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One thing was clear from the results of a survey sent out to Seeley Lake residents from the Seeley-Swan Hospital District — not everyone is totally clear on what’s offered at the local medical center. Even from a fairly basic level, the perception that it is a hospital and provides urgent care services was fairly widespread, which is not the case. “The Seeley-Swan Hospital District is not a hospital. We are a mission-driven board that oversees the facility and partners with Partnership Health Center, who provides primary care and other healt...
Trying to make use of remaining federal money, the Missoula County Public Works Department is submitting for three more grants to address various deteriorating bridges in the county. After an unsuccessful submission for a Bridge Investment Program grant, or BIP grant, in March, which would have funded the replacement of Boy Scout Road (Seeley Lake), Glacier Creek (Condon) and Sunset Hill Road (Greenough) Bridges, Shane Stack, public works department director, said the department is planning on resubmitting for the grant next year and using...
The Seeley Lake Water District Board voted to approve a rate increase to users’ monthly water fees. This increase is needed to balance the nonprofit water district’s budget after Pyramid Mountain Lumber, the district’s largest user, shuts down and stops using water. Vincent Chappell, Seeley Lake Water District manager, said when the mill does finally shut down the district will lose about $55,000 each year. “Unfortunately we have to find a way to make up that deficit and the only way to do that is to raise rates to other customers,” Chappell...
Standing in a circle under an afternoon autumn blue sky, big fluffy clouds blocking the view here and there, the students of Swan Valley Elementary School were told to be a tree. More specifically, a model of a tree. Taylor Tewksbury, education program coordinator with Swan Valley Connections, explained that models are examples and scientists use them to understand something without, in a tree's case, needing to chop it down. Students made concentric circles of their classmates and were...
Despite playing some hard-fought games, the Lady Blackhawks will not be traveling to state tournaments this week. The team placed fifth overall in divisionals last week, winning against Valley Christian and losing against Drummond and Philipsburg. "I couldn't be more proud of them as individuals and especially the team they became and finished the season as," Lady Blackhawk Coach Janelle Greenwood said. Greenwood said each volleyball player had moments where they were outstanding. All the girls...
To commemorate the end of an era, the Pathfinder went back through the archives to find mentions of Pyramid Mountain Lumber all the way back to 1983 when the paper was published as The Valley Times. There aren't instances from each year since, mainly because we'd run out of space, and also because one gets the general gist from the compiled remarks. A main refrain after the announced closure of Pyramid Mountain Lumber on March 14 of this year was that it was the glue that held Seeley Lake...
Maybe you opened your paper today thinking, I’m pretty sure the Pathfinder’s missing something. Don’t we have a new president? Statehouse representative? You’re probably right. Since our papers are printed on Mondays, it made for a very quiet Nov. 7 paper regarding election details. We sent the paper off to press before Election Day even began. I intend to publish a story online focusing on the statehouse races pertinent to the Seeley-Swan and Blackfoot Valleys on Wednesday or Thursday this week. But in the meantime, there are plenty of othe...
The Flathead National Forest has received an application from Eric Jacobsen and Thomas Knowles for a special use permit to operate Holland Lake Lodge with no proposed expansion. Private equity investors Jacobsen and Knowles held a meeting announcing their interest in purchasing the historic lodge in the Swan Valley in September and the Forest Service received notice of a purchase agreement between the two and the current holders of the lodge’s special use permit — longtime owner Christian Wohlfiel and POWDR, owner of ski resorts across the cou...
The Blackhawks first home playoff game in 30 years didn't end the way the football team hoped. After ending the first quarter in the lead, the Choteau Bulldogs took the game away, final score 41-28. Blackhawk Coach Jacob Haley said to his team that now he'll never consider a bulldog as a prospective pet. Haley said he felt like the playoff game was up for the taking and that the Blackhawks only had themselves to beat. But a few too many turnovers, dropped touchdowns and off plays didn't produce...
Seeley-Swan High School business instructor Michele Holmes was presented the Innovation in Education award by the Montana Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 30 during the Chamber's Titans of Business award ceremony. This fall, Holmes was selected as an Empowered Teacher of the Year, acknowledging her comprehensive use of the Empowered curriculum, which allows business instructors to use hands-on, real-world activities to teach business concepts like costs of goods sold or project pitching. Through...
Republicans claimed political control across all the top state races this general election cycle in Montana, including the open U.S. Senate seat, both U.S. House seats, Governor, Public Service Commission, Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Auditor and Secretary of State. More specifically, Ryan Zinke took the western U.S. House District and Troy Downing the eastern. Greg Gianforte was reelected governor. Brad Molnar, Jeff Welborn and Jennifer Fielder were elected to the state Public Service Commission. Austin...
Audrey Stevenson groaned as the volleyball she served hit the net instead of sailing over like it was supposed to. Assistant Coach Shawn Evans told her to keep her arm up, and she walked around the court to get back in line and try again. At a practice in October, many Lady Blackhawks brought up how much serving technique improves when players get on the high school team. And Stevenson, along with fellow eighth grader Kieu Snow, has an extra year to practice. Both young women are playing up...
Inside the Seeley-Swan High School cafeteria, close to 30 people gathered and raised their hands for various ice breaker questions before a meeting began. How many people in the room have lived in Seeley Lake for more than 20 years? Maybe a third of the hands went up. How many people were born and raised in Seeley? No hands. How many are retired? Business owners? Have kids in the school system? Who is worried about the future of Seeley Lake? Every hand in the room went up. "Great, that's why...
