Hungry Horse news. [volume], December 17, 1954, Image 1

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

Image provided by: Montana Historical Society; Helena, MT

                
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Hungry Horse Assembly of God church attracts more members to its Sunday services today than
it did during peak days of Hungry Horse Dam construction when Hungry Horse community had two
and three times its present population. This is the group that attended Sunday school last Sunday.
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Cedar boughs from the nearby forests decorate the Hungry
Horse Assembly of God pulpit as Pastor Hinton leads in hymn singing.
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Men in the Flathead go out into the nearby forests to bring back
the family Christmas tree. Here Rev. Leo B. Hinton, Hungry Horse,
with his youngest son, Larry, 9 brings back a tree. In the background
is Hungry Horse Village, Bad Rock canyon and Teakettle mountain.
Carolers to Welcome Santa
Columbia Falls will observe
Santa Claus' arrival in the city
Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. with a com
munity bonfire and singing of
Christmas carols at the Communi
ty Christmas tree.
Arranging the evening are mem
bers of Columbia Falls Lions club.
Cecil Hudson, club president, is
chairman of the Santa Claus com
mittee. Santa is to be met at Col
umbia Falls depot by the city's fire
truck and police patrol car, and es
corted down Nucleus avenue to the
tree.
Park Deer Prefer
Trees for Parlors
WEST GLACIER—Problem at
Glacier National Park headquar
ters village is that deer in the
area seem to prefer the taste of
Christmas trees and wreaths to
evergreens still standing.
Result finds rangers and other
park personnel having their
Christmas trees inside garages or
raised up on a porch beyond the
reach of lunching defer, until they
are placed in the living rooms.
Christmas tree cutting isn't al
lowed in Glacier, so the evergreens
are brought in from outside. The
deer seem to like the somewhat
drier needles of a cut tree.
A chemical that has an offensive
odor for deer has been tried on
the trees. Result is the deer tend
to stay away, and even the people
are discouraged.
Mostly Fair
WEATHER forecast: Mostly fair
except for high cloudiness; chance
of ground fog Friday morning.
Continued quite cold. Predicted
high Thursday 33, low 10 to 15,
high Friday 30 to 35.
High and lows of week: Dec. 10,
35-21, Saturday 32-16, Sunday 25
13, Monday 41-24, Tuesday 39-32,
Wednesday 40-28, Thursday 33-17.
Lowest December reading so far
was 6 above, Dec. 2, according to
Observer Ray Hall at the airport.
Temperatures this week are some
what above normal.
Columbia Falls, Hungry Horse
and Martin City post office win
dows are to be open all day Satur
day.
Singing of Christmas carols is
to start at 7 p.m., with Leonard
Whitney in charge. Church choirs,
scouts and other group« are asked
to assist in this annual community
sing.
Lawrence Rude is chairman of
the bonfire committee, while H.
H. Davall and E. J. Marantette are
co-chairmen of the treats commit
tee. The candy treats are for all
children under 12.
Bill Knapton, Bob Sanders and
Ed Woster are arranging to build
a fence to be used in connection
with Tuesday evening festivities.
Other holiday events in Colum
bia Falls include the free show at
the Park theatre, Friday, Dec. 24
for all area youngsters.
Precipitation: Total for month so
far is .09 of an inch at the air
port. December normal precipita
tion is 1.54 inches. Total precipita
tion for 1954 so far at airport is
15.06 compared to 16.35 inches nor
mal for whole year. At West Gla
cier 20 air miles from airport, total
'54 precipitation near 34 inches
compared to full year normal of
25.72. Thursday there was an inch
of snow on the ground at Columbia
Falls and four inches at West Gla
cier.
Hungry Horse Church
Continues to Grou)
Though Dam Is Done
Once or twice a year the Hun
gry Horse News presents a series
of pictures on one of the area
churches. This is a brief story and
picture series on the Assemby of
God church in Hungry Horse.
The late Rev. E. H. Davis, As
sembly of God pastor from Great
Falls, bought land at the junction
of the Flathead river and its South
Fork.
