Yesterdays: Columbia Falls grade school sees growth

70 years ago

March 27, 1953

An 11-classroom grade school as well as an auditorium-gym-assembly hall was going up next to the Columbia Falls High School as the town was seeing growth. The construction of the railroad tracks to the new aluminum plant were underway as well. Now the grade school wing is bring torn down this week as the building, after 70 years, is in poor condition.

60 years ago

March 29, 1963

They were thinning lodgepole pine along Highway 2 from Coram to West Glacier to promote ponderosa pine. The forest at the time was a lot of “doghair” lodgepole. Back then the ponderosas weren’t very tall they had been planted after the 1929 fire, but hadn’t grown much. Today they’re big, but they’re also suffering mortality. The lodgepole came back as thick as ever and were thinned again just this year.

50 years ago

March 30, 1973

Don Hall, the caretaker at the Many Glacier Hotel watched a mountain lion eat a bighorn sheep while three lynx watched the lion from a safe distance. Incumbent Lloyd Aldrich was squaring off against Ray Barnhart for the mayor of Columbia Falls seat. City elections were in the spring back then.

40 years ago

March 31, 1983

Four youths in their late teens were arrested for vandalizing the toilet at Lion Lake. They tore down the dressing rooms during a beer party.

30 years ago

April 1, 1983

A group that was advocating for the reopening of Sperry and Granite Park chalets claimed the Park Service was dragging their feet on funding to fix water and sewer systems at both structures. They had been shut down down because the sewer and water didn’t meet health standards. But the Park Service said they couldn’t use $1.7 million in funding under a President Clinton plan anyway — it was only good for one year and the chalet work was expected to take two years. The chalets were closed in 1992.

20 years ago

March 27, 2003

Canyon residents were debating whether or not to have neighborhood plans — particularly in places like Hungry Horse. Proponents said it was a good idea and would enhance life in the small towns. Opponents were worried that it would simply mean higher taxes and changing into resort communities.

10 years ago

March 27, 2013

Anschutz Exploration ended its quest for oil on the Blackfeet Reservation, saying it would shut down all but five wells. The company had leases on about 600,000 acres . It denied the abrupt stoppage had anything to do Xanterra vying for the concessions contract in Glacier National Park. Both companies were owned by Phillip Anschutz.