Yesterday's Memories

10 Years Ago: Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013

The Glasgow High School Educational Trust said this week that it is honored to announce a recent gift of $10,000 from former Glasgow resident and longtime Glasgow School District Clerk Eunice (Burrus) Moen. She made the gift in memory of her daughter Lila Moen Sanders, who died of a brain tumor in 1981, and in honor of her daughter Phyllis Moen Sanguine. Both girls graduated from GHS in 1954.

After being rebuffed in their attempt to vote a candidate onto the board of the St. Marie Village Association, a group of owners have declared themselves a majority of the property owners, voted to abolish covenants amended in 1992, terminated the current board and created a new temporary board pending an election. The group was denied participation rights at the annual meeting because according to the association records, they were in arrears with their fees. One of the group, Merrill Frantz, told The Courier that the association had told them they were up to date. At an organizing meeting on Aug. 23 a group of people controlling 664 votes (one for each unit owned) declared they were a majority of owners and voted to revert to the original 1988 covenant to govern St. Marie.

It stood on U.S. 2 for perhaps 60 years, but now it's gone. Tommy Rodgers' turquoise and white Sinclair station, closed for a long time, was knocked down and taken away Monday. Then a heavy Cat went to work on the concrete and asphalt pavement. Traffic was bumped over into one lane so big side-dump trucks could be filled with rubble. The old gas station is a contaminated site being cleaned up by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality. The leaky underground system of five tanks, piping and dispensers was removed by the state in 2000. Rodgers had been ordered to pull the tanks out but he didn't. Groundwater monitor wells were installed, which revealed continued contamination, so the decision was made to remove the building to clean up the soil.

A herd of Yellowstone Bison from the Fort Peck Reservation was released on Fort Belknap last Thursday, finally fulfilling a plan by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to quarantine brucellosis-free animals, prove they can remain disease-free, and transplant them to the two Indian reservations on the eastern plains. Thirty-four bison stepped off trailers and trotted off to explore the 900-acre pasture. It was recently surrounded with a stout, new 8-foot fence.

For the 2013 hunting season, about 1,240 landowners have enrolled about 7.8 million acres in Montana's Block Management Program. The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks program provides hunters with public hunting access to private land, and isolated public land, free of charge, while assisting landowners in managing hunting activities.

The First Annual Larry Leddige Memorial Dart Tournament was held Aug. 16-17 at The Cottonwood in Glasgow. This event is named for dart player Larry Leddige who passed away in May 2013. Larry was a great guy who loved his family and friends and also enjoyed his darts. This tournament is a benefit tournament, and organizers use the proceeds to give a little help to people with medical costs. It may not be much, but they hope people realize there are others out there willing to help.

25 Years Ago: Thursday, Aug. 27, 1998

The former U.S. Air Force Bases at St. Marie, north of Glasgow, may be getting a new lease on life – as the new site of the VentureStar spaceport. VentureStar is supposed to be the next generation of space shuttle, a bigger model of the X-33 prototype which will be tested in Great Falls next year. The space port would have 20 shuttle launches a year. At least 18 states are competing for the nod from the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin. Until two weeks ago, Great Falls was Montana's only contender. Then suddenly a site on the Crow reservation near Hardin was proposed. And out of the blue, Glasgow.

Susan Smoker received a new heart transplant operation done in Salt Lake City on July 10. The 14-year-old Frazer girl is recuperating at home with her family. She is the daughter of Llewelyn and Niki Smoker. Family friend Jamie Mix said, "She is doing great. She has warm hands now and color in her cheeks." Susan reportedly likes doing what to her are new things, like walking and running. Last year Susan was too weak to attend school, where her heart rate might rise, or she might catch an infection. She was tutored by teachers at home. Her sister was given permission to stay home and be tutored with her, so she would not be so lonely. She expects to return to Frazer School in January.

Low grain prices, Canadian dumping, trade barriers, livestock packer concentration: Sen. Max Baucus took on all corners and their questions at a Farm Forum in Glasgow on Tuesday. Baucus announced some proposals he has in Congress to assist grain farmers and livestock producers. In the short term, he said loan caps for grain should be raised by $.60 to $.70 this year. "With the situation so dire, an extended loan period will help too," he said. For the long term, he said there are a lot of things to be done, but no silver bullets. The administration will buy 2.5 million tons of wheat for food aid, and should ensure the future availability of GSM credits. Research is needed to lower the costs of production, not just increase yields.