. When Hungry Horse Dam con
struction loomed, he subdivided his
South Fork tract into lots, reason
ably priced, and stipulated "no
taverns" allowed.
The preacher who didn't ask a
"king's ransom" for his land pros
pered. Gravel to build Hungry
Horse Dam came from land that
General-Shea-Morrison, the prime
contractor, purchased from the
Reverend Davis. The price was
more than he had paid for the
entire river ranch.
South Fork developed as the
beerless boomtown, whose
grocery store, operated by Mrs.
Ruth Nash didn't even sell cigar
ettes. She's the Sunday School su
perintendent.
In 1947 Assembly of God chur
ches from all over Montana located
(Please turn to page 4)
Plan Improvements
Of Park Facilities
Specifications are being prepar
ed for improved water and sewage
■facilities at Lake McDonald hotel
area in Glacier to accommodate
1,000 people, and improved sew
age disposal and parking facilities
at Swiftcurrent cabin camp.
These developments result from
signing of the 20-year contract in
November between the federal
government and the Glacier Park
Co., Great Northern subsidiary,
for operation of hotel, cabin camp
and store facilities in Glacier Na
tional Park.
Jan. 15 will see Max Edgar, Gla
cier park engineer and Frank Neu
bauer, park landscape architect, at
San Francisco Park Service engi
neering offices for a month on con
templated $300,000 worth of im
provements. Supt. J. W. Emmert
the San Francisco offices.
Other construction scheduled for
the park includes extending the
Glacier Electric Co-op REA line
from Babb to Many Glacier, and
the Flathead Electric Co-op line
from West Glacier to the head of
Lake McDonald.
The Great Northern has been
operating on a series of three one
year contracts in Glacier since
their 20-year contract expired in
1951.
Secretary of Interior Douglas
McKay announced in November
that the Glacier Park Co. had in
dicated willingness to undertake
additional improvements including
three multi-unit cabins at Lake
McDonald; additional store and
dining room space at Swiftcurrent
cabin camp, and at Rising Sun
camp, and modernization and new
dormitories for employes. Roads,
parking areas, water and sewer
improvements are responsibilities
of the federal government.
Extensive improvements of Mc
Donald hotel, only hotel in Glacier
owned by the government, are
planned for 1956. Other hotels are
owned and have been improved by
the Glacier Park Co.
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_ _ .20 cents a Copy
Hungry Horse News
PICTURE EDITION
VOL. 9 — NO. 21
COLUMBIA FALLS. MONTANA
20 PAGES
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1954
*54 Area Lumber Output Sets Record
Construction Job
Total Finding
Level for Winter
Total number ot men working at
the Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant
was down to 1,202 Thursday from
1,306 a week ago, and compares
with the fall level that held near
1,600 for three months.
Winter level of jobs at plant is
expected to be 1,000 to 1,200 com
pared to 500 to 600 in winter dur
ing peak of Hungry Horse Dam
construction.
Meanwhile Graver Tank and
Mfg. Co., East Chicago, Ind., is
returning to the plant this week
to start erecting four 84-foot high
alumina storage tanks.
The J. A. McNeil Co., Inc., force
that once totaled 860 including
subcontractors and had payrolls
exceeding $90,000 a week, Thurs
day was down to 14, and next
week will be down to 1. He'll be
C. S. Schmeltzer, office engineer,
who will stay here until the end
of the month.
The Alhambra, Calif., firm had
the excavations and foundations
contract at the plant with official
ground breaking taking place
June 9, 1953.
Construction of the plant was
favored by a dry fall and compar
atively mild winter. Work stoppage
came April 5, 1954 and lasted until
June 14 for McNeil and July 20
for Foley Constructors. Cause was
a strike with unions asking 15
cents an hour wage increases.
Settlements were for 10 to 15
cents an hour increases. New car
penter wage was $2.65 an hour;
laborers, $1.95; cement finishers,
$2.70; rodmen, $2.70 and structural
steel workers, $2.85. Most crafts
increased.
J. W. Cullen, McNeil vice presi
dent, headed their operation here
and enjoyed fine relationship with
the community. Ed Ogle was pro
ject superintendent this year, and
Floyd Sims, area superintendent.
