Yesterdays: Mountain goat on Bad Rock porch
Snow in the Bad Rock area in January, 1952. Not sure who is in the car, but it has a press sticker in the window, so presumably it was editor Mel Ruder's rig. (Mel Ruder photo)
70 years ago
Oct. 8, 1954
Mrs. Jim Eckleberry was surprised when she came home and found a mountain goat on her porch. The family lived in the Bad Rock farming community and while goats were known to be on nearby Columbia Mountain, having one wander down into the valley was unusual to say the least.
60 years ago
Oct. 9, 1964
Howard Buck had a successful potato harvest, with 350 bushels of potatoes on 25 acres.
50 years ago
Oct. 11, 1974
About 634 men were working in Columbia Falls lumber mills, but 160 were laid off because of a nationwide building slump. Logan Pass had a dusting of snow. Inflation had more students at Columbia Falls eating school-provided hot lunches.
40 years ago
Oct. 11, 1984
Gov. Ted Schwinden was going to be in town to dedicate the new Highway 2. The road was widened to five lanes with a middle turn lane through Columbia Falls. The new road was expected to be a lure for business and tourism to the area.
30 years ago
Oct. 13, 1994
Rain and snow dampened fires in Glacier National Park. The Howling Fire, which was allowed to burn, ended up about 2,200 acres and the Starvation Creek Fire was about 4,800 acres. The Anaconda and Adair Fires, which combined, had burned about 8,455 acres.
20 years ago
Oct. 7, 2004
Evelyn Taylor turned 100. She cooked moonshine during the Depression trying to homestead in the Pleasant Valley area. “I had kids to feed,” she said. She and her husband had seven kids. She said her moonshine was smooth and coveted by bachelors living in the area.
10 years ago
Oct. 8, 2014
Volunteers were working on new homes for a Habitat for Humanity project in Columbia Falls off the Truck Route. The project had started four years earlier and today is a nice neighborhood.