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70 years ago

Dec. 16, 1949

F.H. Stoltze employees agreed to work split weeks, working Saturdays instead of Thursdays. The move would allow the mill to operate more days per week. The problem was if the plant was idle, the pond at the mill would freeze over sooner due to inactivity, bringing the mill operation to a halt. About 100 men worked at the mill.

60 years ago

Dec. 18, 1959

There was a recommendation that Lion Lake above Hungry Horse be turned over the Flathead National Forest, which would mean it would be open to fishing. The small lake was originally constructed by damming Whelp Creek that raised the lake 17 feet and was used as a municipal water supply. The largest tree planting in Flathead National Forest history was planned for 1960, with the goal of planting more than 500,000 spruce, Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine.

50 years ago

Dec. 19, 1969

Earlier that month the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce had a sign put up at junction of Highway 93 and 40 that said “Columbia Falls Industrial Hub, Work, Play, Live.” The sign was built by the Industrial Arts Club at the high school. Industries in Columbia Falls provided 1,846 jobs, a separate story noted.

40 years ago

Dec. 20, 1979

The crew from Heaven’s Gate had left the Flathead a few months before, now there was talk of another movie being shot the in Flathead with Robert Redford and a host of other movie stars. But that was fairly typical back then — one would leave and another rumor would start almost immediately, according to the Montana Travel and Promotion Unit.

30 years ago

Dec. 21, 1989

More allegations surfaced in the case of Undersheriff Gary Franklin. When Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway had cars spill into Whitefish Lake, Dave Ren of North Valley Search and Rescue said he and other members allegedly received checks from the railroad and then again, from Franklin for work they did on the scene. In short, Franklin was re-billing the railroad for services that had already been paid for. Sheriff Chuck Rhodes said he had no idea why a second bill had been sent.

20 years ago

Dec. 16, 1999

County Commissioner Dale Williams took a traffic engineer from the Montana Department of Transportation on a “wild ride” on several roads in the county to demonstrate how dangerous the posted speed limits really were. The engineer, however, complained to law enforcement and Williams, in turn, was under investigation for the incident.

10 years ago

Dec. 17, 2009

Pete Darling together with Doug Shanks of Western Building Center got together and decided to make eight hand-painted wooden rocking horses for the Toys for Tots program. WBC provided the materials and Darling provided the labor. Darling has since passed away, but the program continues today, a joint venture between the junior high, high school and WBC.