Yesterdays

60 Years Ago

June 29, 1951

Crews planned to deliver 2,430 Dolly Varden trout from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service hatchery in Creston to Big Creek and Coal Creek, in the North Fork. The 8-10 inch long, 14 month old fish were believed to be the first hatchery fish in Montana to reach yearly status.

There was no word yet from Harvey Machine Co., of Torrance, Calif., about plans to build an aluminum smelter in the Flathead Valley. Rumors had the company's vice president coming to the valley to begin leasing loading facilities.

Douglas Duncan, 9, of Columbia Falls drowned in the Flathead River while fishing off two old logs used for boat mooring below the Montana Veterans Home. Two laborers from a sidewalk project at the home dove in after the boy but were unable to find him. Sheriff Dick Walsh arrived with personnel from the Flathead Lifesaving and Rescue organization and located the boy about half a mile downstream at a fishing hole Walsh remembered from when he was a kid.

50 Years Ago

June 30, 1961

Winners in the river race from West Glacier to the Silver Bridge at Columbia Falls (now the U.S. 2 bridge) would share $400 in prize money. The 22-mile race kicked off the Progress Days celebration in Columbia Falls.

Glacier National Park personnel located a saddle horse missing for about two weeks. Happy, 11, was found trapped in a former Civilian Conservation Corps cesspool after its hind legs fell in. Rescuers used a chain saw to cut away the log cribbing and a power shovel to dig out a ramp to pull the horse out.

40 Years Ago

June 25, 1971

Glacier Park Inc. began operating a new shuttle bus system in the Park. The 18-passenger vehicle would make daily trips on the Going-to-the-Sun Road from Avalanche Creek Campground to Logan Pass. Cost was $2.

With the drinking age going to 19 starting July 1, the county courthouse in Kalispell was besieged by 19-year-olds needing an ID approved by the Montana Liquor Control Board.

30 Years Ago

June 25, 1981

With approval by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, plans were made to rename Trick Falls in the Two Medicine area Running Eagle, or Pitamakan, Falls in a July 12 ceremony.

A moose led Columbia Falls police and news photographers on a zigzag chase across town from St. Richard's Catholic Church to Columbus Park. The young cow moose, which stopped by the playground at the elementary school, was possibly the same one that interrupted a baseball game two weeks ago at Schoenberg Park.

20 Years Ago

June 27, 1991

The opening of the Sun Road to Logan Pass on June 23 marked the earliest opening since World War II. The opening was plagued by avalanche damage at Haystack Creek and flooding at St. Mary. Damage to the alpine road at Haystack cost $100,000 to $150,000 to fix.

New pollution control equipment at the Plum Creek plywood plant was expected to change a blue haze from eight stacks into a single white plume of steam. The new scrubber system was also expected to bring exhaust from the 1963-vintage veneer dryers compliant with federal regulations.

10 Years Ago

June 28, 2001

Meadow Lake Resort officials announced they would no longer hold a Fourth of July fireworks display. They cited clean-up costs and damage to the golf course.

Red Bus No. 98's return to Glacier National Park was celebrated by officials and former jammers. The tour bus fleet was taken out of service in 1999 because of safety concerns. The cost to fix No. 98 escalated from a budgeted $100,000 to $500,000. The cost to revamp the remaining 32 buses was expected to be much less because they would have smaller V-8 engines, not the V-10 put in No. 98, which also came equipped with rear dualies.