Breakfast would now be $1.75, lunch $2 and dinner $4.25.
50 years ago
May 19, 1967
The Creston Fish Hatchery was raising more than 1 million westslope cutthroat trout. The hatchery was founded in 1940 and championed by then Sen. B.K. Wheeler to stock waters in Glacier National Park. The hatchery was no longer rearing rainbow trout. The cutthroat stock came from the Hungry Horse Reservoir.
40 years ago
May 19, 1977
Fifty years prior, Dr. J. Arthur Lamb brought the first radio station — KGEZ — to the Flathead. Lamb came to Kalispell in 1901 and was a physician for more than 43 years. Lamb secured a license for the radio station in January, 1927. He was an amateur radio operator prior to that.
30 years ago
May 13, 1987
Wolf traps were set on a St. Mary ranch after two wolves killed a 900-pound cow on Jim Hall’s spread on the South Fork of the Milk River. Wolves were on the Endangered Species List and the plan was to trap the wolves and move them to Glacier or the Bob Marshall Wilderness, if they could be caught. But Glacier Park officials at the time said they weren’t sure they wanted the wolves. The Forest Service had reservations about taking the wolves as well. Both agencies said these wolves weren’t necessarily what was needed for wolf recovery.
20 years ago
May 15, 1997
Fire destroyed the home of North Forker Cheryl Watts. The cause of the blaze was likely a faulty chimney. The cabin was built about five miles north of Polebridge, built from logs harvested on the property. A grizzly bear bluff charged five cyclists on the Going-to-the-Sun Road, coming within 20 feet of the people before it stopped. It was a grizzly sow with two cubs near Logan Creek. No one was hurt and the bears went on their way.
10 years ago
May 17, 2007
Five people ended up in the hospital after an SUV slammed into the back of school bus in Columbia Heights. The driver of the SUV, Heidi Hopper, was ticketed. According to Montana Highway Patrol, Hopper hit the back of the bus going 55 mph and there was no evidence that she even attempted to brake. Hopper, the bus driver and three children were taken to the hospital for treatment.