John Christensen was paymaster.
Final cleanup and salvage on
the McNeil contract is being done
by Vincent Hoerner, Columbia
Falls.
Foley Constructors, affiliate of
Foley Brothers, Pleasantville, N.
Y., is the plant's general contrac
tors, and this week was employing
890 men including Donovan Con
struction Co., St. Paul, the princi
pal subcontractor with 210 on
electrical work. Walter Sattler is
Foley's general superintendent.
Both Foley and AAC field force
men are scheduled to have three
day holidays Christmas and New
Years. This includes Fridays, Dec.
24 and 31.
Other employers on the job this
week were; Midwest Piping Co., St.
Louis with 30; Fischbach and
Moore, Brown-Johnston and Casey
Electric, on the switchyard and
rectifier building installations with
65; Jamar-Olmen Co., Chicago,
enclosing buildings, 33; B and L
Paint Co., Missoula, 9; A. T. Klem
ens, Great Falls, roofing, 5; Great
(Please turn to page 4)
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Treat for Jezebel, 2!/2 year-old
skunk, who is a pet at the home
of Ranger and Mrs. Bruce Miller
at Glacier National Park head
quarters, is a chance to sniff in
the ice box. The Millers obtained
Jezebel from a taxidermist in
eastern Montana. She's a clean
pet that makes her home under
the kitchen sink living on one
fourth can of dog food a day and
chocolate. Nope, Jezebel can't.
To Occupy AAC Plant Offices
Anaconda Aluminum Co. opera-'
tions staff will move into their
new office building at the plant
early in January.
Being vacated are temporary of
fices in the Bank of Columbia Falls
building that have been occupied
since April, 1953.
The new red tapestry brick with
aluminum trim building at the
plant measures 183 by ,57-feet with
a 71 by 34-foot wide wing and a
small second story section to be
used as a lunch room. In addition
there is a 10-car attached garage.
THE STAFF
Moving early in January will be
H. G. Satterthwaite, plant manag
er; James F. Smith, production su
perintendent; Carl Lundborg, me
chanical superintendent, and Ed
Woster, superintendent of potlines.
In the new offices will also be
John Kems, personnel manager in
charge of safety, first aid and em
ployment; William Liddicoat, chief
clerk; Robert Vucasovich, metal
lurgical clerk; Sylvan Eccleston,
cost accounting clerk, and clerks,
Carl Goble and Ed Jystad, with
Mrs. Edith Kates, Ruth Amiot and
Vella Galbraith, the secretarial
staff.
Also in the new building will be
Don McMasters, casting superin
tendent; George Hanson, gas col
lection and waste disposal super
intendent; Warren Hook, chief
chemist and Robert Mohr, assist
ant chief chemist, and Edward M.
Peterson, design engineer.
Positions in process of being
filled include chief time keeper.
TO EMPLOY 450
Anaconda Aluminum Co. will
employ 450 men when the plant is
completed late in 1955.
First aluminum production is
scheduled for next July, and an
nual production is now set for
60,000 tons of metal a year.
Number of men in the plant op
erations force is expected to in
crease next April and May as
preparations for production get
underway.
There have been 1,500 applica
tions for employment already sub
mitted with most applicants hav
ing had interviews here.
Key men for the new plant for
merly worked for Anaconda at
Great Falls as did Satterthwaite,
Smith and Lundborg, or at Ana
conda, Butte and Bonner. Woster
was formerly with Reynolds at
Longview as was Kems, and some
of the key men in the organization
include men who were employed
by other metal producers.
LOCAL EMPLOYMENT
Of the 450 job total, about 375
are expected to be filled by Flat
head men. The plant is to have a
job training program. Construc
tion of Hungry Horse Dam devel
oped cement finisher, carpentry
and similar skills that have little
association with aluminum produc
tion.
Other operations personnel with
offices in other buildings include
Klaas DeWit, storekeeper, and Don
Feeney, assistant storekeeper at
the warehouse; Hal Kanzler, su
perintendent of the electrical de
partment with Kenneth Frazier,
assistant, superintendent and
Frank Conners, foreman of recti
fier substation; Kent Newman,
mechanical shop superintendent,
with Robert Sneddon, assistant
superintendent.
