Yesterdays: With AAC plant online, 400 residents were living in trailers
Putting in track for the new AAC plant in Columbia Falls, March, 1953. (Mel Ruder photo)
70 years ago
May 20, 1955
With the construction of the Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant, many employees were living in trailers. The newspaper estimated there were 400 trailers homes in Columbia Falls at the time.
60 years ago
May 21, 1965
Fishing season was about to open and dolly varden (bull trout) were the topic of discussion. Back then an 8-to 15-pound fish was not uncommon.
50 years ago
May 23, 1975
The newspaper issue was largely a “bicentennial” issue, with a story on Joe Heimes, the famous Glacier Park ranger who caught poacher and outlaw Joe Cosley in Glacier National Park. Cosley has lakes and mountains named after him in Glacier, while Heimes has none.
40 years ago
May 23, 1985
It had been warm and dry, with highs in the upper 70s to 80. As a result, Glacier plow crews were at Logan Pass and the Going-to-the-Sun Road was expected to open by June 1.
30 years ago
May 18, 1995
How best to reopen Glacier National Park’s backcountry chalets at Sperry and Granite Park resulted in squabbling. One group wanted them run as self-service “huts,” the other favored a plan that would allow more services so people who couldn’t or wouldn’t carry their stuff to chalets in packs could visit them as well, at a cost. The end result is a bit of a compromise, as Sperry today has a full kitchen, while Granite Park has far fewer amenities. The chalets were closed down entirely at the time due to water and sewer issues.
20 years ago
May 26, 2005
The Going-to-the-Sun Road opened over Logan Pass on May 22, the second earliest ever. The earliest was May 16, 1987. The early opening didn’t come with good weather. It was cold and miserable, with light snow in the morning.
10 years ago
May 20, 2015
A fire destroyed a shop and home owned by the Ortel family on Brunner Road. They had a welding business in the garage which contributed to the intensity of the blaze.