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SEELEY LAKE - Though writing teachers disapprove of using two words when one conveys the meaning satisfactorily, the English language is full of doublet phrases: safe and sound; each and every; null and void; bits and pieces; rack and ruin; part and parcel. Each word of the phrase means the same thing. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), “part,” meaning a piece of a whole, came into use in the 11th century. “Parcel,” meaning a piece of a whole, came into usage in the 14th century. The two were then yoked together, most often i...
SEELEY LAKE – Change is inevitable in any community. That is the working premise of the Montana Economic Developers Association (MEDA). The question is whether the community wants to direct that change or simply let it happen. MEDA Resource Teams have helped 48 Montana communities direct their change. On Sept. 19-20 a resource team came to do the same for Seeley Lake. At a Town Meeting held at the Seeley Lake Historical Museum and Visitors Center, the eight-team members took turns presenting t...
SEELEY LAKE – Second grade teacher Erin Lynch is new to Seeley Lake, but not to Montana or to teaching. Lynch grew up in Havre, Mont., got her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and a Master's Degree in Science Education at Montana State University in Bozeman. She has taught in Bozeman, Billings and most recently in Livingston. Her teaching career began in a two-room schoolhouse. She has also taught in a traditional one-grade classroom and math and science in a middle school setting. Addi...
SEELEY LAKE – The topic of the Sept. 8 Pure Montana Tales held at SLE Outside was the Crown of the Continent (CC). The featured speakers were Rick and Susie Graetz. Their credentials include more than 30 books, the most recent entitled "Rocky Mountain Front." In addition, Susie is Managing Editor of The University of Montana (UM) Press and Managing Editor of the university's e-magazine "Crown of the Continent and the Greater Yellowstone." Rick teaches four Crown of the Continent courses each y...
SEELEY LAKE – An estimated 250-300 people set out their chairs and blankets on the Double Arrow Lodge lawn Aug. 26. Gathered in a semi-circle around the portable stage, they awaited the Montana Shakespeare in the Parks' (MSIP) production of Richard III. Not considered one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, Richard III presents a number of staging difficulties. For one thing the unabridged play has an overlong run-time. Though Shakespeare compressed 14 years into five conspiracy-packed acts, t...
OVANDO – With a piece of leather spread across his lap, Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) Archaeologist Steve Platt repeatedly struck a piece of jet black obsidian rock with a chunk of limestone, fashioning the obsidian into an arrowhead shape similar to those arrayed on a cloth at his feet. As he worked, Platt explained the process of flintknapping and answered questions about the native peoples who left stone artifacts in the Blackfoot Valley. Platt was the featured guest for Pure M...
SWAN VALLEY – The Swan Valley Shintangle took place Saturday, Aug. 20 at the 33 Bar Ranch in Condon. The event was a fundraiser for Swan Valley Connections (SVC). The theme for the evening was Supporting SVC is Supporting Your Community. Guests were treated to a meal by Vista Linda Catering and music provided by Moonshine Mountain Band of Columbia Falls, Mont. In between the food, music, dancing and raffle drawings, SVC Executive Director Maria Mantas elaborated on the theme. Mantas said SVC e...
SEELEY LAKE - When July and August temperatures soar into the high 90s and above, people start using the phrase the "dog days of summer." While it is true that dogs, especially those wearing thick fur coats, are less inclined to run and more likely to lie around panting on hot summer days, the phrase's origin actually comes from astrological rather than canine behavior. One of the most familiar constellations in the night sky is Orion the giant hunter, easily recognizable by the three stars in...
SEELEY LAKE - A basket weaver uses natural or man-made fibers to create a container that can be used for some practical purpose. A fiber artist might make a basket but the item's practical purpose is secondary to its value as a work of art. With fiber art, the focus is on the beauty of the materials, admiration for the skill of the weaver and appreciation for the amount of time and patience required to bring the piece to completion. Seeley Lake resident Patti Chamberlin is a fiber artist....
SEELEY LAKE – The Open Book Club (OBC) held July 13 featured Russell Rowland's book "Fifty-Six Counties: A Montana Journey." Three things were unusual about the event. First, it was a summer event held at Holland Lake Lodge rather than one of the fall-through-summer readings OBC traditionally holds at Grizzly Claw Trading Company. Second, published writer, Sheila Scobba Banning, functioned as a moderator, alternately interviewing Rowland, prompting him to read selections from his book and s...
SEELEY LAKE - At the Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) annual meeting July 10 the focus was on Trails for Everyone. CRC Executive Director Cathy Kahnle called Seeley Lake the hub of a wheel with spokes going out to communities all around it. According to Kahnle, those communities all have pre-existing trails which can form the backbone of a really spectacular, regional, trail system. Connecting them could create economic opportunities for all the communities and have the added effect of...
SEELEY LAKE – Jim Cearley served four years in the United States Navy, three years and three months of it at sea. He engaged in no military conflict because, as he categorizes his service time, "it was between the Korean War and the Vietnam war." But serve he did, and that was reason enough to qualify him for an Honor Flight trip to Washington D.C. Cearley said all he had to do was fill out some paper work, find a guardian to accompany him – his son filled that role – and get to the Helen...
