Historical society sets up CFAC exhibit, still wants a permanent home

Rick Prestbye remembers working in the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant in the 1970s. He worked in process control, writing software for the computers that controlled the pots.

The computer was bigger than your living room.

It had 32 kilobytes of memory. The disk dives held 1.7 megabytes of information. Today, a modest, but robust computer has 1 million times more RAM memory.

Still, the computer kept track of a plant that was once housed in a the largest building in Montana. The plant purchased the Sumitomo process from the Japanese in 1977. It reduced pollution and made the plant more efficient.

But the software that ran it had its quirks.

“We ended up completely rewriting (it),” Prestbye recalled.

A new display at the Northwest Montana History Museum in Kalispell showcases some of the facets of the plant that was a major employer in Columbia Falls for 45 years. The display was put together by members of the Columbia Falls Historical Society.

Among the items in the display are a photograph of the 25th reunion of plant workers who started when the plant first opened. It also has artwork of the plant and the aluminum smelter process handpainted by Jerry Sprunger as well as various plant artifacts.

The plant shut down in the early 2000s and has since been demolished and is now a Superfund site, awaiting cleanup.

The Historical Society, founded in 2007, would like to display more items, said President Peg Sorensen, but it’s still looking for space in Columbia Falls that’s either for sale or for rent, she said.

Sorensen also worked several years at the plant in the mid-1970s. She was one of the first women to work there. She recalled she bought her coveralls from J.C. Penny — they were a size for boys.

She said she rode a bicycle around the plant. She only weighed 120 pounds and she recalled stringing wire from pot to pot for the temperature sensors. She got the job because she was small enough to fit through the tight spaces.

While the plant was hot and potentially dangerous, the money was good.

“I doubled up on house payments,” she recalled.

A mannequin with her outfit on is featured as part of the display.

The historical society is also currently working on its 2022 calendar which will feature the Hungry Horse Dam. Anyone who has photos to share can contact Sorensen (406) 892-3931 or 249-8198. Anyone who might have a place to rent can also contact her at the same number.

The Museum is currently open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.