Sorted by date Results 1 - 19 of 19
SEELEY LAKE – Since Thanksgiving, the Seeley Lake Volunteer Fire Department has responded to four house fires. While one was a false alarm, the other three structures were saved despite subzero temperatures and limited access. One family safely evacuated their home because they were alerted by a smoke alarm. On Nov. 25 at 11:46 a.m., four volunteer firefighters and Seeley Lake Fire Chief Bob Vanden Heuvel responded to a chimney fire on Enchanted Forest Drive near Placid Lake. Vanden Heuvel s...
SEELEY LAKE – Over a seven-year period, what started as an opportunity for friends to play broomball on Seeley Lake has grown into an officially sanctioned Pond Hockey Tournament. The Jan. 6-8 event featured four playing rinks and 44 competing teams. The tournament's Volunteer Coordinator Lynn Mitchell said, "Without our volunteers, it would not happen." From top to bottom, the event is run by unpaid workers. At the top of the volunteer roster is Event Coordinator Megan Lindemer. Her duties i...
SEELEY LAKE – Despite sub-zero temperatures Friday night and Saturday morning, the seventh annual Seeley Lake Pond Hockey (SLPH) tournament was another success. Event Coordinator Megan Lindemer said the teams were happy with the online scheduling, the volunteers could not have been better and everyone just had a great time again this year. Because of sub-zero temperatures Saturday morning, organizers delayed the games for two hours. "That made scheduling a little hard," said Lindemer. "But we h...
SEELEY LAKE - Montana Mountain Mushers (MMM) hosted a dog sledding and skijoring fun run Jan. 7 and 8. Despite sub-zero temperatures on Saturday morning, nearly a dozen people showed up to run their dogs. Sunday morning welcomed dog-entusiasts with warmer temperatures and a nice layer of fresh snow. While there was no formal demonstration or organized start, Seeley Lake Musher Rob Loveman offered tips and tricks to anyone who was interested. Other avid skijorers, visited with each other and...
SEELEY LAKE - Citizens Alliance Bank (CAB) - Seeley Lake Branch donated $250 to the Seeley-Swan Community Food Bank Jan. 6. CAB loan officer Cheryl Lewis said the bank collected food throughout the month of December. They tied it in with their Customer Appreciation Day and had a donation box by the Christmas tree. "We didn't have a real big amount to donate to the food bank so the bank came forward and came up with that amount," said Lewis who attributed the small donations to the lack of...
One of the founders of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder Dick Potter thought it would be fun if the small pathfinder figure in the logo responded more appropriately to seasonal conditions. Jerry Sprunger, creator of the original logo design, obligingly drew silhouettes of the pathfinder employing various modes of transportation. The little fellow was particularly active in 1989 and 1990 when he explored several of the recreational opportunities the valleys offer. On May 3, 1990 he picked up his walking stick and has been hiking ever since. The...
Congratulations to all for doing such a good job caring for your pets through this terrible cold spell! I did not receive one call about a pet out in the cold, nor did I hear that Animal Control was called. We were worried about a big black dog with long hair that was running around as if lost. I tried to get him but couldn’t get close to him. The Pathfinder posted it on Facebook so I hope people found him and he is okay. Received two nice thank you pictures of pets. Thanks Kiva and Sitka. Also a great picture of Portia known as Stinkerbug a...
REAL ESTATE TODAY The past year has seen real estate sales in the Seeley, Swan and Blackfoot valleys on a run with dramatic increases in both land and home sales. Although the number of both homes and land that has sold has increased dramatically, price appreciation is a steady 2.5 percent. The current market is very healthy and represents a rising market environment that has led to investors and buyers gaining confidence and returning to purchase local real estate. Active inventory of homes...
SEELEY LAKE – Maracujá took the temperatures in Seeley Lake up a few degrees with their Latin American music at their concert Jan. 8. Attendees were taken on a musical journey to countries including Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Cuba and Portugal. They welcomed audience participation and questions encouraging listeners to get up and dance. The group is currently from Seattle, Wash. Vocalist and instrumentalist Caitlin Belem met guitarist Terrence Rosnagle through friends of friends. Because they we...
