Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 27
SWAN VALLEY - More than 150 people crowded into the main lodge of the Oro Ranch on Saturday night, Dec. 14 in honor of a grizzly sow named Windfall, to raise money and ensure that future generations will see grizzlies in the meadows and forests of the Swan Valley. "I am really surprised at the turnout, especially for a community of this size," newcomer Phil Grunis said above the noise in a room crowded with fellow bear lovers. "We want to do everything we can to help make communities compatible...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue rescued five snowmobilers who were lost in the Lake Dinah area Sunday night. While one was wet after his snowmobile went through the ice and another had a shoulder injury, no one required medical attention and everyone reached the trailhead safely by 2:15 a.m. Monday morning. Five snowmobilers from Minnesota were riding in the Lake Dinah area Sunday afternoon. Incident Commander Missoula County Sheriff's Sergeant Robert Parcell said one of the s...
POTOMAC - On the snowy evening of Saturday, Dec. 14, more than 100 people attended the annual Christmas Comes Home event in the heart of Potomac. Outside there were wagon rides, a bonfire and a live Nativity scene. Inside, the Potomac Greenough Community Center was full of Christmas delights including music, children's activities, Christmas quilts and decorated Christmas trees. The eighth-grade class served dinner as part of their fundraiser for their class trip. The Potomac Quilt Guild...
SEELEY LAKE - As the door opened, carolers began singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." Dressed for the weather with their Santa hats and reindeer antlers, the Seeley Lake Trailblazers 4-H Club brought holiday songs and cookies to area residents Wednesday, Dec. 11. With a dash of merry and lots of smiles, they ended their singing with "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." This was the first year the Seeley Lake Trailblazers have gone caroling in Seeley Lake. Leader Lori Thomas said they have...
New Year, New You, New Start. Either way you are taking that leap to make a change for better health. One of those changes is quitting tobacco products. Quitting tobacco may be one of the most difficult resolutions to keep, but there are many tools, tips and people out there ready to help you quit tobacco once and for all. We know New Year's resolutions are not always the most successful, so keeping in mind this doesn't have to wait until the new year nor is it a once a year opportunity. Every...
It is a very sad fact that all living creatures die, even the giant Sequoia trees of the western coast. The wild animals of our forest and mountains face death every day. It should be no surprise that harsh winters, when there is over 200 inches of snow with 48 inches on the ground for three months is the biggest killer of all. The severe cold and the deep snow ensures that no wild animal dies of "old age." Many starve and freeze to death. I find this to be appalling but there is absolutely noth...
SEELEY LAKE – Beginning this week, winter salvage logging operations will resume on parts of the Seeley Lake Ranger District and some areas will be closed to snowmobile use for public safety due to large equipment operating in these areas. Operations will be ongoing throughout the winter until early spring; associated snowmobile trail closures will be signed. The following snowmobile trails will be closed to complete the Dark Horse and Left Mule salvage operations (within the Rice Ridge Fire b...
SEELEY LAKE – Thanks to the generosity of the community through last year’s Giving Tree for art supplies, students at Seeley Lake and Swan Valley Elementary schools have the opportunity to be creative weekly. The Alpine Artisans, Inc. (AAI) Giving Tree is continuing again this year raising money for supplies that support art in the classrooms. The community can pick a tag off the tree at the Grizzly Claw in Seeley Lake and Swan Valley Centre in Condon through the end of December. Seeley Lake artist Kris Gullikson started the Giving Tree for...
Before you fire up the snowmobile or get out the ice fishing gear please follow some simple tips and use caution before heading out onto the ice. For new clear ice only • UNDER 4 INCHES THICKNESS - STAY OFF • 4 inch - Ice fishing or other activities on foot • 5 - 7 inches - Snowmobile or ATV • 8 - 12 inches - Car or small pickup • 12 - 15 inches - Medium truck Many factors other than thickness can cause ice to be unsafe. White ice or “snow ice” is only about half as strong as new clear ice. Double the above thickness guidelines when travelin...
BILLINGS – Montana recorded its first suspected case of chronic wasting disease in wild elk Monday, Nov. 25. A landowner harvested the cow elk on private land northeast of Red Lodge earlier this month and samples were extracted from the carcass in Billings Nov. 6. Test results confirming the suspected presence of the disease were returned to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the hunter on Monday. CWD was found in a herd of captive game-farm elk near Philipsburg in 1999 and the herd was depopulated. Until this week, however, the disease h...
BILLINGS - Les Meyer, Superintendent of Fairfield Public Schools, was selected as the 2019 Superintendent of the Year for Montana and was honored at the annual Montana Conference of Education Leadership (MCEL) held in Billings this past October. Meyer graduated from Seeley-Swan High School in 1988 and started his educational career in Fairfield. Meyer grew up at Salmon Prairie with his parents Dixie and Neil Meyer and two sisters Pam and Gerri. Meyer said he was raised to go to work every day...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary received a $1,500 check from long time resident and Missoula County Electric Board Member Ray Cebulski Tuesday, Dec. 10. Superintendent Daniel Schrock applied for the grant through MEC to help the school with educational supplies. SLE will use these funds and purchase wiggle chairs for the lower elementary students. Schrock said research has shown that these chairs have a positive impact as they are designed to allow students the ability to wiggle and move a...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Community Hall was filled with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season Saturday, Dec. 14 at the Holiday Bazaar in Seeley Lake. Organizer and potter Carrie Darrah was pleased with the turn out and thankful for the support of the local artisans. Darrah, a local potter and regular vendor at the Seeley Lake Farmer's Market, was approached last summer about hosting a larger bazaar in Seeley Lake since the Seeley Lake Senior Center no longer hosted theirs at the s...
