No headline
This big grizzly was shot up Stanton Creek in October, 1963. From left are Vern Endreson, Dick Neal and Ted Soldowski. Bear was within 15 feet of Soldowski when he shot it. Endreson shot it once as well. The pelt and head weighed 350 pounds.
70 years ago
Jan. 9, 1949
The Hungry Horse Dam had a “zero” policy, which said if the temperatures got to zero degrees or below, work would stop at the dam. Earlier in the week it had been 8 degrees, so work continued, but there had been days when temperatures dipped to zero and work all but stopped.
60 years ago
Jan. 9, 1959
Glacier National Park was going ahead with a plan to shoot about 50 elk from the St. Mary herd to reduce the population. Rangers and deputized Blackfeet Indians would take the animals and the meat would go to the tribe.
50 years ago
Jan. 10, 1969
The Montana Department of Transportation was recommending a four-lane road through Hungry Horse and Martin City for U.S. Highway 2. The plan at the time was for a two-lane road to West Glacier. Residents objected to that plan. Today, the road varies from two to four lanes from Martin City to West Glacier.
40 years ago
Jan. 11, 1979
The Flathead Valley had its coldest string of days ever, with the average temperature from Dec. 29 to Jan. 9 a frigid 15.6 degrees below zero — a record at the time. Jan.1 at the airport was the coldest at 33 below. About 150 to 200 homes in Columbia Falls were without water due to frozen pipes. People were urged to keep at least one faucet running in their homes so the pipes wouldn’t freeze.
30 years ago
Jan. 11, 1989
President Ronald Reagan’s last budget froze Forest Service funds designed to acquire Tom Ladenburg’s Rocky-Bar-O Ranch up the North Fork. The large ranch remains in private hands today, but is protected from subdivision through conservation easements. It’s still a great spot to watch elk and over wildlife graze in the ranch’s pastures.
20 years ago
Jan. 7, 1999
Brian and Carol Kennedy announced they had sold the Hungry Horse News to Lee Enterprises. Lee was and continues to be the parent company of the Missoulian. Kennedy had been the editor of the paper since 1978. Founder Mel Ruder sold the paper to a group of Wyoming publishers, which included Kennedy’s father, in 1978. Brian and Carol over time bought up the stock of the newspaper and took complete ownership in 1987.
10 years ago
Jan. 8, 2008
Freshman Republican state legislator Ryan Zinke was looking forward to his first term in office in Helena. Zinke was renting a room at Fort Harrison for $25 a night and said he had a big picture of Teddy Roosevelt in his office. Zinke would climb the rungs of the political ladder and was most recently the Secretary of Interior under President Trump before resigning in December.