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OVANDO - In the wake of a tragic grizzly attack that claimed the life of visiting cyclist Leah Lokan on July 6, Ovando has seen an outpouring of support as it makes plans to ensure nothing like that ever happens again. A retired registered nurse and an avid mountain biker, Lokan, 64, was eight days into a trip along a portion of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route with her sister Kim Lokan and a friend, Katie Boerner. Lokan opted to spend her night in Ovando in her tent, in a camping area near...
LINCOLN - Two and a half months after local fisherman James Savstrom, 70, was found dead on the Blackfoot River west of Lincoln, the state crime has lab released its findings in his cause of death. Information provided by Lewis and Clark County Sheriff/Coroner Leo Dutton listed Savstrom's primary cause of death was Atherlosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease, also known as hardening of the arteries. Hypothermia was listed as the secondary cause of death. According to Dutton, Savstrom's heart disease...
LINCOLN – A Lincoln man was found dead along the Blackfoot River last Wednesday after failing to return from a fishing trip the day before. A friend of James Savstrom called the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Department Tuesday night, April 2 after seeing Savstrom’s truck parked along Highway 200 near the Powell County line that night, Deputy Robert Rivera told the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch. Rivera, who is based in Lincoln, responded to the report when it came in just before midnight. He searched the river area near Savstrom’s vehicle...
OVANDO - To the surprise of many Ovando residents, Montana's 2018 Community of the Year found itself highlighted in a new commercial promoting tourism in the state. A new 30-second commercial called "Montana: Discover the Moment" features shots of the town and local businesses as a cars pulls into town and stops at the Blackfoot Commercial Company, before a couple heads out to do some exploring on their bikes. Word of the commercial reached Ovando by way of Couer D'alene, where it was spotted...
OVANDO - The Blackfoot Challenge announced the selection of Charles Curtin as their new executive director in February but just seven months later, the organization and Curtin have parted ways. The Blackfoot Challenge has been tightlipped about why they parted ways with Curtin in September. In response to an inquiry form from the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch, Challenge Communications Manager Sara Schmidt said the details are an internal matter and “it just didn’t work out.” Curtin likewise had little to say on the subject, but acknowledged there...
Although Ovando was recently recognized for the community's welcoming attitude and hospitality toward cyclists, one of the major cycling events that used the town as its base fell victim to last year's fire season and the realities of declining fundraising. Last fall, as the enormous Rice Ridge Fire burned through the hills north of Ovando, the Missoula Symphony made the call to cancel their annual early-September Ovando Gran Fondo mountain bike ride. "I think the decision at the time was a...
LINCOLN - About eight and a half miles below Ken and Sandy Crymble's home in Mead Gulch, something moved. "I thought the cabin exploded. I didn't know," Crymble said. "The cabin was shaking and there just a loud, huge noise." According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a "shallow strike-slip faulting" motion triggered a 5.8 magnitude earthquake almost directly beneath the Crymble home at 12:30 a.m., July 6. As a retired fire chief, Crymble had years of experience. Awaking from a deep sleep by...
OVANDO - Fred Valiton said he considered buying the Blackfoot Commercial Company when Howie and Peggy Fly put it on the market several years ago but just couldn't swing the price. This fall, however, Fred found himself manning the store counter as the new owner of the historic business. Under the mentorship of the Fly's, he and his wife Leigh Ann have been learning how to run the business since the first of October. Three years ago, Mike and Liz Raymond from Columbia Falls bought the business...
LINCOLN - For a couple long weeks in April 1996, Lincoln was the epicenter of the biggest news story in America. The FBI arrested Theodore J. Kaczynski here April 3 in connection with the Unabomber bombings that had targeted universities and airlines for 18 years and reporters from around the country flocked to Lincoln. For two weeks, until Kaczynski was transferred from Helena to California, they camped out in Lincoln or called anyone they could, trying to dredge up any nugget they could on his...
Editor's note: I know full well many people would just as soon never hear the name Ted Kaczynski again. While Kaczynski deserves no press, the story of his arrest and it's impact on the community, like it or not, is a fascinating and indelible part of the town's history and it isn't a simple one to tell. This week looks at how people saw him while he lived here and at his arrest. Next week's issue will look at the fallout, both good and bad, that came out of it. April 3,1996. LINCOLN - A lot of...