SEELEY LAKE – Around 15 families filled stockings at the Tamaracks Resort Giving Tree Sunday, Dec. 15. This was the first year for the event sponsored by Tamaracks Resort and Montana Girl. Sheila Czifro, owner of Montana Girl, remembered a time when she received a food basket for Christmas. "You never know what day you may be needing something," said Czifro. "I know what it is like to wonder." Last year Czifro purchased food cards for people she heard needed help. "I just wanted to do s...
MISSOULA - Janice A. Bowen, 98, passed away in the morning, Saturday, Dec. 7 at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. She lived with her son in the Seeley Lake area for some time, before moving to Missoula. Brothers Mortuary and Crematory are honored to care for the family. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.brothersmortuary.com.... Full story
SEELEY LAKE - Margaret Timpano of Seeley Lake passed away Monday, Dec. 2 at home in Seeley Lake after a battle with bone cancer. Margaret was born in Bellow Falls, Vt. June 17, 1944 to Earl and Bula Simmons and was raised on the Flying Cloud Dairy farm which her father operated in Alstead Center, N.H. She grew up with a good many pets including: a hen named “Speckles;” horses named Dolly, Princess and Pixie; several cats and kittens; and many dairy calves. She attended school in Alstead and graduated from Vilas High School in 1962 and went on... Full story
If you like to dance, you know how awkward it can be if both partners are trying to lead. If you recall what happened with Moses when he was still a young man and decided God needed his help looking out for the Israelites. The story is recorded in Exodus chapter 2 beginning in verse 11, "Moses...went out unto his brethren, and looked to their burdens." Needless to say, Moses's efforts, apart from God, did not go well. Sometimes we, like Moses, get out in front of God. Whether because of...
Candles brighten many occasions, but they are most prominent and most infused with meaning during the winter holidays. Among others, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and Kwanzaa use candles and lamps in their holiday celebrations. Yule, deriving from old Norse "jól" and Old English "géohol" began as a celebration of the winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. Archeologists have discovered that the sun shining through the upright lentils of England's Stonehenge signaled a...
SEELEY LAKE – Sunday, Dec. 15 marked 25 years that Jack and Belinda Rich have shown their appreciation to the community by inviting everyone to their ranch for a day of winter fun. More than 125 people came this year. Rich is quick to point out that he is carrying on the tradition started 62 years ago by his father C.B. Rich, who strongly felt the need to thank the community for their support and friendship. In the early days, the community came together in downtown Seeley Lake to celebrate t...
SWAN VALLEY - Zera Fae Hammerel was born Dec. 6 at 4:57 a.m. to Kae Reiley and Michael Hammerel of Condon.She weighed 5 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19 inches long. Also welcoming her into the world were grandparents Roberta Reiley of Seeley Lake and Brandy and Zane Meyer of Condon.... Full story
MISSOULA - Chad Bauer, a member of Gov. Steve Bullock's Grizzly Bear Citizen Advisory Council, expressed a sense of urgency and unease on the second morning of the council's Dec. 4-5 meeting in Missoula. Bauer and Bullock sat across from each other in a crowded conference room on the University of Montana campus. Bullock had recently announced the end of his presidential campaign, and Bauer, who works as a municipal market manager for Missoula waste hauler Republic Services, was three months...
SEELEY LAKE – Loving Hearts continues to grow and expand while also offering their annual events including the Christmas Toy Sale and Fashion Show. The volunteers are thankful for the community's support that allows them to continue their ministry and supporting those in need. For more than a year, Loving Hearts has rented a storage unit for donations and has been keeping items for the Toy Sale and Fashion Show and housing them at Manager Mary Newpower's home. Their dream has been to have a spac...
Each holiday season the Pathfinder reports on a different holiday tradition. In conjunction with that, reporters ask a specific question of people who happen to be out engaging in holiday activities. This year's Holiday Traditions question is Do you use special candles and/or decorate with lights at your house for the holidays? If so, why? The Tupper family hangs garlands and lights from their balcony. Kathy Hendricks said she strings lights on the railing of their front deck and others inside a...
PLAINS – The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks and Lady Blackhawks took on the Horsemen and Trotters Dec. 14. The Boys got off on the wrong foot falling behind the Horsemen 12 points in the first quarter with half those points coming from Horsemen free throws. Undeterred, the Blackhawks cleaned up their game and fought their way back to within four points by half time propelled off three pointers from Owen Mercado, Dakota Wood and Quinlan Ream. In the third quarter, the Boys kept the pressure on and took the lead. They held off the Horsemen in the f...
Prehistoric Native American Indians referred to the main stream in our valley as Clear Water. Several impoundments now known as the "Chain Of Lakes" stilled the flow allowing sediments to settle. A springtime visit to the Blackfoot River confluence with its brown water makes the Clearwater namesake apparent. The Clearwater River has had a long history of being dammed up. The earliest on the river was in 1906 at what is now the Riverview bridge. It was a splash dam to impound water in what was...
