Hungry Horse news. [volume], December 10, 1954, Image 1

About Hungry Horse news. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1948-current

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Columbia Falls high school Wildcats open their 1954-55 conference schedule against Poison there
Friday. Saturday, the Wildcats play Anaconda Central here. Last Friday in the season's opener, they
defeated Bigfork 52-29. From left to right front row are Vern Byrd, Bob Baumann, Jim Kruse, Jack
Brownson, Larry Crandall and M ike Driscoll. Back row has Doug Smith, manager, and letternien,
LeRoy Byrd, Dick Knapton, Darryl Patterson, Webb Garey, Allan Hamilton, Roger Christensen and
Coach Bud Beagle. Hamilton and Garey are co-captains. The team has 17 game schedule this winter.
Fails Plays Poison; Anaconda Central
Saturday Sees Elk
Kill at Least 28
WEST GLACIER—Last Satur
day. first day of the extended open
se_ on on elk of both sexes up
the Flathead river's Middle Fork
saw a kill of 22 elk on Autumn
creek between Bear creek and the
continental divide. Another six elk
were also known to have been
killed.
Few if any elk were taken Sun
day. The two days saw an estimat
ed 300 hunters.
The winter open season lies
along the south boundary of Gla
cier National Park between West
Glacier and the continental divide.
The season is open each Saturday
and Sunday between U. S. high
way No. 2 on the south and the
park boundary on the north. The
park boundary is the Flathead
river's Middle Fork to Java sta
tion underpass, and then the Great
Northern mainline to the contin
ental divide. There isn't any open
area between Essex and Java
where U. S. No. 2 runs in the park.
Two days notice will be given
before the open season is to be
closed.
Idea of the two days open and
five days closed is to encourage
elk to leave Glacier where there
are too many animals for avail
able range. A continuous open sea
son would create a rifle barrage
discouraging animals.to leave the
park.
Seek Applicants For
Soldiers' Home Post
Applications are being received
for the position of commander of
the State Soldiers Home a mile
from Columbia Falls.
The position pays $4,000 a year
and housing, and all applicants
are required by law to be veter
ans of the Spanish American War
or of World War I.
Applications should be submit
ted to ThomasJ. Fleming, Bonner,
chairman of the Montana Soldiers
Home Board of Managers. A new
commander will be picked at the
March meeting of the board in
Columbia Falls.
Fleming commented to the Hun
gry Horse News that relationships
between the board and Vem R.
Kèlly, Kalispell and Lake Mc
Donald, who resigned as com
mander at the Nov. 9 board meet
ing, had been cordial. He added
that there had been no unusual
differences.
Kelly's resignation was effect
ive July 1, 1955, but he told the
Hungry Horse News that he was
ready to give up the position as
soon as a successor was picked
next spring. Kelly succeeded
William Wedgewood of Missoula
as commander July 15, 1953.
Kelly is a lifelong resident of
the Flathead, and he remarked that
he wanted to be able to spend more
time operating his cabin camp
business at the head of Lake Mc
Donald in Glacier National Park.
The camp was founded by his
father, the late Frank Kelly on
land he homesteaded in 1892. This
is one of the oldest cabin camps in
Montana still in operation, and had
its first regular guests in 1910.
Kelly, a World War I veteran,
was Montana Department Com
mander of the VFW. He was also
a Flathead county deputy sheriff
from 1949 until 1953.
The Soldiers Home is full with
85 residents, old soldiers or their
widows. In addition there are 20
applications on the waiting list.
The Home wants funds from the
legislature to enlarge facilities.
Members of the State Soldiers
Home board are Thomas Fleming,
Bonner, chairman; Dr. James Me
Cabe, Helena; Ben Muzzey, Hing
ham; Hans S. Hanson, Great Falls,
and Bert Berland, Conrad, state
commander of the Spanish Ameri
can War veterans. The law pro
vides for the state head of the
Spanish war veterans to automat
ically be a member of the board.
In the state of Washington, an
nouncement was made Wednesday
of a new superintendent for the
Washington state Soldiers Home at
Orting. He is Joseph A. Reeves,
former Everett superintendent of
schools, who takes over Dec. 13,
and will receive $426 a month. Ap
pointment was made by Fred R.
