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70 years ago

Dec. 10, 1948

Jensen and LaValley of Kalispell were the low bidders to put a 6,000-plus foot fence around Lion Lake above Hungry Horse. The fence was needed to protect the water, as, believe it or not, the lake was used as the drinking water supply for the town. The low bid was $9,901. Today, the swampy lake is a fishing hole for locals and the fence is long gone.

60 years ago

Dec. 12, 1958

Martha Sloan of West Glacier reported seeing an unusual sight — 75 bald eagles swooping all day long during a blizzard just outside Glacier National Park. The birds would leave the trees in the storm, then fly out and return. Sloan had a theory that they were having a hard time holding onto the branches in the strong winds. One hundred oil leases were filed for 25 cents an acre between Columbia Falls and Whitefish by the California Company.

50 years ago

Dec. 13, 1958

A study claimed that cloud seeding in the South Fork of the Flathead increased precipitation in the area by 5 percent, which amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional power output by the Hungry Horse Dam. Vicki Byrd was named Columbia Falls Junior Miss of 1969.

40 years ago

Dec. 14, 1978

Someone stole a 4-foot tall Santa from the home of Scott Ulrich, apparently in broad daylight. When Mrs. Ulrich came home, the Santa was gone. Superintendent Phil Iverson OK’d shooting part of “Johnson County War” in Glacier National Park. He said he didn’t perceive any conflict of use with the public and the film. But filmmakers at one point would end up transforming Two Medicine into a town for the movie that was “Heaven’s Gate” — a colossal Hollywood flop.

30 years ago

Dec. 14, 1988

Mike Harris survived a 200-foot fall in his rig off the Highway 35 bridge down the the bank the Flathead River. Harris bent over to grab a cigarette off the floor when he went off the bridge. The pickup truck had a camper on the back. Harris sustained little more than broken teeth. He ran away from the wreck immediately because a propane tank had broken and he was afraid it would explode — it didn’t.

20 years ago

Dec. 10, 1998

Crews had started tearing down the water tower at the Montana Veterans Home. The Park’s General Management Plan called for building a museum to house the Glacier National Park’s archives. One still hasn’t been built and a host of items remain in storage. A marauding grizzly was smashing cabins in the North Fork. The bear, based on its tracks, was estimated to be about 600 pounds. Fred Meyer stores would change their name to Smith’s Food and Drug.

10 years ago

Dec. 11, 2008

The federal government eased rules for guns in national parks, allowing a person that had a concealed weapon permit to carry a gun in a park like Glacier. Today, a person can legally carry a gun in a national park outside of federal buildings, but hunting is illegal. Most people don’t carry weapons, however, opting for bear spray as personal protection.