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70 years ago

Nov. 26, 1948

The Great Northern Railway was the county’s largest taxpayer. At the time, the company owned the railway, the Somer’s Lumber Co. and the Glacier Park Hotel Co. Its tax bill was just over $389,000.

60 years ago

Nov. 28, 1958

Front page photo featured a big spruce tree cut down near Libby that was heading for the White House lawn. Another front page photo featured a young Charles Jonkel holding a pine marten. Jonkel was an MSU student at the time and was studying martens reproductive cycle, where they mated in July and early August. The embryo initially grew quickly, then slowed dramatically, and the young would begin developing rapidly again as the days grew longer in the spring, with birth coming in March or April. Jonkel went on to be a renowned bear researcher.

50 years ago

Nov. 29, 1968

The Going-to-the-Sun Road would not be plowed to Lake McDonald Lodge, though it would be open to snowmobiles. Glacier Park would also not be plowing the Camas Road, despite a petition by about 10 people asking that it be plowed. The Camas Road was also open to snowmobiles.

40 years ago

Nov. 30, 1978

Columbia Falls had a spinal meningitis outbreak. Three people had contracted the disease and one person, Mark Baker, 18, of Columbia Falls had died from it. The disease attacks the nervous system.

30 years ago

Nov. 30, 1988

Paul Snyder of Whitefish and Larry Seid grabbed a woman off the wall of the Hungry Horse Dam who was threatening to jump. James and Wanda Nichols and their family were homeless after their woodpile caught fire in the garage and also damaged their home. The cause was a wood stove in the corner of the garage. The Nichols said they thought their house could be salvaged, but it would take some time to do so.

20 years ago

Nov. 26, 1998

Lorraine and Clarence Purdy pulled a man from a burning wreck on Highway 35. The Columbia Falls couple was returning home from Polson. Clarence was able to get the man out of the rig, even though Clarence had an artificial leg. “I just couldn’t see leaving someone in there to burn, even if he wasn’t alive.” Purdy said. It turned out that the victim, Jerry Pate, was alive and Purdy saved his life.

10 years ago

Nov. 27, 2008

Plum Creek announced another round of layoffs at its plywood plant, trimming 68 jobs. That came on the heels of 35 jobs cut at its MDF plant. Jim Livingston of North Valley Search and Rescue grabbed a despondent man who was in the Middle Fork of the Flathead River near the West Glacier School. The man had been disruptive on the Amtrak train and had been kicked off. Livingston walked out to the man in the frigid water with just a pair of hunting boots on. He put a pair of handcuffs on the victim and led him out of the water.