Dickson, state superintendent of
public institutions.
WEST GLACIER — About 100 ]
western Montana boy scouts are
scheduled to hold a winter camp,
Dec 27 28 and 29 at Glacier Na- (
tional ' Park headquarters. In
will be Raleigh W. Smed
1
(
Scouts to Hold Outing
charge
ley, Missoula, area scout execu-|
tive, assisted by Claire Story, Kal-j
isoell field executive.
The boys will headquarter at the
park conference hall. 1
Wildcats of '54-55
Are 15 to 18 Years
Postwar developments of Hun
gry Horse Dam and the expanding
lumber industry brought families
of most Columbia Falls high school
basketball players to Flathead. Al
uminum plant has helped keep a
number here. Only two of the 12
are 18 year-olds with five, 17,
four 16 and one 15. The boys were
born in 1936, 1937, 1938 and 1939,
just before World War II.
Here's lineup;
Webb Garey, center. 16 last Ap
ril 2, 6'5", ' '5, junior, born Kalis
pell, came to Columbia Falls fall
of 1953.
Dick Knapton, forward, 17 last
Aug. 3, 6', 175, senior, born Bem
idji, Minn., came to Columbia Falls
in 1945.
Roger Christensen, forward, 17
last July 10, 6', 175, senior, born
Bismarck, N. Dak., came to Col
umbia Falls seven years ago.
Allan Hamilton, guard, 17 last
Aug. 19, 6'1", 175, senior, Flathead
native, lived in Columbia Falls
except for eight years in Cut Bank.
Mike Driscoll, guard, 15 last
March 28, 5'10, 147, sophomore,
born Moab, Utah, moved to Flat
head in 1949 and Columbia Falls
two years ago.
Jack Brownson, forward, 16 last
March 29, S'il, 160, junior, born
Mason City, Wash., moved to Hun
gry Horse seven years ago.
Larry Crandall, forward, 16 last
July 26, 5'9, 140, junior, born Bis
hop, Calif., moved to Hungry
Horse two years ago.
Darryl Patterson, forward, 17
last March 9, 6'2, 165, senior, bom
Moorpark, Calif., moved to Hun
gry Horse six years ago.
Vern Byrd, guard, 18 last Feb.
20, 5'9, 158, senior, born in Poi
son, moved to Martin City nine
pass
vere .
tion cease in November and snow
drifts up to 15 feet deep were
plowed in,f e l* 1 }? „5
shovel off the pass section and
down to St. Mary.
This week was seeing the con
ti actor compete installation of the
last of 12 culverts between I^g
an creek and the pass, and this
finishes construction until next
spring.
Stockpiled and ready for crush
ing are 19,500 cubic yards of gra
vel from McDonald creek,
The Great Falls firm isexpect
ed to complete its $125,300 con
tract that
rock along the Garden Wall next
summer.
years ago.
LeRoy Byrd, guard, 17 last Sept.
4, 6', 185, junior, bom in Ronan,
moved to Martin City nine years
ago.
Bob Baumann, guard, 16 last
March 30, 5'9, 165, junior, born
and lives in Columbia Heights.
Jim Kruse, guard, 18 last March
21, 5'9, 150, senior, born in Havre,
lived at Bigfork for six years
where he starred in basketball,
moved to Columbia Falls this year.
Doug Smith, team manager, 16
last Feb. 4, 5'7, 120, senior, born
Tacoma, Columbia Falls for past
seven years.
Gate at McDonald ,
Birch Done 't/I Spring
WEST GLACIER—The 50 miles
of Glacier National Park's Going
to-the-Sun highway from the foot
of Lake McDonald to the foot of
St. Mary lake has been closed by
winter weather until next April.
Lower sections of the highway
open for traffic in the spring,
while the Logan pass section itself
has a shorter four to five month
season
This fall saw S. Birch and Sons,
Great Falls, widening the Logan
section during October. Se
weather saw the construe
Continued Cloudy
WEATHER forecast Increasing
cloudiness Thursday, some snow
and wind Thursday night. Friday
decreasing cloudiness. Predicted
high Thursday 35, low 25; high
Friday near 35.
