Yesterdays: Woman drives into Plum Creek pond
Whitefish carnival royalty in February, 1961 were, from left, Kay Knapton, Art LaBrie, and visitors Mary Ann Schwab, queen of snows from St. Paul, Minnesota and John D. McGowan also of St. Paul. (Mel Ruder photo)
70 years ago
Feb. 23, 1951
The F.H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. was continuing experiments with pressed boards made from wood waste. The waste had been sent to St. Paul and the boards were manufactured there and then were going to be sent back. If it worked, Stoltze had plans to manufacture the boards here.
60 years ago
Feb. 24, 1961
Flathead area sportsmen were gathering to talk about access to public lands and increasing pressure from the public. Organizer Irvin Lloyd relayed the story of trying to hunt a private ranch in the Big Hole, but the land had been leased out by local businessmen and there was no trespassing.
50 years ago
Feb. 26, 1971
Coach Ralph Johnson made the front page. The head basketball coach had a 103-47 record. He joined the Columbia Falls coaching staff as an assistant football coach in 1961. One of the top achievements at that time was beating the Missoula Spartans in 1965, 77-62. Missoula hadn’t lost a game in nearly three years.
40 years ago
Feb. 26, 1981
DaLone Best lost control of her car on 12th Avenue West in Columbia Falls and plunged into a pond at the Plum Creek mill. She rolled down the window of her Dodge Challenger and was able to get out before the car completely sank. She said the car hit a patch of ice.
30 years ago
Feb. 28, 1991
The National Wildlife Federation and the Great Bear Foundation were asking Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway to do more to clean up grain spills along the tracks, which were resulting in grizzly bear deaths. The bears were attracted to the spilled grain, then were hit by the locomotives. The groups said the railroad was violating the Endangered Species Act.
20 years ago
Feb. 22, 2001
The Columbia Falls boys basketball team lost two straight games at the divisional tourney to see their season end. The team, however, had many players that would go on to win the Wildcats’ first ever state championship a couple of years later.
10 years ago
Feb. 23, 2011
A state legislative panel voted to cut funding for the Montana Veterans’ Home by $2.2 million. If it stood, the cut, split over two years, would mean the loss of 10 to 14 jobs at the home in the first year and then make it almost impossible to run the home at all the second year.