Yesterdays: 3 million grayling stocked in Hungry Horse Reservoir
The Hoerner family in March, 1953. They came to Columbia Falls in 1937 from North Dakota where they had farmed since 1900. Anton and Carolina came from German settlements in Russia, but met and were married in the U.S. They were the largest family in Columbia Falls at the time, as Carolina had 17 children. From left is Carrie Ziegler, Frances Schmidt, Millie Gress, Regina Weiand, Ida Weiand, Rose Binz and Helen Weiand; middle row, Mike, Johnny, Frank, Willie, Pete and Ronie Hoerner; top row Tony, Adolph Jack and Vince Hoerner. They had gathered for a reunion in ‘53 after Carolina became serio…
70 years ago
Nov. 20, 1953
Montana Fish and Game along with local sportsmen groups stocked 3 million grayling into the newly-formed Hungry Horse Reservoir. The fishery, however, never flourished. Jimmy the crow visited the school everyday. Front page photo featured the crow sitting on a desk. Story didn’t say what school, however.
60 years ago
Nov. 22, 1963
Front page feature indicated the North Fork Road from the Camas Entrance to Glacier National Park south was going to be paved. The county was already paving the lower 5 miles from Columbia Falls north. The road was never fully paved, however and remains a source of contention to this day.
50 years ago
Nov. 23, 1973
Simon Paul, 94, was to soon celebrate his birthday. He was one of the first residents of Mountain View Manor in Whitefish. He had a career as a boilermaker for the Great Northern Railway.
40 years ago
Nov. 24, 1983
The Flathead probably wasn’t a nuclear target if there was a nuclear war, county civil defense coordinator Kim Potter said. The Hungry Horse Dam would, however, be a target in a conventional war, Potter said.
30 years ago
Nov. 25, 1993
The county was just about out of flu vaccine. Of the 4,300 doses it had, only about 30 were remaining. A virus known as A-Beijing was of concern.
20 years ago
Nov. 20, 2003
Coal Creek, once a thriving bull trout spawning stream up the North Fork, had almost no signs of bull trout spawning in it anymore. Biologists counted just one redd in 2003 and none in 2001 and 2002.
10 years ago
Nov. 20, 2013
Four Columbia Falls youths were charged with poaching 19 deer around the area. All of the men were 19 years old. Federal budget sequestration meant Glacier National Park could see up to an 8% cut to its budget, superintendent Jeff Mow said.