Highs and lows; Dec. 3, 32-25;
Saturday 37-28; Sunday 43-27,
Monday 45-26, Tuesday 40-32,
Wednesday 43-24, Thursday 35
19. Temperatures have been av
eraging about 6 degrees above nor
mal according to Observer Ray
Hall at the airport. Late Novem
ber temperatures and Dec. 1 and
2 were below normal. Roads in
logging areas softened Monday
Tuesday and Wednesday, but froze
hard again Thursday, and now are
considered in goon shape p >am.
Precipitation: So far in Decem
ber at the airport a trace of snow
, . „
and .05 of an inch ram. December
normal for month is 1.54 inches.
Columbia Falls Wildcats open
1954-55 conference play when
they meet the Poison Pirates on
the Poison floor Friday at 8 p.
m. The two schools B teams will
play the preliminary.
In season openers Poison lost to
Missoula high school 62-39, while
Columbia Falls defeated Bigfork
in a ragged game 52-29. Eureka
defeated Bigfork the next even
ing 47-46.
Measure of the Columbia Falls
team will be further demonstra
ted this weekend as Columbia Falls
plays Anaconda Central (Catholic
high) here Saturday at 8 p. m.
Coach Beagle presently is
thinking in terms of his starting
lineup being Christensen and
Brownson, forwards; guards, Ham
ilton and Crandall, and Garey at
center. The first team is down to
11 as LeRoy Byrd is out again
with a knee injured in football.
The other Columbia Falls possible
starters are Dick Knapton, Bob
Baumann, Jim Kruse, Mike Dris
coll, Darryl Patterson and Vern
Byrd. Ten of them saw play
against Bigfork last Friday.
Columbia Falls with Poison
and Ronan tied for second place
in conference play last season.
Whitefish was first.
There are indications of a good
team here this year.
Results of the Bigfork game
were as follows:
FG FT PF TP
..2 5
_ i.2 3
,_0 0 1 0
..._.0 6 5 6
.1 1 1 3
_0 1 5 1
_ 0 2
. 0 1 0 1
.5 19 17 29
BIGFORK (29)
f ?
Pierce _
Burchard .
Rawlings .—
Reese .
Lee — -T.-...
Tesky -
Seidel _
Johnson .
—
Totals
COL. FALLS (52)
Christensen
_0 4 4 4
...
Garey -
Crandall _
Hamilton —
Baumann ...
Knapton —
Patterson
Kruse -
Driscoll -
_6 2 3 14
_3 0 4 6
_7 6 5 20
_ 0 0 2 0
_0 0 3 0
. 0 1 1 1
_ 1 0 2 2
.0 1 3 1
.19 14 32 52
Totals
Score by quarters;
Bigfcrk —
Col. Falls ...
4 12 25 29
.....10 30 36 52
Joseph to Succeed
Miller in Glacier
WEST GLACIER — Stanley C.
Joseph has been named assistant
superintendent for Glacier Nation
al Park, and will succeed George
W. Miller, who is leaving about
Jan. 1 to become superintendent
of Big Bend National Park on the
Rio Grande in Texas.
. _■
Service at the regional office m
j Omaha. He started working wi
the park service m the early 1930s
in Yosemite. J. W. Emmert, sup
erintendent of Glacier National
Park was then assistant superm
tendent in Yosemite.
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph have two
daughters, one a college freshman,
and the other a high school fresh
man.
Joseph is now administrative
officer with the National Park
List Honor Roll At
Falls Junior High
Eleven eighth graders and 23
seventh graders out of the 200
students in Columbia Falls junior
high school were on the honor roll
for the second six weeks period,
according to Principal Phil Nel
son.
The eighth grade honor roll in
cludes; Marjorie and Myra Robin*
son .West Glacier; Francis Ride
nour, Lake Rive; Clarence Bertiho,
Linda Daniels, Sharon Garlough,
John Lundborg, Ann Rasmussen,
George Settera, Stuart Smith and
Gary Walsh, Columbia Falls.
