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Edwin Donaldson with twin sheep that were born in Feb. 1950. The sheep were nicknamed 30 below because of the temperature the day they were born.
70 years ago
July 2, 1948
The Columbia Falls Rodeo had a $1,000 purse as part of a celebration in the city that included a street carnival and other events planned for July 10 as part of the official start of the Hungry Horse Dam construction. Proceeds from the shows would be used to finish up the Columbia Falls City Hall, which also housed the volunteer fire department. On July 10 at noon, Gov. Sam Ford would set off a dynamite charge marking the official construction of the dam.
60 years ago
July 14, 1958
The U.S. Senate endorsed the North Fork Loop, a road that would connect Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park on the west side. The Senate measure called for building what is now the Camas Road, including a new bridge across the North Fork. The Canadians would need to build a road over Akamina Pass to complete the loop. There was hope the loop could be completed in a couple of years. The loop never happened and today, of course, the border isn’t even open at Trail Creek.
50 years ago
July 5, 1968
The newly-built potlines four and five at the Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant were slated to begin aluminum production soon. Potline four had started up and the fifth potline was expected to start in the fall. Today, nearly every building at the plant has been torn down, the metal scrapped and the basements filled. Demolition of the plant should be complete by the end of this year or early next year.
40 years ago
July 6, 1978
North Valley Search and Rescue crews found the body of trucker Richard Arnold below the Red Bridge in Columbia Falls. Arnold was a meat truck driver and his body went into the Middle Fork about 50 miles upstream about 13 days earlier. The body was discovered by Jerry Barnhart.
30 years ago
July 6, 1988
Jean-Pierre Eigenheer, the chef at the Lake McDonald Lodge, was attacked by a bear while running up the Mount Brown Trail in Glacier National Park. But Eigenheer put up a fight as the sow with cubs grabbed his right foot and shook his body. New hiking boots prevented a wound to his foot. He ended up with a sprained ankle and a few scratches, but he made it down off of one of Glacier’s steepest trails in just a half-hour.
20 years ago
July 2, 1998
The third of three bears in Two Medicine was killed after it was aggressive toward hikers. The bear went after a guide and hikers at the Two Medicine shelter. At one point, the guide had to jump on the roof of the shelter to avoid the bear, but fell. The bear didn’t get him, but the guide was certainly worried it might. Rangers responded, closed the area, and then spotted the bear on Mount Sinopah, where they shot it. The sub adult grizzly was one of two cubs to a sow known as Chocolate Legs.
10 years ago
July 3, 2008
One of the largest land deals in U.S. history was finalized as the Trust for Public Land and the Nature Conservancy announced the finalization of a deal to purchase 320,000 acres of land from Plum Creek Timber Co. in the Swan Valley. About half of the $510 million deal would come from federal funds, Sen. Max Baucus noted. Eventually, most of the land purchase went to the Forest Service or the state of Montana. A white black bear was seen roaming the Columbia Falls area.