SEELEY LAKE – Agency representatives, non-government organizations and concerned citizens met Jan. 4 to discuss a strategy for local lakes in response to the discovery of invasive mussel veligers (larvae) in Montana's Tiber Reservoir. Everyone at the meeting agreed that all boats should be inspected prior to launching in local waters and ballasted boats should be decontaminated before launching. Ideas of how to implement and enforce this were also discussed. It is Clearwater Resource Council (CR...
POTOMAC - The Potomac/Greenough Community Center (PGCC) board has been looking for ways to bring the community together through hosting different events. On Jan. 14, a community Bingo Night will take place at the PGCC. Entry and prizes will be cash only, with the proceeds going towards community activities, PGCC maintenance and upgrades. "We [the board] are looking for ways to get the community involved," the PGCC board chairman Jeanne Hall said. In the fall of 2015, the board provided surveys...
HELENA – January is Radon Awareness Month. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) offers steps Montanans can take to test for and reduce radon gas found in homes. Radon gas occurs naturally from the decay of uranium in rock and soils in Montana and can accumulate inside homes. The gas is radioactive and can damage lung tissue. Studies indicate breathing radon is a major cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking and a leading cause of cancer among non-smokers. In Montana, the results of historic radon testing indicate radon gas...
SWAN VALLEY - The Swan Valley Elementary School (SVES) War Hawk basketball teams opened their season against the Hall Huskies Saturday, Jan. 7. The "A" squad had a comfortable win against Hall (54-32) and it was a close loss (16-24) for the "B" squad. The "B" squad had a tough time finding the shooting range the first half and trailed 4 to 16 at half time. The team from Hall took advantage of the younger players playing for the first time during the first half, but the Warhawks worked very hard...
SEELEY LAKE - Ardyce went home to be with the Lord Jan. 1, 2017. Ardyce was born Oct. 9, 1931 to Fred & Clara Schroder of Luck, Wisc. She grew up in Luck and worked in a bakery where she learned how to make and decorate all those wonderful cakes she made over the years for people. She then moved to Minneapolis and worked at Boulevard Fox which was a women's dress making factory. She was a great seamstress. While living in Minneapolis, Ardyce was invited to go out with some friends on a blind...
We are on the other side of another Christmas season. Many are working on thank-you notes to extend appreciation for gifts received. For most, the desire to give a gift to another person is an expression of love and kindness. We desire to show goodness and thoughtfulness to others. An attribute of God is His Goodness, which is wrapped up in God’s character. God’s goodness is His understanding of what is in our best interest and God’s loving desire to provide what is good for us. God’s underst...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks rolled over three more teams last week. The victories extended their overall record to 6-1. Versus Arlee The Lady Blackhawks headed to Arlee to take on the Scarlets Jan. 5. After a close first quarter, the Lady Blackhawks started pulling ahead and went into the second half sporting an eight-point lead. The Ladies blew the game out in the second half, outscoring the Scarlets more than three to one. The final score was 42-20. Tessa Grimes led the...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks won a pair of home games after falling to Arlee on the road last week. They now have a 4-3 overall record. Versus Arlee The Blackhawks took on the Arlee Warriors on the road Jan. 5. The Boys fell behind early in the game heading into the second half with a 22-point deficit. Though the Blackhawks found success at the free throw line, they had a hard time matching Arlee's heavy hitters. Phillip Malatare and Tyler Tanner racked up a combined 60 points for...
Clarification Regarding Landscapes and Livelihood Program SWAN VALLEY – In the Jan. 5 issue of the Pathfinder’s Article “Exploring Ecology and Community-based Conservation,” it was not clear that the Landscapes and Livelihood program is currently run by Swan Valley Connections (SVC). While Northwest Connections (NwC) started the program in the early 2000s, after the merger of NwC and Swan Ecosystem Center in January 2016, SVC continued the program because it was a successful program that met the new mission. Christmas Trees Collected for Bon...
SWAN VALLEY - Hampton "Jay" Brand died unexpectedly on Dec. 27, 2016. Jay was born on Dec. 16, 1949 to James and Iris Brand in San Juan, Utah. Following high school graduation Jay enlisted in the army and was honorably discharged in 1977. Jay worked in several different fields throughout his lifetime but his passion was logging and working with timber. Most recently Jay manufactured his own sawmill design, Brand X Sawmills. Jay enjoyed visiting with his neighbors and friends. His early...