On the seventh grade honor roll
were; Carol Thompson, West Gla
cier; Richard Field, Patricia Mor
ris and Eugene Rockman, Martin
City; Lois Gochnauer, Marcia Hil
den and Ronald Stratton, Hungry
Horse; Janice Harney and Susan
Mace, Columbia Heights; Barbara
Buck, Bad Rock and the following
from Columbia Falls— Rita An
ders, Marjorie Bakshas, Richard
Bishop, Janice Corrigeux, Janice
Christensen, Sue Davis, Diane Ec
cleston, Patricia Hamer, Jackie
Kearns, Martin Leeman, Leon
Walsh, Margaret Winegar and
Carol Woster.
Columbia Falls junior high stu
dents live in Columbia Falls, Col
umbia Heights, Hungry Horse,
Martin City, West Glacier, Apgar
and Lake Five.
10 cents a Copy
Hungry H orse News
COLUMBIA FALLS, MONTANA
VOL. 9 — NO. 20
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10.
County Farm Income Shows Increa
McNeil Places Last Concrete of Contract
Gross farm income for th Flat
head during 1954 is es in :ed at
$7,249,551 by Walt V oritson,
Flathead county agent.
This represents an inc ease over
Thursday saw J. A. McNeil Co.
Inc., excavations and foundations
contractor at the Anaconda Alum
inum Co. plant place the last con
crete in their contract. It was
wall for a trench.
It was the McNeil company, an
Alhairibra, Calif, concern, that
started construction of the alum
inum plant June 9, 1953 when of
ficial ground breaking ceremonies
took place.
McNeil employment that two
weeks ago was 500 was down to
215 last Thursday and then to 91
Friday. This weekend is to see
further layoff to about a dozen
Monday. Cleanup and equipment
moving is underway.
J. W. Cullen, McNeil vice presi
dent, expects cleanup to be fin
ished this coming week.
Baker - Mitchell - Thwing, San
Bernardino, Calif., is presently
completing dismantling of the
batch plant that has turned out
tota lof 82,000 cubic yards of con
crete .McElroy and Wilken, Kalis
pell and Columbia Falls batch
plant operators, will supply con
crete needs of Foley Constructors,
the plant's general contractors, in
completing the sidewalks, curbs
and other features during 1955.
About 1,500 more yards of con
crete will be placed.
Total employment at the plant
down from 1,432 a week ago to 1,
306 Thursday. The figure stayed
near and above 1,600 for nearly
three months this fall. Anticipated
winter total is 1,000 to 1,200 com
pared to 500 to 600 during the
winters of Hungry Horse Dam
peak construction. Half of these
were federal employes.
Foley Constructors with Dono
van Construction Co., principal
subcontractors, Thursday had 879
men working up from 869 last
week. No major increase is indi
cated.
Foleys this week are to drop
back from the six to the five day
week in most cases. It is a matter
of material delivery. Walter Sat
tler, Foleys general superintend
ent, added there was the desire
to keep as many men as possible
busy this winter.
Next Week's Paper
Is Xmas Edition '
Next week's Hungry Horse News
will be the annual Christmas edi
tion with approximately 100 pic
tures. Cost will be 20 cents a copy.
Winter scenes of the Flathead,
aluminum plant construction and
other scenery and wildlife will be
featured.
A total of 7,200 copies are be
ing printed. Forty pounds of co
balt blue ink is being used to pro
duce the eight-page pictorial sec
tion which requires over a third of
a ton of book paper. Cost of the
special blue ink itself is $92 or
more than a penny for each eight
page section.
This weekend is deadline for all
orders for more than six copies.
As in previous years, for orders
of 25 or more copies of the Christ
mas edition, the press is stopped,
and name of the person or persons
who send the paper is printed on
top of page 1. Wrappers may be
obtained at the Hungry Horse
News office, and the newspaper
will take care of mailing. Special
edition orders should be accom
panied by check, money order or
cash. The Hungry Horse News
does not employ a bookkeeper.
Last year's Christmas edition
won an honorable mention at the
National Editorial Association Bet
ter Newspapers contest in Balti
more, and the 1948 edition won a
national award at the association
meeting in Salt Lake City.
Feeder Line May
Serve Flathead
Chet Seymer and Ernie Mass
man represented Columbia Falls
Tuesday at a hearing in Great
Falls on the subject of feeder air
line service in Montana.
Also at the meeting from the
Flathead were Sol Catron, chair
man of the Flathead county air
port board,- and Harold Butts,
Whitefish who with Massman, are
board members. Seymer is a for
mer board member.
