Yesterdays: Apgar campground ready to open

70 years ago

June 19, 1953

The plan was to have the new Apgar Campground in Glacier National Park ready for campers in the next 10 days. Today, the campground is a popular one, as it sits near the foot of Lake McDonald.

60 years ago

June 21, 1963

Glacier National Park was painting the words “Refuse” on about 268 new garbage cans instead of “Litter.” The idea was not to confuse them with mailboxes, since the bear-resistant cans had a similar look.

50 years ago

June 22, 1973

The last local remnant of the steam engine era came down in Coram, as Douglas Grob was tearing down a 50,000 gallon water tank made of wood. Grob planned on using the the lumber to build a round house to live in on U.S. 93 six miles north of Whitefish.

40 years ago

June 23, 1983

The owners of local lumber companies opposed a wilderness designation for the Swan Crest, which would have run from Columbia Mountain just outside of Columbia Falls down the Swan Range, encompassing about 60,000 acres. The idea ultimately failed when it was vetoed by former President Ronald Reagan in 1988, despite passing Congress. The wilderness was part of a large wilderness bill at the time.

30 years ago

June 24, 1993

Folks living in Vetville, a neighborhood just north of Columbia Falls city, were angry after they received their new assessments from the state, some which rose a whopping 723%. Lot values went from around $2,100 to more than $15,000.

20 years ago

June 19, 2003

The city approved a high density housing project between 13th St. East and Veteran Drive that included 32 duplexes and 18 four plexes on 15 acres.The development was never built as designed, however, and today it’s single-family homes.

10 years ago

June 19, 2013

The Big Creek Educational Center up the North Fork installed solar panels after receiving a grant from Thom’s of Maine, a toothpaste manufacturer. The panels were expected to provide most of the electricity to the center, which is off the power grid.