Columns
Searching for opinion based articles? Below we'll share opinion news articles on a wide variety of topics.
Life at 20 below
There is something about being out in weather that is colder than 20 below that is both alarming and exhilarating.
Traffic
Without a doubt, summer is the busiest time of the year on the North Fork—at least for the human animals. Before the Fourth of July we have already had a history tour in Glacier Park conducted by the McFarland an...
Is he from the Deep South or Montana?
I think it was the 1977 Montana Republican state convention, and the speaker standing before the delegates was newly elected Congressman Ron Marlenee. Facing criticism from some of the hard right element of his ...
Thoughts on Inside Road
For years Glacier Park swore that they would repair and reopen the Inside Road. This went on for so long that I, and others, believed they were just kicking the can down the road until they could just abandon the...
Fistfight with a griz
Human conversations are amazing in the way odd or forgotten subjects pop up out of nowhere. That’s the way it is in my coffee chats with Over the Hill Gangers. Someone last Tuesday recalled the Glacier Park hiker...
Of ribs and rescues
A classic G. George Ostrom column from 1994. Beside the trillion wild flowers, billion trees and shrubs, million displays of lichens and moss, hundred thousand rills, riffles, and waterfalls, Glacier Park has t...
Firefighters deserve a decent wage
“It’s like having gasoline out there,” said Brian Steinhardt, forest fire zone manager for Prescott and Coconino national forests in Arizona, in a recent AP story about the increasingly fire-prone West.
Cold comforts
So the other day I rolled out of bed early and me and the kid went to Glacier. It was not warm outside, but the sun was shining so it wasn’t bad, either.
Historic road trip
Since I turned seventy years of age I have not been fond of birthdays and now, at 84, I really dislike them. Nevertheless, this year I received one of the best birthday presents I can remember.
On losing the seat
Thirty years ago, Montana lost one of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives we had held for 80 years. The mathematical formula that was used to determine the distribution of Representatives after Census ...
Grizzlies and flooding
In late May and early June, North Forkers can often be found talking about two usual spring topics. Grizzly bears and spring run off— or more specifically the possibility of a flood.
Blame Bill
Well, I got my second and final coronavirus vaccine shot the other day. I was bragging to my wife how good I felt and then just before bed I decided I’d have a couple of cocktails, you know, because I felt so goo...
A fence or an ambulance
The Highline Trail to Granite Park was opened June 19th this year and this is the first time in quite awhile the “Over the Hill Gang” didn’t dig it out.
Uncle Jeff
Maybe a real historian like Arne Boveng or Lois Walker could do more research and find out who, if anyone, escaped the clutches of the vigilantes.
Fairness is not a partisan issue
Fairness is the goal of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act currently being considered in the United States Congress. The bill has bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
North Fork Welcome brochure
Every landowner was sent the Landowner Association spring newsletter, even non-members. The purpose, of course, is to encourage membership. Dues for active members (landowners) are $15 per year. Associate (non-la...