It is felt that Northwest Airlines
along with other large airlines will
have faster and faster planes with
the result that Montana will have
fewer and fewer stops. Airline
^eryice then becomes the develop
ment of feeder line service such
as Frontier Airlines is providing
eastern Montana. They are inter
ested in the Flathead.
Pending is the Northwest appli
cation to discontinue flights to this
section.
O'Connor Finishes
New Water Lines
The O'Connor Construction Co.
contract for $15,128 to furnish and
install 2,815 feet of six-inch cast
iron waterline in Columbia Falls
Rutherford addition has been com
pleted. There are also four new
hydrants.
John Morrison, Helena, of the
consulting engineering firm of
Morrison and Maierle, said that
the line successfully passed a test
using 100 pounds of air pressure
per square inch.
The new waterlines are west
and south of Columbia Falls high
school.
m&m
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New office building at Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant is scheduled to be occupied in another
month. H. G. Satterthwaite, plant manager, and staff will move from Bank of Columbia Falls build
ing. New office is brick structure
Falls Considers New
Garbage Disposal
Principal topic at the December
meeting of Columbia Falls city
council was an improved garbage
disposal system.
George Fielding, Kalispell, Flat
head county sanitarian, met with
Mayor Herman Benzien and the
council Monday. He pointed out
the advantages of the sanitary
landfill system which involves
digging a trench for disposal pur
poses. In this way the offending
smoke, smell, appearance as well
as danger of disease spreading by
rodents and flies can be curbed.
BLOCKS WESTWARD GROWTH
Columbia Falls' present dump
ground, one of the better in the
county, is considered to be block
ing city growth westward. A more
distant dump in the timber area
presents fire hazards and is arous
ing neighbors of potential sites.
In addition length of haul pro
vides an expense factor. Fielding
said that a sanitary landfill sys
tem could even be used within city
limits. The council members ap
peared to favor this solution to the
garbage problem, and a committee
of councilmen, O. S. Kronkright,
A1 Shay and Bill Schmidt was ap
pointed.
RENEW LIQUOR LICENSES
Renewed at the meeting were
hard liquor and beer licenses for
1955. Cost is $100 each. Getting
new permits for hard liquor and
beer are Canyon Bar, Columbia
Bar, Martin's Inn, Paul Bunyan,
Sportsmen's club and VFW club.
A $100 beer license was issued to
the Mint Bar and $100 packaged
beer sale license to B & B and
Caley markets.
TO BUY TRUCK
The council voted to spend $700
for purchase of a used dump truck,
and to make arrangements for
renting a V-plow attachment from
the state highway department for
added This will
augment the city grader with
plow attachment.
The council was informed that
the Pacific Power and Light Co.
would move about 30 telephone
and light poles out of alley right
of-ways. The poles were located
before accurate lot surveys were
availablfe, and now are found
be up to four feet in the alleys
themselves. There is another pole
near Cedar Lodge Motel found
be 20 feet inside a new street.
BALL PARK TRADE
The council also discussed trad
ing of the present town ball park
of one block for three blocks in
the Hoerner addition. Plum Creek
mill has offered to buy the three
blocks for a new ball park as
trade for the one block.
A new ordir^ance is being drawn
up on the $10 a year plumber's li
cense. Henceforth it is to be pay
able Jan. 2.
The city is also to rent a book
keeping machine.
The council directed James
Gumming, city attorney, to proceed
with a legal suit against Western
Montana Asphalt Co., Missoula,
regarding the unsatisfactory con
dition of Nucleus avenue hard sur
facing.
Mrs. Harry Higson appeared be
fore the council regarding water
from Nucleus avenue draining into
her yard, and the continued need
for a guard rail down Nucleus ave
hill. The council decided to
nue
place logs as a curbing down the
hill.
RIDPATH FIRE
Howard Greene, water commis
sioner and fire chief, and Cecil
Hudson were called from the
meeting by 13-year-old Gene Dar
ling. Gene saw George Ridpath's
chimney shooting flames when he
at the post office. He went
to Ridpath's, and Mr. Ridpath sent
him next door to the city hall to
get a fireman. Salt was used to
control the fire. The siren was not
sounded.