Assistant potline superintendents
are Bill Alderman, James Clem
mens, Vern Johnson and Roy Lind
sey, and potline shift foremen are
Ben Bowerman, Dwight Kimzey,
Joseph Slobojan and Dean Tusing.
CONSTRUCTION FORCE
In charge of actual building of
the plant is John W. Irvine, con
struction engineer, who reports to
Wilbur Jurden, ACM's chief en
gineer in New York City.
Working with Irvine are Roy
Rickey, assistant construction engi
neer; Quinton Barnes, field
co-ordinator; N. P. Addabbo, office
engineer; Howard Harvey, mater
ials engineer; Roy Salyer, office
manager; Ted Ozanne, assistant of
fice manager; area engineers, S. W.
Curl, M. D. Cowan, W. I. Lane and
(Please turn to page 4)
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Structural steel is rising at Anaconda Aluminum Co. for paste
plant at north end of area. This structure will be 110 feet high, and
contain different bins of coke, coal and pitch for making paste used
to line pot shells in potline buildings. Vlnnell Inc. is furnishing and
erecting steel. For picture story of plant, please see the blue section.
Snow Water Is Power Source
Bobcat Appears to Be
'Mouser' at St M ary
WEST GLACIER—Winter mouse
catcher at St. Mary ranger sta
tion in Glacier National Park ap
pears to be a 25-pound bobcat.
The bobcat has visited the sta
tion each winter for five years. He
walks around the ranger station
area, and doesn't seem to be in
terested in garbage cans.
Winter-time residents of the
station are Ranger and Mrs. Don
Barnum and Ranger and Mrs.
Hugh Buchanan.
The "mouser" is twice the size
of an ordinary tomcat, and doesn't
get too close. He hasn't been pet
ted.
Weekend Appears
Blank for Hunters
WEST GLACIER—Last Satur
day and Sunday is viewed here as
having been a blank .as far as hun
ters getting elk during the spec
ial open season along the Flat
head river's Middle Fork to the
continental divide.
The season was opened Dec. 11
from West Glacier to Summit be
tween U. S. highway No. 2 on the
south and Glacier's boundary on
the north.
Each Saturday and Sunday is
open season with Monday through
Friday closed to encourage elk to
cross the river and leave the park.
The opening weekend saw the
elk kill tally at 28.
The Flathead's regular elk sea
son which covered the whole
county saw 295 elk brought out of
the Flathead river's South Fork.
Of these 98 were adult males, 126
adult females, 18 young males and
25 young females with 28 spike
bulls. Total elk kill during the
regular season for the whole Flat
head is estimated at 800 to 900, as
compared to last year's 1,200.
resource of the Flit head reflects
itself in power produced at Hun
gry Horse Dam that is worth near
ly $2,000,000 for 1954.
' In addition water held back at
Hungry Horse to be released dur
ing the fall and winter produces
another $2,000,000 in downstream
1
generators.
C. E, Cartwright, Kalispell, Bon
neville Power Administration
western Montana manager, says
that the power is valued at 2.36 i
I mills per kilowatt hour with a 10
per cent deduction for losses.
Bonneville is the selling agent for
the power.
Hungry Horse during the Dec.
1, 1953 to Dec. 1, 1954 period pro
duced 819,509,000 kilowatt hours
at its powerhouse. One kilowatt
hour is enough electricity to light
ten 100 watt bulbs.
A result of Hungry Horse which
was completed in 1953 is the lo
cation of the Anaconda Aluminum
Co. reduction works in Flathead.
to
its capacity of 3,468,000 acre feet
July 9, and remained full until
Dec. 8.
Charles Simmons, Hungry Horse
powerplant supervisor, says that
round-the-clock 280,000 kilowatt
power generation resumed Dec. 10.
The reservoir behind the 564-foot
high dam has been dropping at
the rate of a half foot a day. Aver
age daily inflow is 2,500 cubic feet
per second and outflow 8,000 cu
bic feet per second.
