Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 151
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...
The average age of the crowd listening to Bill McKibben speak at the Wilma Theater in Missoula over the weekend was probably close to his age - 63. But McKibben grasped that, and took it in a particular direction. As the keynote speaker for the fifth In the Footsteps of Norman Maclean Literary Festival put on by the Seeley-Swan Valley's Alpine Artisans, McKibben said 70 million Americans are over the age of 60. (In Montana, over 20% of the population is 65 or older.) This demographic "punches...
The Blackhawk football team remains undefeated going into homecoming this weekend. On Friday night at 7 p.m. the Blackhawks will take on Valley Christian, who is also undefeated this season, on their turf. Last weekend's game against St. Regis-Mullan was the closest so far, Coach Jacob Haley said. By the end of the third quarter, the Blackhawks were only up by 10. St. Regis is a "well-coached ball club," Haley said, and the 1 p.m. kickoff on a particularly warm fall day tested the team. Haley...
The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District added three new firefighters and a new paramedic to its team. Now, the department has 28 volunteer firefighters on the roster, four paramedics and one advanced emergency medical technician. Jon Espenscheid, Seppa Francis and Brandon Johnson were acknowledged at a badge pinning ceremony during the September fire department board meeting. These three completed their task books, which include a variety of safety trainings like ambulance driving and entry level...
The Swan Valley Community Council met last Tuesday evening and received updates on the Condon Work Center, heightened bear activity, incorporation and a community questionnaire. Sara Lamar, managing director of education with Swan Valley Connections, gave an update on the Condon Work Center, which the Northern Region of the Forest Service — based in Missoula — decided to put up for conveyance, or transfer of ownership, at the end of June. Swan Valley Connections, who uses the space for its operations, was given a move-out date of the end of...
The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board met last Thursday to discuss the process of selecting a wastewater treatment plant site, heard about funding updates and announced the resignation of the board’s secretary and manager. Bill Decker, the sewer district’s manager since the end of 2022, announced his resignation at the meeting on Sept. 19. Decker told the Pathfinder he started to feel like he was going in a different direction than the board, and that it was his time to step down. As a part-time Seeley Lake resident and one that doesn’t live...
Blackhawk football and volleyball teams are rolling past a month of games and remain undefeated. Football Coach Jacob Haley said this is the first time in 20 years the Blackhawk football team has been four-and-zero to start the season. "So far this season, in terms of the games, we've gotten off to fast starts, and we did again this game as well," Haley said. In Friday's match against Arlee, Haley said he knew that team had some pretty good runners and the Blackhawks had to lock in their...
The fifth annual Mike Haley Memorial golf tournament took place in Seeley Lake on Sept. 15 and raised over $6,000 for youth sports in the Seeley-Swan valley. The money goes directly to the principal of Seeley-Swan High School and in the past has been used for a shot clock and scoring table in the basketball gym. Jacob Haley, son of the late Mike Haley, said he's not sure what the school will use the money for this year. "I like to do it to keep my dad's name around," Haley said. "It means a lot...
The Clearwater Resource Council hosted a day-long conference on Sept. 6 focused on watershed hydrology, how water moves throughout the Clearwater Basin, the potential for it to pick up pollutants and how septic systems can play into those processes. Other topics included presentations on invasive fragrant water lilies and shoreline conservation. Experts emphasized the connectedness of the watershed. Karen Williams, aquatics director with the Clearwater Resource Council, said while much of the...
The photo of the handmade sign and snapdragons planted near the corner of Boy Scout Road and Highway 83 by a light pole was missing a bit of information in last week's Pathfinder. Zelda Haines wanted to make sure that Cole and Keanna Henrekin were given credit for their contributions. Cole made the sign in his shop, Peak Fabrication, and donated it in memory of Zelda's husband, Kim, who was a principal at Seeley-Swan High School and a beloved track and field coach before he lost his battle with...
Hype is building in Seeley Lake for the Blackhawk football team. So far in the season, they're undefeated. "It's been awhile since we've started out three-and-o," Jacob Haley, Blackhawk football coach, said. Last weekend the team faced off against Mission, who was also undefeated until they went up against the Blackhawks. Mission's offensive was pretty good on film, Haley said, but the Blackhawks' defense was phenomenal. The game started out a little rough, but at halftime the Blackhawks had...
A Condon resident was severely injured after wind storms with speeds up to 70 mph swept through the Seeley-Swan valley on Aug. 23. Chris Soelter, who is a construction worker in the valley, received a call from a local business in Seeley Lake. The business had some roof damage after the storm and Chris and his son, Brandon, were leaving Chris's home in Condon to get to the job on the day of the storm. Brandon left the house a few seconds before Chris, according to Chris's brother, Mike, and...
Karen Dove's hands shake when she starts talking about what it takes to keep a rural pharmacy open. Each day, she orders drugs customers need at the Seeley Swan Pharmacy. She pays for the drugs before she gets reimbursed and before a customer uses insurance to compensate for what it doesn't pay. Dove doesn't get repaid the full cost of the drug, though, and has to choose an amount she's going to sell a drug on which she's willing to lose. Dove spends money when she's buying drugs and loses it...
The last units of lumber were processed at Pyramid Mountain Lumber on Friday. No more production will continue at the mill. In March, Pyramid Mountain Lumber announced their closure due to workforce shortages. The high cost of living in western Montana was cited as one of the main reasons for closure. Pyramid was the largest employer in Seeley Lake and has been family-owned for the last 75 years. Pyramid has been winding down through a five-part plan and are now in the final two stages, which...
A wind storm with gusts up to 60-70 miles per hour burst through Seeley Lake on Aug. 23 and left thousands without power, some going days before the lights came back on. The storm postponed the beginning of Seeley-Swan High School's school year. Freshmen were to have started school on Monday, and as of press time Monday afternoon, it wasn't clear when classes would begin either for the high school or the elementary school. A couple of log storage sheds at Pyramid Mountain Lumber were damaged...