A vote of thanks was passed to
the Seventh Day Adventist church
group who use the city hall for
services. The Seventh Day Adven
tists had presented the city clerk's
office an electric clock. Earlier this
year they gave an electric clock
for the town meeting room.
The council discussed the prob
lem of the waterline to Superior
mill having major leaks, and the
possibility of abandoning the line
which passes under the Great Nor
thern mainline.
A total of $637 in fines was list
ed on the November police court
report. This does not include jus
tice court fines which are turned
over to the county directly.
Mayor Herman Benzien presid
ed at the meeting. Councilmen are
Fred Krona, Al Shay, O. S. Kronk
right, George Settera, Bill Sch
midt and G. W. Fleming. Present
were James Gumming, city attor
ney; Mrs. Ruby Guillaume-Berg,
city clerk; Howard Greene, water
commissioner, and Troy Thacker,
street commissioner.
wa
aluminum trim. Building square
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Final stages of completing new AAC office building has been
laying of floor tile part of Foley Constructors contract. Here Is Jack
Veach of Columbia Floor Covering Co. finishing one of the tile floors.
Schools to Buy Hoerner Land
to
to
a
The district 6 school board plans
to sign an option with Hoerner
Brothers for purchase of 18.14 ac
res of land just outside Columbia
Falls city limits for future school
expansion.
The option provides for $816
down and total payment of $16,
326 by July 1, 1955. The option
can be renewed until Nov. 1. Land
purchase will be financed by ask
ing voters for approval of an ex
tra mill levy fo t one year or by
a bond issue.
Conferring with the board on the
land purchase at the December
meeting Tuesday was Jack Hoer
ner. Ownership of the land is list
ed in the names of Mr. and Mrs.
Anton Hoerner, Mr. and Mrs. Pete
Hoerner and Mr. and Mrs. Ronie
Hoerner.
The eight block tract lies be
tween 13th and 16th streets south
and from Fifth to Eighth avenues
West. It measures 915 by 960 feet
except for one 250-foot block be
ing taken out and reserved by the
Hoerners as their gift for a new
community hospital.
The property is viewed as large
enough to provide school build
ings, playgrounds and an athletic
field.
Lot prices up to $1,000 each have
blocked further land purchase for
playground use and future expan
sion at the present school location. I
Construction of the new school
is viewed as some years off. Land
purchase is being contemplated
now before expanding schools face
extra expense of buying land and
moving buildings.
MARTIN CITY ADDITION
Mayor Vem Greene and Jerry
Baldwin, Martin City's fire chief
and justice of the peace, led a I
delegation of seven Martin City !
residents, who met with the board j
requesting a four-room addition to
overcrowded Martin City school. |
At the November board meeting,
the Martin City delegation arrang- I
ed to inspect the surplus men's J
dormitory at Hungry Horse Pro- I
ject to see if it could be moved and I
used for school purposes. |
Architect Gehres Weed submit- I
ted a report estimating the cost of |
moving and remodeling the build- J
ing into classrooms as $19,099.31. I
Martin City representatives and |
the school board did not feel that I
the dormitory remodeling was I
practical. I
Baldwin read a letter from Mary f
Condon, Helena, state superinten- i
dent of public instruction. He had |
written her regarding the $130,- 1
207 grant coming from the fed er- I
al government to district 6 for
building purposes.
Martin City delegation felt i
that the 're-imbursable" $42,000 of
The
the grant could be spent for a new!
addition to Martin City's four-jerson
room school by the board without!
submitting the question to the vo
ters.
of
They were informed that Miss
Condon's letter stated that the
money was money due for comple
(Please turn to page 4)
Fish Hooks Make
Colorful Earrings
The fisherman can now bring
home a set of flies that will have
more appeal for his wife.
Otto Schultz at the Mountain
View Fly Shop in Deer Park is
making fish flies for ladies ear
rings. The delicate and colorful
flies make an attractive earring.
A s/nall bead is placed on the end
of the hook so as to protect the
good lady.
Schultz started making earring
flies four years ago, and believes
he is the first manufacturer in the
field. His earrings have the safety
factor of the small bead to protect
ears.
i
tree was erected early this week;
on Nucleus avenue by Howard ;
Greene, Troy Thacker and Don ;
Lundsford. Bill Slifer donated tbe|
tree,
These gifts for the angler's wife
are available at Schultz' shop on
highway No. 2, and are to be avail
able at various shops. Schultz is
a retired sawmill worker, who
started tying flies for a living 12 i
years ago.