SEELEY LAKE – Spread across tables forming a large L in the Seeley Lake Community Hall were 30 oversized bound books. Each book held a year's worth of issues of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder newspaper. Starting from 1986, the volumes documented 30 years of community life in the Clearwater, Swan and Blackfoot valleys. The occasion was the Seeley Swan Pathfinder's 30th Anniversary Celebration June 25. People came to the community hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and were treated to food, anniversary c...
SEELEY LAKE – A deadline is a time limit, a stated time when an assignment is due – or when an article must be submitted to the newspaper editor. If the deadline is missed it might mean an F on a school assignment. Or it might mean an article or ad won’t make it into the next issue of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder. Problematic as those scenarios are, they won’t be fatal. But when the term was first coined, its meaning was deadly serious. The term originated in American Civil War prison camps. Though there is some evidence “dead line” may have be...
Part I and II traced the beginnings of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder from its creation by the Potters and the Vernons through its ownership by Gary Noland and Millie Jette. SEELEY LAKE - Caroline and Dwight Jenkins assumed ownership of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder March 4, 2004. As had owners Gary Noland and Millie Jette before them, the Jenkinses said their move to the Seeley Lake area originated from a desire to trade the stress of city living for a more community-oriented lifestyle and the chance...
Part I reviewed the history of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder from its conception by the Potters and the Vernons to their decision to sell it. SEELEY LAKE – On Aug. 4, 1987 Gary Noland and Millie Jette assumed ownership of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder. In what Dick Potter named as his 116th editorial, he called Noland and Jette the "new pathfinders" and said, "We are convinced that our successors have what it takes to propel Pathfinder to greater heights." In the same issue, a feature article w...
SEELEY LAKE – An anniversary is a time for remembering the beginning, for looking at then and tracing the path to now. As the Seeley Swan Pathfinder prepares for its 30th Anniversary Celebration June 25, it seems appropriate to revisit the when, how and why of the Pathfinder's beginnings. Condon resident Suzanne Vernon said that in 1986 fate matched her and her husband Sheldon with former Seeley Lake residents Dick and Michele Potter to create a weekly newspaper. Though another paper, The Valley...
SEELEY LAKE – Spring 2016 marks the fifth time Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) teacher Trace Stone escorted a group of students to South America. The opportunity was open to any high school student willing to help raise the required funds, approximately $1,700 per person. This year Stone and Seeley Lake Elementary School teacher Bridget Laird took 10 students to Costa Rica. When Stone started the program in 2010, he named it Destinations for Education. He has taken groups to Ecuador, Panama, G...
SEELEY LAKE - Though bird banding usually does not start until June, a group from the University of Montana Bird Ecology Lab set up their station May 21 to enable Seeley Lake Elementary School (SLE) students and parents an opportunity to observe the bird-banding process. The activity was another parent-child opportunity supported by the 21st Century grant. The Seeley Lake banding area is classified as a mixed forest/willow riparian area. Mike Krzywicki, who is in charge of the Bird Ecology...
SEELEY LAKE –Art Mobile of Montana sent its 2016 traveling art gallery to Swan Valley Elementary School (SVE) and Seeley Lake Elementary School (SLE) May 9 and 11. Teaching artist Shelby Johnson told each group of students the art pieces she brought were created by contemporary Montana artists. She explained the artists each had their own unique way of seeing things and used a variety of art materials and methods to convey what they saw and felt. The students got an opportunity to look at all t...
SEELEY LAKE – Tuesday, May 3, Seeley Lake Elementary School (SLE) teachers were directed to bring their students to the multi-purpose room for a school assembly. Most of the teachers were puzzled, not knowing the reason for the meeting, though many of the students were in on the secret. Standing alone at the microphone on stage, fourth-grader Ava Thornsberry waited for everyone to be seated. "Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day," Thornsberry announced. "Kids in the school drew pictures f...
SEELEY LAKE – One of the goals of the Clearwater Resource Council (CRC) is to protect and sustain the waters of the Clearwater River drainage system. To this end, CRC has a number of projects in place that have gathered a large amount of scientific data. "There's a lot of good stuff going on that we're very happy about and that is really remarkable but nobody really knows about it," said Bruce Rieman, CRC Outreach Committee member The Outreach Committee decided to resolve that problem by c...
SEELEY LAKE – Another 21st Century Grant-funded activity for Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) students and their parents was declared a success by the participants. Saturday, April 16, SLE teacher Michele Holmes led a small group of bikers on a geocaching outing. Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunt game using maps, compasses or Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates. Holmes, who has enjoyed geocaching with her family for more than 10 years, said it always made hiking trips more fun for h...
SEELEY LAKE – Each month of the school year, television station KECI singles out a western Montana teacher who has made significant contributions toward education. Nominees are chosen based primarily on letters submitted by students. April's Gold Star teacher is Seeley Lake Junior High teacher, Duane Schlabach. KECI presents the winner with the Gold Star Award plaque and comes to the school to interview and film both teacher and students. The resulting production is aired on the station t...
SEELEY LAKE – If Jack from Team A is running neck and neck with Jill from Team B and they are 50 yards from the finish line, Jack’s coach might yell, “C’mon, you can do it. Pull out all the stops.” But why is Jack’s coach yelling about stops, when clearly his intent is for Jack to go, in fact to increase his speed. The origin of the phrase, pull out all the stops, actually has nothing to do with racing. It has to do with playing a pipe organ. Miles Hoffman’s “The NPR Classical Music Companion” calls the organ a hybrid instrument, a con...
