Yesterdays: 20 years ago, one of the snowiest springs on record
June, 1972, Elizabeth Sullivan, the first woman "ranger" to work in Glacier since World War II. She worked at the West Entrance. (Mel Ruder photo)
June 27, 1952
Gertie, a blonde black bear, was once again “panhandling” on the Going-to-the-Sun Road. There was concern the iconic bear had died a couple of weeks prior, because it hadn’t been seen. Feeding bears in Glacier National Park today is illegal and will get you a ticket.
60 years ago
June 29, 1962
Glacier Park visitation was up 42%. The theory behind the increase was that people were traveling from the Midwest to go the World’s Fair in Seattle and were stopping in Glacier on the way home. Visitation through June 27 was 157,978 compared to about 111,000 the year before. Glacier was also expanding its naturalists talks in the park, including guided hikes.
50 years ago
June 30, 1972
School District 6 voted to close the Talbott School and its annex. The old school had seen better days. A pass that included most national parks was on sale for $10. A 91-mile canoe race from the Canada border to the Old Steel Bridge in Kalispell was being planned for July 4. It was the second year of the race.
40 years ago
July 1, 1982
A series of storms brought down trees and caused street flooding in Columbia Falls and surrounding area. One storm brought 2.52 inches of rain in an hour at the airport.
30 years ago
July 2, 1992
A home on Eighth Street West was the first Habitat for Humanity Home ever built in Columbia Falls and only the third built in the Flathead Valley. Residents paid a $500 down payment and had to put in 500 hours of “sweat equity” to own the house at a reduced cost.
20 years ago
June 27, 2002
It was one of the snowiest springs on record — four feet of snow fell on Highway 49 near Two Medicine, but the Sun Road was still expected to open in the coming days as crews cleared the last of the snow from the highway. The cold snowy spring was also making backcountry travel difficult. The snow water equivalent at West Flattop was 44.6 inches, the most since 1972.
10 years ago
June 27, 2012
Columbia Falls passed a ban on using handheld cell phones while driving, an ordinance that drew little attention at the time.