Yesterdays: Columbia Heights mountain lion
Loyd Sondreson and Jack Mathison logging near Moran Creek up the North Fork in March, 1952. (Mel Ruder photo)
70 years ago
Jan. 1, 1954
The year 1953 was warmer and drier than usual, meteorologist Ray Hall, who worked out of the Kalispell Airport said. The coldest day was Jan. 6 and 7 when the temperature dropped to 8 degrees. Overall, the average temperature was 2.5 degrees above normal. The city had a busy building year with 74 new homes going up either in the city or close to it.
60 years ago
Jan. 3, 1964
Martin City man Ray Belston live trapped a wolverine and it was headed to a zoo in Bismark, North Dakota. Neighbor Spud Snyder helped Belston give the animal, which was none too happy, a shot of penicillin in the foot to ward off any infection.
50 years ago
Jan. 4, 1974
Big Mountain was having a great ski season with ample snow. Visitor number were up 25% over the year before. Dec. 29 saw 2,000 skiers on the hill.
40 years ago
Jan. 5, 1984
Winds whipped up to 100 mph at Marias Pass and 70 mph at St. Mary as a Chinook wind hit the area. Dale, Bill and Richard Black were rescued from the Whitefish Range after they got stuck with their snowmobiles and made the unwise decision to try to walk out, rather than stay with the sleds, which had gasoline and a way to start a fire. The men were found by North Valley Search and Rescue after they walked the wrong way back to Big Mountain.
30 years ago
Jan. 6, 1994
Five people were killed in an avalanche while snowmobiling between Strawberry Lake and Peters Ridge in the Swan Range. Four victims were from Canada. Avalanche experts said the tragedy was avoidable if they had heeded warnings about the avalanche danger at the time.
20 years ago
Jan. 1, 2004
A young mountain lion was shot after it attacked a dog in Columbia Heights. The lion attacked the dog and was shooed away by the dog’s owners. Wildlife specialist Eric Wenum used dogs to track the cat and put it down, as habituated lions typically continue to attack domestic animals.
10 years ago
Jan. 3, 2014
One of the top stories of the year was the future of the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant as the first discussions of placing the idle plant on the Superfund National Priorities List took place.