Looking back to '54, '55

Future of the North Fork Road, millions of feet of lumber shipped, Anaconda Aluminum Co. plant construction and Columbia Falls post office increases highlighted front page stories in the Hungry Horse News in November and December, 1954.

Continual maintenance and improvement of the North Fork road plus a new bridge at Polebridge were issues discussed. It was pointed out virtually all North Fork road construction had been through the Forest Service with some maintenance shared with Flathead County.

Mel Ruder suggested it would be best if the North Fork road became a part of the Federal Aid Secondary Highway Systems. Hopes through the years had been to have the road connecting with Waterton's Akamina Highway to provide a through route into Canada. Mel was road committee member for Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce.

Involvement of the Board of County Commissioners for Flathead County was also required, according to the state highway engineer in Helena.

Top news concerned Great Northern report that it had been the most active year in the history of incoming and outgoing rail shipments from Columbia Falls.

There were 2,600 freight cars of lumber, or 26 100-car trains, shipped out of Columbia Falls. Incoming carloads, mostly construction equipment and materials for AAC, totaled 1,590 cars.

Local mills in Columbia Falls and Half Moon turned out a record 85,000,000 to 90,000,000 board feet of lumber during 1954. That represented 225,000 man days of employment and payrolls of $ 3,500,000, including woods operations.

Lumber shipped from Columbia Falls also included board feet from Martin City and Coram.

Employment news from AAC showed three month totals topping 1,600 and were at a winter level of 1,156 jobs. Construction payrolls at AAC showed at $ 1,000,000 during the fall.

H. G. Satterthwaite, AAC plant manager, and his staff were preparing to move to the plant two miles east of Columbia Falls in January, 1955. They had been located in the second story of the Bank of Columbia Falls, which was located on the corner of Nucleus Avenue and Sixth Street West.

There were 750 post office boxes rented and 200 families getting mail through general delivery. Postmaster Dudley Greene estimated local population was at the 2,000 mark in 1954. Influx of residents resulted from Hungry Horse Dam and AAC construction plus development of the lumber industry.

Gladys Shay is a longtime resident and columnist for the Hungry Horse News