Yesterdays: Couples sought to man fire lookouts
The 700 acres of land north of Columbia Falls that Harvey Machine Co. had an option on to build an aluminum plant. Here is Frank and Chester West haying on the Dehlbom place as Harvey Benzien and Gene and Harvey Krona were en route to go fishing in Crystal Creek. Aug. 11, 1950. (Mel Ruder photo)
70 years ago
April 30, 1954
Glacier National Park was looking for two couples to run the backcountry chalets at Sperry and Granite Park. One couple would be at each chalet and the story said, “The ladies should be able to cook.”
60 years ago
April 3, 1964
While it wasn’t felt here, the great Alaskan Earthquake likely caused large swells in the Hungry Horse Reservoir and it also knocked seismic sensing equipment in the area out of adjustment. The first concrete was poured for the addition to the Anaconda Aluminum Co. expansion in Columbia Falls.
50 years ago
May 3, 1974
Better late than never as Columbia Falls volunteers were busy taking down the Christmas lights on poles around town. They were also washing down Nucleus Avenue with a fire hose.
40 years ago
May 3, 1984
Power restored to the Hungry Horse Water Co. pumps after the water supply paid a delinquent bill of $13,000. The water hadn’t been off entirely, though. The system, which was privately-owned at the time, also got water from Columbia Mountain, though residents were advised to boil the water because of it.
30 years ago
May 5, 1994
Glacier National Park was offering bear resistant food containers for anyone who was camping in an undesignated area of Glacier. The new containers were already being used in Alaska. The containers are necessary as there’s no place to hang food from the reach of bears in the high country where the trees are either too short or there aren’t any at all.
20 years ago
April 29, 2004
About a year after the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. shut down two potlines laying off hundreds of workers, Flathead Valley Community College was busy retraining them for other jobs. Randy Lawson was one of the workers being retrained as a heavy equipment operator through the college.
10 years ago
April 30, 2014
The Columbia Falls City Council formally requested that the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. site be placed on the National Priorities List under the Superfund law. The move started the entire Superfund cleanup at the defunct aluminum plant, a process which continues today.