Columbia Falls 1954 Christmas
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Busy spot in the Flathead these days is Holiday Ranch, mid
between Columbia Falls and Whitefish, where Mrs, John Pet
is one of the local ladles packing "Campfire Memories," that
finds favor as a Christmas gift. The product is made of cedar,
—j
balsam and fir needles, and burns like incense bringing the scent
a mountain campfire. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Wheelock started the
local industry two years ago, and now there are markets from
coast to coast. Largest outlets are in California and New York.
"Campfire Memories" have increased sales at Christmas when they
are used for gifts, and sales peak again during summer vacation time
years of 1950-51-52.
The 1954 figure inc> ides farm
produced Christmas trees of $418,
500. The 1954 figure without
Christmas trees is $6,831,051 and
compares with $6,185,765 for 1953;
$7,888,690 for 1952, $8,593,938 for
1951 and $8,620,005 back in 1950.
DAIRY CORRECTION
Mauritson commented that part
of the reason for tb i 1954 gross
income increase is that dairy pro
duction for 1954 is based on actual
cash paid farmers by dairies. Pre
viously this was estimated, and it
was 20 per cent low for 1953.
The county agent's report con
tinues with information that poul
try production is up in numbers.
Beef prices for feeder calves has
increased from last year. Cash
grain crops are likewise up in dol
lar income even with acreage re
strictions on wheat. 1954 was a
good year though the fall found
ripe grain in the fields and wea
ther wet. 1953 was dry with July
of that summer the driest in 54
years, hence a reduced yield.
Mauritson's report on Flathead
farm income does not include the
cherry crop which is largely pro
duced in Lake county though mar
keted mostly through Kali spell.
This is at least a $500,000 factor.
The 400 square mile Flathead
valley has 1,450 farms. A farm is
considered 3 or more acres. The
average Flathead farm in the 1950
census contained 236 acres. How
ever one-third the farms are under
40 acres in size.
About 1,200 of the 1,450 farmers
depend on their land for most of
their income. Many augment in
come by work in the woods and
sawmills and in construction such
as building Hungry Horse Dam
and the Anaconda Aluminum Co.
plant.
CROPS AND LIVESTOCK
Estimated 1954 income for Flat
head farmers totals $4,062,059
from crop sources and $2,767,362
from livestock and poultry sources.
Dairy farmer receipts, actual
figures and not an estimate, shows
$914,275.84 received. In addition,
there was sale of cull cows and
vealers for a total income of $1,
084,775. Dairying has been increas
ing in the Flathead with over
5,000 cows.
The Flathead beef h' prtM
duced $763,245. There wete 11.500
cows, 3,000 cull cows, 3,575 steer
calves and 2,257 heifer calves.
Of considerable consequence is
the swine production valued at
$445,600 and poultry at $452,500.
Relatively small factor is lamb and
wool production valued at $21,
871.
IMPORTANT CROPS
Most important crops in the
Flathead are wheat, barley and
hay.
Winter wheat acreage was. down
this year to 18,000 acres compared
to an estimated 36,000 last and
43,000 in 1952. Half the winter
wheat is considered as grain for
sale and half as feed. Average
yield is pegged at 31 bushels per
acre compared to 28 last year.
(Please turn to page 4)
Falls Mail Volume
Shows Big Increase
Volume of mail shipments from
Columbia Falls is up over 50 per
cent compared to a year ago, ac
cording to Postmaster Dudley W.
Greene.
Reasons are the larger commu
nity, and a large number of local
residents mailing their Christmas
packages earlier this year. Local
outgoing mail includes about eight
Christmas trees a day. Generally
these are wrapped in burlap and
sent folks out on the prairies.
Sometimes a pair of old jeans
serves as a tree wrapper. Size of
tree that can be shipped is lim
ited to six feet.
The eastbound mail. No. 28 is
arriving in Columbia Falls over
an hour late. It is due at 4:25 pun.
So far No. 27, the morning west
bound mail has been on time, as
have the other trains.