Yesterdays: AAC settles on Teakettle location
Maybelle Kelly’s three grandchildren, Margaret, Marilyn and Maureen Larson eye the sheep at lambs at a spread across the road from Kelly’s house at Bad Rock in June, 1951. (Mel Ruder photo)
70 years ago
Sept. 5, 1992
The Anaconda Mining Co. was making plans for a new aluminum plant near Teakettle Mountain, with the first surveys and engineering for a railroad spur line underway. Columbia Falls was preparing for a visit by President Harry Truman, who would be here Oct. 1 to dedicate the Hungry Horse Dam.
60 years ago
Sept. 7, 1962
Glacier National Park had 26 wildfires, 20 were caused by lightning, six by people. The biggest was the human-caused fire near upper Kintla Lake. It was 200 acres.
50 years ago
Sept. 6, 1972
Editor Mel Ruder ran a photo of a teenager killed in a head-on collision with a semi on the front page. The teen’s body is surrounded by beer cans. He was one of four local teens killed in the collision. The idea was to get people to think about the tragedy of drunk driving. Killed were Darwin Knoepfle, Bill Oberem, Marc Reid and Gary Willis. The semi saw the teens’ car coming, pulled over as far as he could, but was still struck head-on as they were driving in the wrong lane on Highway 2.
40 years ago
Sept. 9, 1982
Fisherman Claude Booker accidentally snared a black bear while fishing Lake Koocanusa. The bear swam toward his boat and he had four lines out. One snagged the bear before he could get them all in. The bear pulled out of the hooks and went on its way, but wasn’t too happy about the encounter.
30 years ago
Sept. 3, 1992
The Plum Creek medium density fiberboard plant had a fire that blew up the boiler at the plant. Despite the fire, the plant was only down for 24 hours.
20 years ago
Sept. 5, 2002
Gary and Leo’s grocery store closed and as it did, it gave 800 pounds of food to the Columbia Falls Food Bank. The grocery store was located where