The seventh/eighth grade wing at Seeley Lake Elementary School is set to be demolished. Continued concern about mold in the walls due to moisture getting under the foundation of the building led to school board approval for the demolition during its October meeting. Mold was first found in the walls over the summer and was abated, or removed, Board Chair Doc Welter said, which allowed the wing to be used this school year. But since moisture continues to be a problem under the foundation, even with equipment in place to keep it at bay, Welter...
The Forest Service received notification of a purchase agreement regarding Holland Lake Lodge between Eric Jacobsen, Great Falls native and current Utah resident, and longtime owner of the lodge and holder of its special use permit, Christian Wohlfeil, and POWDR on Oct. 11. POWDR, a company that owns and operates ski resorts across the country, owns about 20% of the assets of Holland Lake Lodge. A controversial plan to expand the lodge was rejected by the Forest Service last fall after being met with forceful local opposition. Ivy Gehling,...
The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board met last Thursday for a relatively short meeting to discuss ongoing fundraising efforts and the still vacant staff positions. Steve Anderson, engineer with Water & Environmental Technologies (WET), said the engineering firm’s staff continue to work on pursuing grants to help cover costs of creating the preliminary engineering report, which once completed opens the door for other grant opportunities for which the board could apply. WET staff are working through a reclamation and development planning grant a...
This weekend the Lady Blackhawks experienced triumph and defeat. They faced off against the Valley Christian Eagles and the Noxon Red Devils and both games were demanding. The first set against the Eagles on Oct. 17 started with the Blackhawks and Eagles going back and forth for points, but in the end the Eagles took the lead, winning 25-15. The second set was a rollercoaster and both teams took the lead multiple times. Ultimately, both the second and third set went to the Eagles. This week is t...
Editor's note: Due to an unfortunate oversight, part of this article was missing from the printed paper. We will be reprinting the full article in the paper next week and the entirety is featured here. We deeply regret the error. The Seeley-Swan Hospital District Board is conducting a survey to get a more comprehensive idea of how the board and clinic can better respond to the needs of those in Seeley Lake. Board Chairwoman Terryl Bartlett said living in Seeley Lake, one can get used to running into Missoula for various medical needs that the c...
A head-on collision on Oct. 6 left two people dead and two injured at 9:20 p.m. on Highway 83 in Seeley Lake. According to a release from Montana Highway Patrol, a vehicle driving south on Highway 83 failed to make a curve to the left near Double Arrow Road. It traveled in the ditch for 340 feet and got back into the southbound lane before it crossed onto the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with another vehicle traveling north. Per the release, drugs and speed were suspected as conditions of the crash. All passengers were wearing se...
After the announced closures of Pyramid Mountain Lumber and Roseburg Forest Products this spring, the state of Montana was awarded a national emergency grant to assist those laid off. That funding can go beyond directly helping employees and is available for any business in Seeley Lake that might be able to link a loss of revenue or a closure to the wind down of Pyramid. On Friday, Pyramid announced the end of its final stage of operations, with the final load of lumber shipped last week. About...
The Missoula County Commissioners approved spending a portion of funds from a 2018 bond to preserve 158 acres in the Swan Valley for conservation. The funds made available in 2018 were part of a voter-approved open space bond measure. This bond provided $15 million that was to be used to enhance open space for purposes including access, agriculture, fish and wildlife habitat, rivers, streams and scenic views, per the ballot language. One way those purposes can be realized is through the...
The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks beat the Saint Regis Tigers, 3-0, in an intense game. After losing the games last week, the Blackhawks had a lot to prove. Hoping to take home victories this weekend, the girls walked onto the court confident that they'd walk over winners. Starting the first set on Oct. 10, the Tigers were leading, but with quick reflexes and smart play, the Blackhawks made a comeback. Kilty Hanson, a junior, got an ace, leading Seeley-Swan to win the first set, 25-23. The second...
Last Wednesday, a one-acre, human-caused fire started in open grass near the intersection of Riverview and Grizzly Drive in Seeley Lake. No structures were damaged, but residents received evacuation warnings early that morning, around 6 a.m. The warning was lifted by 10 a.m. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the Missoula County Sheriff's Office, Seeley Lake Fire Chief Dave Lane said. As of Oct. 3, it was fully put out. Lane said there were "remnants of items" where the fire started...
The Seeley Lake Nordic Ski Club held a ribbon-cutting event on Saturday to celebrate moving their groomer into its new home. Chris Lorentz, nordic ski club president, said over the past 35 years the club has been outgrowing its facilities. The new building will allow the club to have a space to store the groomer - instead of having it sit out in the snow with volunteers waiting about three hours to get it warmed up before starting the actual grooming work - that will protect it from the...
A person is dead after a high-speed chase south of Seeley Lake on Saturday. Shortly after 3 p.m. on Oct. 5, a male driving south on Highway 83 passed another vehicle over double-yellow lines and fired shots through the driver’s side window, according to a news release from Missoula County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Jeannette Smith. Information from Smith said Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks located the dark blue Toyota pickup the person was driving and followed the truck from the Clearwater Junction as he traveled west on Hig...
