Yesterdays: Newspaper wonders where dead veterans money went

70 years ago 

July 30, 1954

Carl Benner, 16, was featured on the front page. He had a broken arm in a sling and cast, but was still practicing for the upcoming O-Mok-See. Glacier Park visitation for the year was about 300,000 to date.

60 years ago 

July 31, 1964

Hungry Horse News editor Mel Ruder in a front page story wondered what happened to Frank Bannan’s estate. Bannan, 96, lived at the Montana Veterans Home until his death. He apparently willed his estate to commander O.W. Lane. At first it was thought Bannan didn’t have much money, but it turned out he had about $12,000. Lane told the newspaper he didn’t want the money, but Lane ended up in Alaska and no one knew where Bannan’s cash went. 

50 years ago 

Aug. 2, 1974

J. Gordon Edwards, famed Glacier National Park mountain climber and author, told of a grizzly encounter. He was bushwhacking up the slope near Feather Plume Falls when a sow with cubs charged him. But she only grabbed his hand in her mouth as Edwards talked quietly to her. She eventually let him go and he suffered wounds to the hand, but little else. 

40 years ago 

Aug. 2, 1984 

Back then, a lot of people used bear bells when hiking in Glacier Park. Ariel Lerner had a different take, he carried a bicycle horn with him and tooted it every once in awhile. Glacier Park rangers shot and killed a grizzly in Many Glacier that had previously mauled a woman. They tried to tranquilize it first, but one dart malfunctioned and the bear went into the brush. They followed and the bear stood up and they shot it three times. 

30 years ago 

July 28, 1994

A fire near Elmo had burned about 2,750 acres of range and timberland. Glacier Park crews were busy refurbishing Granite Park chalet. The chalet was supposed to reopen in 1996 after having been closed for several years due to human waste and water issues. 

20 years ago 

July 28, 2004

Glacier Park began experimenting with shuttle buses. The Park Service was hoping the buses would ease traffic on the Going-to-the-Sun Road during reconstruction. It didn’t quite work out that way, as the buses proved very popular and some trails along the way became overcrowded. 

10 years ago 

July 30, 2014

A hiker shot a grizzly he said charged him on the Mount Brown Trail in Glacier Park. It turned out to be the first grizzly shooting in Glacier since Congress allowed guns to be carried in national parks.