Below is photo that shows a tre
mendous transition at foot of Tea
kettle mountain two miles from
Columbia Falls. In 1952 this was
benchland covered by second
growth timber with a few open
fields. Land did not provide a liv
ing for a single family. Electric
power and America is creating an
industry that will provide 450
steady jobs. This is view of office
building in foreground that will
be occupied next month, electric
shop, machine shop and black top
of first of the four potlines.
Growing lumber mills and _
aluminum plant under constructto«
results in Columbia Falls being Ike
top shipping point on the Great
Northern railroad between Hair«
and the Spokane area for 1954.
The Great Northern depot i»
this Flathead city of 1,800 reside»**
dispatched 2,540 carloads of lum
ber during the first 11% montto*
of 1954 compared to 1,893 freigfct
carloads outbound during 1953,
the previous record year. Preacmt
figures compare with the year 1947
which was a record with 779 cars.
FOR ALUMINUM PLANT
Building the Anaconda Alumi»
um Co. plant resulted in 1954 in
coming freight cars totaling 1,909
for the year through Dec. 15. This
compares with last year's total of
578, and the 1952 figure of 55.
Most of the 1953 and 1954 car*
brought materials and equinment
to build the new AAC plant.
These figures on carloadings
were obtained from A. E. McKane,
Columbia Falls Great Northern
agent by way of H. M. Shapleigk,
Whitefish, division superintendent
for the railroad.
Columbia Fails present lumber
manufacture is viewed as about
85,000,000 board feet including rail
and truck shipments. This is suf
ficient to build 8,500 average sized
American homes.
JOBS AND PAYROLLS
Logging, hauling and milliag
lumber shipped through Columbia
Falls provided over 200,000 ma»
days of employment, and payrolls
exceeding $3,000,000 a year. The
new aluminum plant payroll dur
mg construction peaked at $1,000,
a month with over 1,600 en*
ployed. During operations it is lo
be about $2,000,000 a year with
450 employed.
Columbia Falls is presently
challenging Missoula as Montana's
second largest lumber shipping
point. First is Libby.
The post-war years have see«
the growing Flathead lumber in
dustry shift to the northern por
tion of the county closer to un
tapped forest reserves. Columbia
Falls, Martin City and Coram have
more than tripled as lumber cen
ters. Whitefish likewise reflect* (
lumber growth. I
* In terms of jobs it requires about
* a day in the woodsana 1%
™ n da ^f f i £LQer
J® 1 ' 00 « bosud feet <rf lura
£er into a product for shipping.
85,000,000 board feet is indicated
as Pf ovidm « 200 1 ™° man dajj o<
^ ment or 800 men working
1 250 days a year.
EXPANDING MILLS
Each of the local mills has ex
panded during 1954, and reflect*
... . . , ..
developing markets, and the age
of trucks and improved timber ac
cess roads.
Largest mill in Flathead county
is Plum Creek, which operate*
year around, and employs 125 *t
the mill with another 100 in log
ging, hauling and supply opera
tions. Plum Creek was established
in Columbia Falls in 1945. Expan
sion this year included two planer
additions and a new office build
ing.
Rocky Mountain Lumber Co.,
was located in Columbia Falls ia
1948, and is presently completing
a double unit dry kiln, and pre
paring to start complete remodel
ing of the sawmill. Employment
has been up to 70.
Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. *t
nearby Half Moon has 105 men at
the mill, and through the year*
was largest mill in the upper Flat
head.
Superior Buildings Co. expan
sion this year included a new
burner, new sawmill and sawmill
building. Fifty men are employed.
Largest new mill expansion 1«
the Flathead this year is consid
ered to be Rex Brown at Coram
erecting a completely new sawmiB,
burner and heated pond. Among
other mills in the Coram-Martin
City area include F, K and L Lum
ber Co., the Martin City Lumber
Co. planer, and Glacier-Coram
Lumber Co.
These operations that employ
over 125 men have had a growing
year represented by new buildin»,
new machinery and larger opera
tions. Shipments are made throuf^t
Coram and Columbia Falls.