Yesterdays: Burn-out operation at Apgar

70 years ago

Aug. 7, 1953

Huffine’s Museum in Deer Park opened next to Otto Schultz’s fly shop. Grinnell Glacier in Glacier National Park had about 100 feet of snow in the past year. It was the driest it had been since 1949.

60 years ago

Aug. 9, 1963

The North Fork was a popular place, even 60 years ago. It saw July visitation of about 12,500, which was up from 9,675 the year before for July. The city of Columbia Falls levied about 44 mills — far less than it does today.

50 years ago

Aug. 10, 1973

The Park Service was planning on holding hearings and was taking public comment establishing three units, totaling 917,600 acres in Glacier National Park as wilderness. The master plan was to have 90% of the park as wilderness.

40 years ago

Aug. 11, 1983

Vice President George Bush and his wife Barbara visited and camped in Glacier National Park and by all accounts had a good time. The Vice President fished in Hidden Lake near Logan Pass for two hours, but only caught one fish.

30 years ago

Aug. 5, 1993

Plum Creek was dethroned as the tug-of-war champions by the Kalispell Loggers during the annual tug-of-war at Heritage Days. Plum Creek workers had held the title for six years straight. Plum Creek did win the bed races.

20 years ago

Aug. 7. 2003

Glacier National Park superintendent Mick Holm made the risky decision on July 28 to start a burnout operation on Apgar Mountain. Burnouts set fires in front of fires to control the advance of a blaze. In this case, the Robert Fire. The strategy worked and likely kept the Robert Fire from burning into Apgar and West Glacier.

10 years ago

Aug. 7, 2013

Lyle Rutebories was featured on the front page. At 93, he was still going strong as the Kintla Lake ranger in Glacier National Park.