In July, several members of the Glasgow Tae Kwon Do Club participated in the Big Sky Games in Billings. Laurie Yutani, Green Belt, took first in her age group in forms and exhibition sparring. Keith McDonald, First Red Belt, took first in his age group in forms and second in sparring. Dennis Yutani, Third Red Belt, took first in his age group in forms and sparring, and second in board breaking. Jon Kolstad, Second Dan Black Belt, took first in his age group in forms, and second in sparring.

Valley County teens made a strong showing in the 853 air rifle competition of the annual Big Sky Games. In the Tyro Division, Casey Odom, of Opheim, placed first and Arron Fjeld, of Hinsdale, came in third. In the Sub-Junior Competition Cody Odom, of Opheim, was second and Becky Tollefson, of Hinsdale, was third. Brady Dale took first place and match winner in the Intermediate-Junior Category.

50 Years Ago: Thursday, Aug. 23, 1973

Glasgow City Council established a priority list for a promised $71,624 in federal revenue-sharing funds – a surprising increase of $50,000 or 250 percent of past payments – Wednesday night, and then considered going into the garbage-collecting business. The city last week received its customary form notice from the federal government of the July-September quarterly revenue-sharing allotment. The only difference was the amount. Instead of the customary $20,000-plus, the statement indicated $71,624 earmarked for Glasgow, Montana. A phone call to Washington D.C. by stunned City Hall officials verified that the amount was forthcoming, and the increase was attributed to a higher tax structure in Valley County.

The city maintenance shop, built in 1909 as a steam generation plant to produce electricity for the city of Glasgow, was torn down this week to make way for a new $80,650 city shop-repair complex. The new city shop will be a on-floor 50x100-feet building, 14-feet high and contain complete repair, servicing and truck storage facilities. The block-construction building will have six overhead doors plus office space for the shop foreman and change rooms. The entire building will be heated.

In the past few weeks thousands of acres in Valley County were charred by prairie fires adding to the haze over the Big Sky Country caused by numerous blazes across the state. Bureau of Land Management officials in Malta, the local sheriff's crew and area farmers and ranchers breathed a sigh of relief Monday when all fires in the county's borders were reported out. Cooler temperatures and overcast skies moved into the area Wednesday to alleviate the long hot spell and to reduce the possibility of new fires flaring up.

Riflemen hoping to get an elk in South Valley this year face something more than 38-to-1 odds of winning one of the coveted special elk permits from the State Fish and Game computers in Helena. In past years, the applications were collected in Glasgow and Malta for those wishing to hunt the Missouri River elk herd, and then selected by random drawing from a barrel at the point of registration. A total of 1,150 persons made their application personally to hunt South Valley this season at the Civic Center while approximately 825 applied for South Phillips permits at Malta. This constitutes approximately the same number of hunters seeking the same number of permits that were issued last year.

75 Years Ago: Thursday, Aug. 26, 1948

New appointments to the faculty of Saco Schools are now complete with one vacancy still existing, according to A.J. Solvie, Superintendent. A teacher in the commerce and English department is still to be chosen. However, six candidates are being considered for this position. New faculty members include Willard R. Anderson, Roseau, Minn., physical education director, coach and social science instructor. Mr. Anderson is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. Dale McFarlane has been chosen for the science position. He is a graduate of the Montana State University at Missoula. William Newlon of Plentywood has been engaged for industrial arts and mathematics. He is a 1948 graduate of the Montana State College. Miss Mariann Alexander of Livingston will teach Music both instrumental and vocal from the sixth grade through the high school and will direct girl's physical education classes. Miss Alexander is a 1948 graduate of the State University. Schools open Sept. 13.

Right-hander Bob Felling, Glasgow Veterans of Foreign Wars mound ace, held the Williston Red Sox to four scattered blows while his mates slammed out seven safeties off Joe Mendro, one a decisive round tripper with one man aboard in the fourth frame, to give the Montanans a 5-2 win over the locals at Harmon Park Sunday.

Richard C. Hunsaker has been appointed fieldman for the Valley County area by the Utah-Idaho Sugar Company to succeed Arch W. Richards, who is being transferred to the Beryl District in southern Utah, according to an announcement made this week. Mr. Hunsaker comes to the Glasgow area from the Yellowstone Valley, where he has been fieldman with one of the major sugar companies. He was raised on a sugar beet farm and has had considerable experience with sugar beets. He arrived here the first of the week and will live in the house being vacated by the Richards. His wife and young daughter are expected in a few days.

Current contributions and pledges in the Glasgow Deaconess Hospital financial campaign have reached $162,267, it was reported this week by the hospital board of trustees. The amount exceeds the $150,000 goal set when the campaign was opened.