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70 years ago

Oct. 10, 1947

Glacier National Park had an overpopulation of elk. The Park had about 3,300 elk, park officials said, but only enough winter range for about 2,000 animals. One “solution” was to extend the hunting season along the Middle Fork — the Park’s southern boundary. Hunting inside the Park was not allowed. Front page photo featured some old-time North Forkers, including Harry Holcomb, Matt Brill, John Walsh and Henry Covey. Glacier Park today has a Covey Meadow.

60 years ago Oct. 11, 1957

Alvirda Hartley, 2-1/2 was injured after she fell out of a car and landed on her face. The toy apparently leaned on the car door handle and it opened. She fell out of the vehicle near the silver bridge. Fortunately, the car was only going about 30 mph, the story said. She was taken to the hospital for treatment. She had 22 stitches on her mouth and 14 on her face. Glacier Park’s Logan Pass was a winter wonderland with several inches of snow. The Sun Road was kept open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. so people could see it. Tire chains were recommended, but no one was using them.

50 years ago

Oct. 13, 1967

Columbia Falls was getting ready to install a sewer system for the city. Cost was about $970,000, with a federal loan and grants helping paying for about a third of it. The Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce kicked in $1,500 to pay for officially notifying homeowners to create the special improvement district. One letter-writer complained that Glacier Park was only managing for grizzly bears, not for people. He said the Park was being used as a “farm to rear and breed these people eatings species.”

40 years ago

Oct. 13, 1977

Author and biologist Doug Chadwick wrote a story for the Hungry Horse News talking about comparing the mountain goats of Olympic National Park to the goats of Glacier National Park. The goats in Olympic were introduced by sportsmen in the 1930s, while the goats in Glacier had been there for thousands of years. Olympic goats were disturbing natural vegetation communities in Olympic, Chadwick noted. As an aside, Chadwick also saw a bighorn ram court a nanny mountain goat, albeit briefly. The ram’s interest waned when he realized the goat wasn’t a sheep.

30 years ago

Oct. 14, 1987

A four-member panel concluded that Gary Goeden, a night clerk and the Swiftcurrent Inn in Many Glacier had likely been killed by a grizzly bear. Goeden , 29, had gone for a hike in the Apikuni Cirque area and was reported missing the next day. It looked like Goeden had encountered a grizzly and tried to climb a tree. The bear apparently got him. His remains were found on Sept. 1. Broken branches on the tree were part of the evidence.

20 years ago

Oct. 9, 1997

Mickie Gibson was named homecoming queen. James Kauffman was facing federal charges after he had to be rescued from the north face of Mount Siyeh in Glacier National Park. A BASE jumper, Kauffman tried to parachute off the face, was blown back into the mountain and hung there by his chute about 400 feet from the 10,014-foot summit. Ranger Charlie Logan was flown to the site via helicopter and saved Kauffman, who only had minor injuries. Kauffman was facing fines and a $5,000 to $10,000 bill for the rescue costs.

10 years ago

Oct. 11, 2007

Snow came to Glacier’s high country, but crews were still working on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. On the east side, they were still finishing a huge retaining wall that had to be built after a flood the fall before washed out a big chunk of the highway near the east side tunnel. On the west side, crews were scaling off dangerous rock and bolting other rock in place as part of the reconstruction of the highway.