Yesterdays: Ski races held in Waterton ... in July
Jake Christman and big fish, July 17, 1950. (Mel Ruder photo)
70 years ago
July 14, 1950
Four badgers — young ones — stopped traffic on the Inside North Fork Road, ranger Dave Stimson reported. The badger pups spent about a half hour chasing each other around his rig waddling back and forth across the road until they finally went in a hole on the side of the roadway.
60 years ago
July 15, 1960
They were ski racing in a half-mile long snowfield above Cameron Lake in Waterton Lakes National Park July 10. Montana and Canadian skiers “earned their turns” on the slope, which, of course, had no ski lift. Temperatures were in the 80s and sometimes even above 90, but nighttime temperatures, even in July, would drop into the 40s.
50 years ago
July 17, 1970
The Flathead National Forest had a public meeting about classifying the three forks of the Flathead River under the National Wild and Scenic River system. The crowd, however, was dubious about the Forest Service’s ability to protect the rivers, as it really hadn’t really talked to river proponents. “In 20 years, the Forest Service has never consulted us,” said landowner and University of Montana professor Robert Funk. Funk lived near Polebridge. Funk said one big problem was erosion into creeks from logging that was harmful to the rivers.
40 years ago
July 17, 1980
Hail ruined about 30 percent of the cherry crop and then a heavy rain split about 60 percent more, all but entirely ruining the valley’s cherries. The crop loss was estimated at $1.5 million.
30 years ago
July 19, 1990
A mountain lion had killed a deer and then stowed it under the porch of the Speyer cabin on Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. Front page photo featured the cat on the porch, sprawled out like a housecat. Park rangers later chased the big cat away.
20 years ago
July 20, 2000
Plum Creek announced a $4 billion merger with the Timber Co., a separate operating entity of Georgia Pacific. The net effect was that Plum Creek was now the second largest landowner in the U.S, with 7.9 million acres. The No. 1 landowner at the time was the International Paper Co.
10 years ago
July 15, 2010
Glacier National Park trail crews and members of the Over-the-Hill Gang shoveled out the Highline Trail in Glacier National Park. The park provided the shovels.
The effort used to be an annual occurrence, but a trail crew member fell off the trail and was severely injured when she slid down a snowfield to the Sun Road, so the park no longer lets the public help out.