Yesterdays: Timber industry calls for tariffs

70 years ago

April 8, 1955

They cut down what was believed to be the largest tree in the Flathead. The big ponderosa pine had died in the top and was near the Bad Rock School. It was 6 feet wide at the base. The tree was estimated to be 500 years old.

60 years ago

April 9, 1965

Mr. and Mrs. Harry Holcoimb, homesteaders up the North Fork, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. The couple’s homestead was 47 miles from Columbia Falls. They came to Columbia Falls in 1906 and back then, it was a two to three day trip by horse up McGee Hill to get up the North Fork. The couple was well known and one story about them appeared in Time magazine. The homestead is still a North Fork landmark today.

50 years ago

April 11, 1975

Congressman Max Baucus offered a report on coal mining on Cabin Creek in Canada up the North Fork. The prospect for the mine at the time didn’t look all that promising, but many Montanans were still concerned about a mine’s impact on the river. The mining threat would go on another 40-plus years.

40 years ago

April 11, 1985

The timber industry was worried about cheap Canadian imports flooding the market in a meeting with Max Baucus, who was now a Senator. Baucus promised legislation to ease imports, but mill owners wanted immediate tariffs.

30 years ago

April 6, 1995

The Montana Department of Transportation was sticking to a plan to build a four-lane highway through the Bad Rock Canyon. The plan would blast away the rock in the canyon to widen the road. It never went anywhere.

20 years ago

April 7, 2005

Local Catholics were mourning the death of Pope John Paul II. The charismatic pope was considered a saint by many folks.

10 years ago

April 8, 2015

Congressman Ryan Zinke opposed a Superfund listing for the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. plant, but also said the company should be held accountable for cleanup. Zinke said he was concerned because there were 18 other Superfund sites in Montana, but none were completely cleaned up.