Articles from the September 16, 2021 edition


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  • Fire Danger returned to moderate, open burning remains closed

    Missoula County Fire Protection Association|Sep 16, 2021

    MISSOULA - In response to higher fuel moistures and sustained cooler temperatures, Missoula County fire protection agencies have lowered the fire danger to Moderate, effective immediately. Fall prescribed wildland and essential agriculture burning, that closed last week, remains closed. Forecasted weather includes cooler temperatures throughout the area for this upcoming week, but also breezy/windy conditions daily and a mostly dry cold front coming in Wednesday. “Caution is still warranted with any spark right now—but especially when bre...

  • Celebrating 25 years of faith, grace and sufficiency

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    SWAN VALLEY – Called "a jewel of faith" at its dedication Sept. 1, 1996, Our Lady of Swan Valley Mission Catholic Church (OLSV) celebrated 25 years Sept. 6. It has strived to follow the words spoken over it at the dedication "to be a spring of living waters, a school of wisdom where we will learn to put God first, neighbors second and ourselves last." "Given all the circumstances, keeping this church going for 25 years would have been humanly impossible if not for the grace of God and the f...

  • Never Forget - 9/11 reader memories

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    Twenty years ago on Sept. 11, 2001 Americans watched on television or were witness to the horror as aircraft hit the World Trade Center Twin Towers and crashed into the Pentagon. The images that were replayed over and over on the television and that others witnessed first-hand are seared in the minds of those of us old enough to remember. When the dust cleared, the Al Qaeda terrorist attacks not only united Americans but also changed our country forever. Nineteen men hijacked four US commercial...

  • Lowdown bulletin

    Seeley Lake Sewer District|Sep 16, 2021

    During its reorganization period, the Sewer Board has developed an "Action Plan." The purpose was to create a working document that would guide the actions of the board over the foreseeable future. This is a living plan that will be updated as time goes on but will form a foundation for moving forward. The areas of focus, with sub-points, are: 1. Improve communication throughout the District. Securing member contact information to use for surveys, digital newsletters, share information,...

  • Grain by Grain, A quest to revive ancient wheat, rural jobs and healthy food

    Gary Aitken, Reviewer, AAI Open Book Club|Sep 16, 2021

    You are what you eat. If you care about your health, small town survival in farm and ranch country, opportunities and how ingenuity and hard work by one individual can make a real difference, you owe it to yourself to read this book. Author Bob Quinn will be presenting his book on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 1 p.m. at the West Wing of the Seeley Lake Community Foundation as part of Alpine Artisans' Open Book Club. Free. Everyone welcome. Quinn went off to college from his family's conventional wheat...

  • Reunion looks to reconnect those at SSHS from 1963-1974

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    SEELEY LAKE – Classmates, staff and graduates who attended Seeley-Swan High School from 1963 – 1974 and their spouses are invited to attend a reunion Saturday, Sept. 25 from 12 – 10 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Community Hall. There will be games, class photos taken starting at 3 p.m., dinner served at 5 p.m., music in the evening and plenty of time to reconnect. Everyone is invited to come starting at 12 p.m. Bring your favorite games or come and join in corn hole, life-sized Jenga and sever...

  • Make plans for winter...now

    Seeley Lake Fire Chief Dave Lane, Seeley Lake Rural Fire District|Sep 16, 2021

    As the seasons change, the town is slowing down. Now is the time to start thinking about preparing for the winter weather. Make sure that your skirting is intact and pipes are well insulated. Also, having your furnace serviced and chimney/stove pipe inspected and cleaned will help prevent a fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. Travel may be difficult at times so prepare your vehicle for the season. Carry an extra blanket and some road flares. In addition to signaling for help, they may be an ignition source for starting a campfire for heating. An...

  • Draft decision released for Mid-Swan Project

    Flathead National Forest|Sep 16, 2021

    KALISPELL – Flathead National Forest Supervisor Kurt Steele released a draft record of decision (ROD) and final environmental impact statement (EIS) on a 174,000-acre forest restoration project in Swan Valley. The final EIS evaluates and discloses the predicted environmental effects of the Mid-Swan Landscape Restoration and Wildland Urban Interface Project. Through this project, the Forest Service is proposing to: treat vegetation; use prescribed fire; restore whitebark pine and western white pine; decommission, store and improve existing F...

  • Jette helped bring highway to Upper Swan

    Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    The fifth in the series covering the Roads and Trails program presented Aug. 7 by the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society (USVHS). CONDON – Upper Swan Valley Historical Society President Steve Lamar introduced Dennis Jette as one of the local residents who worked in road construction when the highway and power lines were being installed. Jette said his grandfather homesteaded on Kraft Creek in 1912, though his family didn't move to the valley until 1951. He was in the eighth grade at the t...

  • Active membership status and fee assessments discussed

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    POTOMAC – At their Sept. 7 meeting, the Greenough-Potomac Fire Board sold their 1991 Chevrolet, Type 6 Engine, affirmed the Chief’s authority to request gear be returned by inactive members and discussed their fee structure charged to residents and commercial businesses for this year. The Board received three sealed bids for the Type 6 engine. All of the bids were $5,000 or over. Bradd Kindle of Greenough was the highest bidder with a bid of $5,501. The board was pleased with the response and were surprised that all the bids were within $50...

