Yesterdays: 1963 Flathead sets record of timber harvest
Marcia McVay, Columbia Falls rodeo queen, July 14, 1963. (Mel Ruder photo)
70 years ago
July 17, 1953
The first structural steel for the new Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant had arrived. Foley Brothers Inc. of Pleasantville, New York were building the plant for $50 million. It was expected to produce 108 million pounds of aluminum annually.
60 years ago
July 19, 1963
The Flathead National Forest over the past 12 months had set a new record for timber harvest at 146.3 million board feet. The newspaper was hopeful that President John F. Kennedy would visit Glacier National Park and Montana. An invitation has been made by Montana Sen. Mike Mansfield.
50 years ago
July 20, 1973
A long-haired teen required 19 stitches after a black bear cub pawed his hair while he was asleep at Avalanche Creek campground. Roger Sunstad, 17, of Anaconda was treated on the scene and then was taken to a doctor for the stitches. He didn’t require hospitalization.
40 years ago
July 21, 1983
Glacier National Park celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, but the weather didn’t cooperate much — it was cold and rainy. About 1,200 mountain men gathered near Polebridge for a national rendezvous.
30 years ago
July 22, 1993
Plum Creek said its purchase of 867,000 acres of timberlands from Champion would not really impact its operations at local timber mills. The purchase included lands near Missoula and Libby areas.
20 years ago
July 24, 2003
Massive wildfires were already burning across the region, including the Wedge Canyon Fire up the North Fork and the Trapper Peak Fire in Glacier National Park, which threatened the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
10 years ago
July 17, 2013
F.H. Stoltze’s new co-generation plant was up and running, providing heat for the lumber mill and kilns while also putting electricity back onto the grid. Park rangers found Cody Lee Johnson’s body below the Loop in Glacier National Park — a sad case that turned out to be a murder.