Yesterdays: BLM offers two new parks around Little Bitterroot Lake
Playing basketball in Columbus Park in late February 1963. It had been a mild winter with little snow. (Mel Ruder photo)
70 years ago
Feb. 13, 1953
They were using bulldozers —International TD-4 tractors — to mow down trees for the new Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant. Last fall they had cleared about 100 acres and this year so far about 200 more for the new plant. The company was also looking for a firm to install 70,000 cubic yards of footings.
60 years ago
Feb. 15, 1963
The Bureau of Land Management was offering up two tracts of land to Flathead County for parks. One was an island on Little Bitterroot Lake and the other was about 200 acres of land in the Canyon of Little Bitterroot Creek south of Highway 2.
50 years ago
Feb. 16, 1973
The Montana Department of Health and Environmental Sciences said a new Plum Creek Medium density fiberboard plant could improve air quality in the area, as it utilized sawdust from mills. That, in turn, likely meant that fewer mills would burn their waste in teepee burners.
40 years ago
Feb. 10, 1983
ARCO Metals was a looking for a 40% partner in its aluminum plant in Columbia Falls. It claimed that if it had a partner with expertise in the field, it could go back to running at full capacity. It was also seeking a reduction in power rates from the Bonneville Power Administration.
30 years ago
Feb. 18, 1993
An 8-year-study of the water quality in Glacier Park’s lakes like Lake McDonald and St. Mary Lake found that the lakes were still very pristine, but they also couldn’t absorb much in the way of pollution if it were to happen.
20 years ago
Feb. 13, 2003
The city of Columbia Falls was running out of land, as growth continued at a break-neck pace. City manager Bill Shaw said if the population reached 7,500 by 2025, it would need about 660 new single-family lots. But the city only had room for 220 lots.
10 years ago
Feb. 13, 2013
Columbia Falls native Joe Bereta was finding success as a writer and personality on YouTube on a channel called SourceFed. Today he’s on a new channel called ValleyFolk and his YouTube career lives on with more than 225,000 subscribers to his channel.