Yesterdays: It’s a good pattern for a safe runoff ... a few weeks later, the Flood of '64
An aerial view of flood waters in Columbia Falls, June 9, 1964. The lower bridge is Highway 2, the upper bridge is the Red Bridge in Columbia Falls. The entire Mosquito Flats neighborhood is under water (lower right) as is much of South Nucleus Avenue. Perhaps most interesting is the flooding east of the bridge. (Hungry Horse News archives)
70 years ago
May 21, 1954
A large ad in the newspaper touted one-piece swimsuits called the “Catalinas” as “Two Ways to a Man’s Heart.” They were meant to slim down the body, the ad said. While there was flooding in Libby from the Kootenai River, there was none here. The Hungry Horse Dam was credited for stemming floodwaters.
60 years ago
May 22, 1964
Front page story said the Flathead River at Columbia Falls was seeing high water, but not at flood stage. “It’s a good pattern for a safe runoff,” the story said. A few weeks later, the Flathead River would reach historic flood levels.
50 years ago
May 24, 1974
There were plans to modernize Highway 2 through Glacier National Park’s south boundary. But accommodating mountain goats that lived in the area was a concern. The idea at the time was an overpass that would be built so the goats would go under the highway. That’s what was ultimately constructed.
40 years ago
May 24, 1984
Between 1,500 and 2,000 Jehovah Witnesses came to Columbia Falls to build a new Kingdom Hall church in Columbia Falls. They built the structure in two days. A park employee found an old buffalo horn on Altyn Peak in Many Glacier. Buffalo hadn’t been in Glacier since the late 1800s.
30 years ago
May 19, 1994
Columbia Falls had gone to the dogs, as it was home to a Flathead Kennel Club dog show. The show included a weight-pulling competition for some of the breeds, though good ol’ mutts were allowed to pull, too. The most weight pulled was about 1,100 pounds, but in larger shows, dogs were pulling more than 5,700 pounds, the story said.
20 years ago
May 27, 1994
A grizzly bear DNA study was underway. The study, headed up by U.S. Geological Survey scientist Kate Kendall would eventually come up with an accurate count of grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem.
10 years ago
May 21, 2014
Montana Sen. John Walsh introduced a bill that would keep national parks like Glacier open, even if there was a government shutdown. The bill did not pass into law. Longtime coach, teacher and a standout Columbia Falls athlete in his youth, Mark Beckwith announced his retirement from Columbia Falls High School where he taught industrial arts.