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70 years ago

Nov. 11, 1949

The Masons were planning on building a new temple in Columbia Falls in 1950. The Hungry Horse Dam project would cease pouring concrete until spring. The work shifted to clearing logs on the South Fork for the project, which employed 593 men.

60 years ago

Nov. 13, 1959

St. Richard’s Catholic Church would have its first service in the new church Nov. 22. Front page featured a seven photo spread of harvesting Christmas trees in the Flathead Valley, which was a major part of the economy at the time. Shipments from Kalispell amounted to 200 freight cars with 1,000 bales or about 5,000 trees per car.

50 years ago

Nov. 14, 1969

The Flathead National Forest announced it was going to study wild river status for the forks of the Flathead under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Potatoes were 5 cents a pound at the B&B.

40 years ago

Nov. 15, 1979

The Flathead National Forest released the preliminary draft of its new Wild and Scenic River management plan, which called for improved boat launch sites, new campgrounds and launch limits on river use. That planned called for a permit system to float the scenic (upper) section of the North Fork, starting in 1980. The Forest Service was eyeing logging on about 120,000 acres of roadless land to stem a pine beetle epidemic that had killed the lodgepole pine trees.

30 years ago

Nov. 16, 1989

A freak rain storm coupled with warm weather flooded parts of the Flathead, washing out bridges and roads along the Hungry Horse Reservoir and putting upwards of 30 inches of water in low-lying homes in West Glacier near the golf course. At Marias Pass, there was about 5 inches of rain, coupled with warm weather that melted the existing snowpack.

20 years ago

Nov. 11, 1999

Glacier National Park’s wolf population was dropping — only five wolves were counted in the Park, down from an estimated 35 just a few years earlier. There was also no sign of pups. The winter of 1996-97 was to blame, which pummeled deer populations, which were down about 80 percent.

10 years ago

Nov. 12, 2009

Ronda Lombard was glad to be alive up when towels in her bathroom caught on fire from hot cigarette ashes. Lombard was asleep, but woke up to find the bathroom of her Hideaway Court Trailer on fire. She tried to douse the fire by running the shower, but that didn’t work, so she called 911. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze.