Yesterday's Memories

10 Years Ago:

Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013

Although the calendar says August, the severe weather season is still going strong across Northeastern Montana. Quite a few storms moved from west to east across Valley County on Monday afternoon. They brought 40 mph. wind and half-inch hail to Hinsdale. Southeast of Baylor 1-inch hail was reported, along with more than an inch of rain. Lustre also received more than an inch of rain, all within a 40-minute window, along with the hail.

Real working cowboys were competing Saturday at the Ranch Rodeo at the Northeastern Montana Fair. Just proving their win last year wasn't a fluke, the Nelson Ranch team won again this year with a time of 54 seconds.

Glasgow's most expensive public works project doesn't get the respect it deserves. It cost nearly $6 million and took a decade to go from planning to performance. The system is unique in Montana, packed with energy-saving features and it harnesses biological processes to keep the Milk River water pure. But it gets no respect. It slinks around under a pseudonym: WWTF. Waste water treatment facility. It's a sewage plant, one of the fundamental services required of civilization.

Seven event championships. A fourth-place team finish. The Glasgow Kiwanis Swim Team made a nice, big splash at the Montana State Swim Meet. As a team, the 32 Kiwanis kids competing Aug. 3 and 4 at Sidney made good on their qualifying performances at the Eastern Divisionals in their home pools. The top five teams at state, in order, were Bitterroot, Sidney, Lewistown, Glasgow, and Chinook.

The Glasgow Reds' mostly sizzling summer of 2013 ends like this: third place among eight teams in the Montana-Alberta Legion Class A Baseball Conference Championship Tournament. It was third place with an exclamation point, even if the Big Red Machine sputtered at the end in an 8-1 loss to Belgrade that put the Bandits in the title game against the eventual champion Laurel.

25 Years Ago:

Thursday, Aug. 6, 1998

In what a BLM official called a "public relations debacle," residents of the cabins at the Pines on Fort Peck Lake have leveled criticisms of last weekend's firefighting operations there. They charge officials' delays allowed the fire to get away Thursday night. They said it burned much more forest than it would have if they had been allowed to continue their efforts. The fire, which eventually consumed 1,250 acres, began Thursday at about 6:30 p.m. in the area of the Pines Youth Camp. The fire was brought under control on Saturday night and mopped up on Sunday.

President Clinton's decision to purchase 2.5 million tons of wheat from U.S. farmers didn't raise prices as expected – in fact, prices dropped 40 cents a bushel since the announcement. As of Friday, Jerry Doornek of Harvest States in Glasgow said winter ordinary protein was selling for $1.73 a bushel which, in most cases, is far below the $3.50 to $4 average cost of production. "The announcement has done nothing for the farmers," Doornek said. "Any money to be made in the deal has been absorbed by middlemen in the system. The farmers sure aren't going to see any of it."

This past July was warmer and a little drier than normal. The average temperature of 73.9 degrees was 3.1 degrees above normal. Average high was 87.8 degrees; the average low 59.9. The warmest was 101 degrees on July 27; the coolest 51 degrees on July 22.

Splitting a win and a loss didn't give the Glasgow Reds an edge as they went up against Helena Monday morning. Friday saw Glasgow taking a 16-6 win over the Colstrip Rangers, but dropping a 14-1 loss to the Bitterroot Red Sox. Monday was the Red's chance to come from behind but despite an early lead they weren't able to fend off Helena who jumped ahead 21-9.

Bob Stormer, fresh off a sweep of both divisions in lawnmower races in Cut Bank, was denied a repeat in Glasgow last Tuesday. Kevin Hartsock fought to a victory in the AP division (8 horsepower and under) at the Northeastern Montana Fair event. Stormer came back to beat Hartsock and four others in the BP division (8 horsepower and over).

A J.D. Challenger print creatively framed at Willow Creek Gallery won second place in professional competition in Whitefish recently. Twelve galleries entered the framing competition, held at a meeting of the Northern Rockies chapter of the Professional Picture Framers of America. Julie Burke and Erika Porteen, collaborators on framing the print, attended the meeting.

50 Years Ago:

Thursday, Aug. 2, 1973

State Senator Gordon Bollinger of Glasgow Saturday made an urgent plea to Sen. Mike Mansfield to seek "immediate correction" to the beef shortage problem and "severe penalties for those who planned or prolong this economic blunder." Bollinger said: "The beef shortage is serious. It is here, and the beef price ceiling has caused near disaster in the meat industry. Every day's delay in removing the ceiling causes further destruction of our beef production, processing and distribution systems."

Based on a county taxable valuation increase of $1,095,897 recorded for 1973, Valley County Assessor Maurice Arnold anticipated Friday that the County Commissioners should – and would – reduce the 1973 county mill levy. Arnold's escalation evaluation of the money-earning-power of the present mill levy on county taxpayers was supported Monday when the County Commissioners announced a tentative 1973 budget of $1,690,380.09, representing a 6.48 mills decrease and a $119,472.93 savings to taxpayers over the 1972 budget.

Amtrak officials may visit Montana to speed expansion of express service to Hi Line stations, according to Jim Stewart, general manager of Glasgow-based Montana Quality Commodities. Stewart said Guy Springer, Washington Amtrak official advised him by phone Thursday that expansion to Glasgow, Malta, Shelby and Cut Bank had been delayed by unexpected complications in initiating service to 110 stations nationwide and insuring on-time performance of trains.

The Glasgow Elks Swim Team made one of their strongest competitive efforts in pool history last weekend as they qualified over 20 swimmers in 26 individual events and relays at the Montana Divisional Swim Meet in Plentywood for the right to compete in the State Swim Championships to be held in Sidney Aug. 10-12.

75 Years Ago:

Thursday, Aug. 5, 1948

Fort Peck and Havre American Legion Juniors will enter the state double elimination baseball tourney in Billings Friday to Sunday. Both were defeated in the Class B semi-finals by opponents that were later found to be ineligible under Junior Legion Rules.

Construction work on the Missouri River diversion dam, to be located about four miles below Fort Peck, which is the key works in the huge Missouri-Souris project, will start about May 1, 1949. The dam will divert water into a large canal. Water will be taken by a series of ditches, reservoirs and lifts through Montana and as far east as south-central North Dakota to irrigate 1.5 million acres of land when the project is completely developed.

The 1948 harvest in the Nashua community has started. Grain is ripening and with favorable combining weather, harvest will be in full swing by the end of the week. The wheat is grading No.1 but no tests of protein have been received so far.

Technicolor moving pictures being taken in the Fort Peck area today eventually will find their way to the television studios in metropolitan centers, Rad Maxey of Helena, state advertising director of the Montana Highway Department said.

With one of the largest grain harvests in prospect in Valley County in years, all help that can be mustered will be needed in the harvest fields beginning about the second week of August, it was stated by Pershing J. Menager, manager of the local office of the Montana State Employment Service.