Newcomer recalls historical highlights

This column was written by guest writer Patti Hart the editor of NFNews.net.

I'm new to the North Fork. Although I've been living on the North Fork for more than 11 years and have actually spent several winters here, there is no doubt in anyone's mind that I'm a newcomer.

That's not to say that I've not learned a lot since arriving. I now know that wimpy city tires are a guaranteed way of getting a flat tire on the North Fork road, that locally-sourced game is the best meat in the world, that hummingbird feeders attract grizzly bears, and that diesel will fail to do its duty at 40 below.

I still have a lot to learn, however. For example, I don't know the best method for getting rid of pests like ground squirrels and noxious weeds. And I still don't understand how 20 or so otherwise rational adults can stand around at a party and discuss the relative merits of headlamps for an hour. As I said, still a lot to learn.

So when Larry asked me to be a guest writer for his column, I'll admit to being a bit intimidated. My personal North Fork history is so short. Then I thought how my North Fork experiences are just one small pattern in a very large weave that stretches back over a century and began to feel more confident. Polebridge is a good example.

Polebridge has always been an important part of the North Fork weave. It was started when William and Jessie Adair moved their home and store in 1912 from its original North Fork location, Sullivan Meadows in Glacier National Park, to the 160-acre homestead that is now Polebridge. At the time, there were only about 30 homesteads in the park and another 30 on the west side of the river. Not many people.

Food and good times have always been important to people on the North Fork though, and Polebridge has played its part. My husband Morgan remembers the Polebridge Mercantile while growing up on the North Fork in the 1960s. At that time, it had a cafe counter where folks could order hamburgers and presumably a beer. There was also a huge wheel of mild cheddar cheese with a self-service cutting device so patrons could whack off chunks. Now neighbors and visitors all come to the store for their famous baked goods and the equally good company of Flannery and Stuart, the current proprietors.

The landscape around Polebridge changed dramatically in the summer of 1988 with the Red Bench Fire that burned for more than 11 days. Most of the historic Polebridge Ranger Station was destroyed, and the forest right up to the edge of Polebridge proper burned. Nineteen fire fighters were injured in this blaze and one killed. My brother-in-law was one of the local volunteers who joined the fire crews to save the Mercantile and other historic Polebridge structures. My first memories of Polebridge are 12 years after this event, when the snags still rose like sentinels pointing north.

When we started spending summers and some winters on the North Fork after 2000, we often went to Polebridge's Northern Lights Saloon to meet friends. The "saloon", as we call it, was the Adairs' original homestead cabin converted in 1976. During the summer, visitors sat out on the picnic tables in the front and enjoyed the ever-present volleyball game or watched weary but happy floaters coming from the pullout at the bridge.

Winters at the Northern Lights were a bit more challenging, however. With no central heat and the indoor facilities frozen, female patrons had to make their way to the outhouse in the dark with a headlamp. Maybe those headlamp discussions are important after all. Men generally made a shorter trip outdoors. Returning to the warmth of the wood-burning stove with room for another cold draft made the excursion worthwhile.

One winter, we had been cooped up for weeks with snow to our waist and minus-40 degree temperatures. Desperate for company, we chained up and drove to the saloon one Friday night to discover that both the water and the beer keg had frozen that week. The staff had built a fire that afternoon to thaw things out, and that evening we all shook the keg to assure ourselves it was indeed drinkable. Nobody suspected that the alcohol had thawed but the water had not. Someone said that there was dancing on tables, but I'll have to admit I don't remember. Enough said about that evening.

See what I mean about getting caught up in the North Fork weave? For several years, the saloon wasn't a place we felt comfortable, and so reluctantly avoided going. Now the saloon is under new management, serving up good food, good cheer and no surprises with respect to the alcohol percentage of the beer. You can once again find us comfortably seated at one of the picnic tables out front.

We always pay close attention to the special nights. Wednesday is generally guest chef night, bringing a bit of the gourmet to the Northern Lights. Friday nights are for pizza, the veggie pizza being my personal favorite. And Saturday nights are generally prime rib nights. Other great options on the menu are steak, buffalo burgers and always very special desserts.

With each visit to the Northern Lights, bear claw at the Mercantile, hike, river float, dance, lively NFLA election, fire and flood - neighbors, friends, and visitors on the North Fork make history unlike any other place we've ever lived. I'm looking forward to the years ahead as I work my way up to "old timer" status.