  • Ula Mae Carpenter Nov. 12, 1935 – July 25, 2021

    Sep 16, 2021

    SEELEY LAKE – On July 25 at 4:52 my brave, adventurous Mom lost her battle with dementia. She went quietly in her sleep at St. Pats in very good care. Mom started her life in a small town in Iowa. They stayed within miles of there her whole life and we never strayed far from that central point for years. She married Ernest "Mike" Carpenter on Jan. 16, 1955. They had four children in the next six years. She and my father built three different houses in three different places because...well, I d... Full story

  • Nose to the grindstone

    Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    A parent looking at a child's poor report card might say, "You'd better keep your nose to the grindstone next semester and get those grades up!" Is this parent suggesting painful disfigurement will make the child smarter? No, the parent simply wants the child to focus more time, effort and attention on school studies. But how do the nose and grindstone enter in? One theory relates to the milling process. In an earlier age, grains were transformed into flour by using two large millstones, one...

  • Intent to file Alpine Trail Phase 3 and 4 approved

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    SEELEY LAKE – At a Sept. 9 public hearing, the Missoula County Commissioners unanimously approved the notice of intent to file Alpine Trails Phases 3 and 4 subdivision north of Seeley Lake. While the staff with Missoula County Community and Planning Services (CAPS) recommended the removal of a gate restricting access to S.O.S. Road prior to approval, the Commissioners appreciated the solutions and explanation offered and felt that that condition of approval was not needed for Phases 3 and 4 to proceed. Alpine Trails Subdivision is a 30-lot s...

  • Looking forward to a smaller setting

    Henry Netherland, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    SEELEY LAKE - New Seeley-Swan High School math teacher Melissa Lapka is excited to kick off the school year and engrain herself in the school and community. "I'm just looking forward to incorporating myself into this new school and [getting] to know all the kids, the families, [as well as] going to see all the extracurriculars," she said. Lapka will teach Algebra 1 and Geometry classes. She graduated from the University of Montana with degrees in secondary math education and psychology. She...

  • New at School - Potomac Pioneers

    Sigrid Olson, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    POTOMAC - Potomac Pioneers began their new school year Aug. 30. There are several updates to staff, programs and the facility this year. New staff includes Jodi Hausmann who is the new preschool teacher. Kayla Brewer is the new paraprofessional for the preschool class. Instructional paraprofessional Anna Bunderson is also new staff this year. The new school board chair is Courtney Hathaway. Several staff also took new positions within the school. Breanna Peterson, who taught preschool last year, is the new kindergarten teacher. Christi...

  • Applications sought for mountain lion committee

    Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks|Sep 16, 2021

    HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is accepting applications for the Northwest Lion Ecoregional Population Committee, which will advise the Fish and Wildlife Commission on management of mountain lions in northwest Montana. The committee will be asked to develop a target that maximizes public satisfaction related to mountain lion hunting opportunity, mountain lion conflict and ungulate population trends. The committee will provide a recommendation on what the mountain lion population should look like five years from now. In 2019, the F...

  • 20/35 Year Look Back

    Sep 16, 2021

    In celebration of 35 years of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder, each week we will run parts of articles that appeared in the issue 35 years ago and 20 years ago. The entire issue will be uploaded to our website seeleylake.com for you to enjoy. We hope you will enjoy the journey with us as we follow our community through the past 35 years as documented by the Pathfinder. 20 years ago: Sept. 20, 2001 issue Chips..bits & pieces by Gary Noland, Editor Best estimates are that 5,000 Americans, civilian men... Full story

  • Lady Blackhawks fall to Charlo, defeat Granite

    Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks split their week on the road with a loss to Charlo Sept. 6 and a win over Granite Sept. 11. The Lady Blackhawks didn’t go down without a fight in Charlo. After dropping the first two sets 15-25 and 23-25 they came out swinging and won the third and fourth set 25-21 and 25-23. They came up short in the final set falling 7-15 to lose the match. Sariah Maughan led the Lady Blackhawks against Charlo with 8 kills while Ava Thornsberry had 18 assists and Trista Wendel had a pair of aces. On the defense Maughan had 2...

  • Community Briefs

    Sep 16, 2021

    Free Aging Mastery Program Mondays Oct. 4 – Dec. 13 Missoula Aging Services is offering the National Council on Aging’s evidence-informed Aging Mastery Program (AMP). Registration is open for the fall session that starts Monday, Oct. 4 through Monday, Dec. 13. Classes are held every Monday from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. in the Missoula Public Library’s Cooper Room B (fourth floor) and virtually using Zoom. AMP is a fun, innovative, 11-session class aimed at empowering adults age 55 and older to embrace their gift of longevity by spending more time each...

  • Stanley Nicholson 1936-2021

    Sep 16, 2021

    MISSOULA - Stan was born in 1936 in Missoula to Ewen and Edna Nicholson. He attended Paxon grade school, Missoula County High School and the University of Montana. Stan met his high school sweetheart, Colleen Higgins, in 1951 when he was a freshman. They were married at St. Anthony's in Missoula in 1960. Stan studied economics and philosophy at the University of Montana (1958) and earned a PhD in economics at Duke University (1964). He taught at William and Mary College in Virginia and served... Full story

  • Potomac School goes remote

    Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Sep 16, 2021

    POTOMAC - By Monday afternoon, Sept. 20, Potomac School received notice of positive COVID test results from students in each of its six cohort groups. Principal John Rouse said all students were sent home and virtual instruction will begin Tuesday. At the start of the 2020-2021 school year, Potomac School established classes as cohort groups. They are prekindergarten; kindergarten; first grade; second and third grade combined; fourth and fifth grade combined; and sixth, seventh and eighth... Full story