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Cleaning up a Burlington Northern Santa Fe wreck at tunnel 3.7, Jan. 16, 1977.
70 years ago
Feb. 27, 1948
Rangers Floyd Henderson and George Hill were headed to Cattle Queen Cabin in Glacier for the annual snow survey. The men would take a snowmobile to Packer’s Roost and then ski from there. The previous winter they had measured eight feet of snow on the level. Flathead National Forest timber sales were about 54 million board feet in 1947.
60 years ago
Feb. 28, 1958
Columbia Falls was one of the state’s eight designated targets in the event of a nuclear attack, Col. Ralph Sleator noted, because of its industrial development and transportation infrastructure. The Hungry Horse Dam wasn’t considered a significant target as it was 300 feet thick at its base. The target area was a 25 mile radius around Columbia Falls, which included Whitefish and Kalispell.
50 years ago
March 1, 1968
While the plight of slums, racial riots and Black Power were making national headlines, a story noted that the poverty on the Indian Reservations was going overlooked. It noted that a federal report showed that the average Blackfeet earned only $500 annually and half the labor force was unemployed.
40 years ago
March 2, 1978
Former Montana Gov. Hugo Aronson died Feb. 25. He was 86 and had lived at the Montana Veterans Home since April, 1973. Aronson was born in Sweden and came to the U.S. in 1911. He worked in Boston for a time and then came to Montana on a freight train in 1914. He worked as a ranchhand, homesteaded and served in World War I. He began his political career on the Cut Bank City Council. He was elected as governor in 1952 and served two terms.
30 years ago
March 2, 1988
Glacier Park’s operating budget rose 4 percent to $5.836 million. The Hungry Horse Reservoir was way down after a warmer and drier than average winter. It was 114 feet below full pool. Snow depths at Marias Pass were 14 inches below normal.
20 years ago
Feb. 26, 1998
The Columbia Falls boys basketball team took fourth at the Western A divisional tournament. The team was led by Josh Fields and Chris Finberg, but fell short, losing to Bigfork 78-70 in a bid to make state.
10 years ago
Feb. 28, 2008
Several residents whose homes were near Plum Creek’s Timber mills in Columbia Falls has settled with the company after they sued, claiming formaldehyde from the Medium Density Fiberboard plant had fouled their water wells. About 20 families filed suit in 2003. Plum Creek said the suit was without merit.