Yesterdays: Avalanche roars over Highway 2 in 1982

70 years ago

Feb. 22, 1952

The federal government awarded the Columbia Falls School District $326,400 for an 11-room grade school, with the understanding that the 44-year-old Talbott School would be abandoned. The new school would be built adjacent to what was then the high school.

60 years ago

Feb. 23, 1962

The Montana Power Company announced that it planned on providing natural gas service for homes in the Flathead Valley by next winter’s heating season. Flathead County was selling 34 parcels of land because the owners had not paid their taxes.

50 years ago

Feb. 25, 1972

In a story on the 90th birthday anniversary of Sen. Burton K. Wheeler, there was a picture of the first bus to cross the Going-to-the-Sun Highway. It was a 1924 White and the driver was Aubrey Chapman of Bozeman. Dan Huffine of Deer Park was also an early day “Jammer” driver. Glacier at the time had record snow, with 251 inches of snow at West Glacier since October and 52 inches on the ground.

40 years ago

Feb. 25, 1982

A second avalanche in less than a week roared over Highway 2 at the Goat Lick in Glacier National Park. The new bridge there survived the 24 feet of snow that buried the highway. It took crews 2-1/2 days to clear the snow.

30 years ago

Feb. 20, 1992

Glacier Park Inc. which ran the hotels and lodges in Glacier Park at the time, received a “marginal” rating from the Park Service for the services it provided guests in 1991. It was the lowest rating for the company since 1981.

20 years ago

Feb. 21, 2002

Flathead Electric Co-op announced it had fired general manager Warren McConkey. There were several reasons, but the big one was because the McConkey-led Co-op bought Pacific Power and Light in 1998, which resulted in a higher base fee and higher rates for customers.

10 years ago

Feb. 22, 2012

Glacier Park ranger Kyle Johnson received the Intermountain Region’s Wilderness Champion Award for his work to preserve wilderness in the Park.