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CONDON - The Condon Ball Field was alive with music and dancing during the fourth annual Swan Valley Connections' Shintangle July 20. "Tonight is all about celebrating," said Executive Director Maria Mantas during her welcome comments. "We're really here to celebrate the fantastic place we live, the Swan Valley, and to thank our community." The event, which drew around 100 people, featured live music by the Beet Tops and square dancing all evening, along with barbecue. The event also featured...
SWAN VALLEY - Maria Mantas, the executive director of Swan Valley Connections for the last four years, will be retiring this fall. "A good executive director keeps the family together, keeps the team together," said Mantas. "I call myself the head cook and dishwasher." Before her stint with SVC, she worked for the Nature Conservancy as the Science and Stewardship Director, and was a plant ecologist for the Flathead National Forest prior to that. "I've spent about 30 years doing conservation...
SEELEY LAKE – Nearly 600 people packing the gym at Seeley Lake Elementary for a fire meeting Monday, July 31. Members of the Forest Service, the Incident Management Team and other local officials addressed the attendees. The meeting served primarily as an update for the Rice Ridge Fire that is burning approximately three miles northeast of Seeley Lake. The fire started on July 24, but in the last 24 hours the fire exploded from 60 acres to 1,994 acres. During the day Monday, the fire grew 300-50...
SEELEY LAKE – A silver Toyota Tacoma towing a blue and white striped motor boat pulled up to the check station at Clearwater Junction. Two inspectors circled the watercraft, checking for the presence of zebra mussel of other aquatic invasive species (AIS) that could infest local waters. After a thorough visual check, inspector Denise Richardson asked the boat owner a few questions. Where did you last launch this boat? Where do you plan to launch next? And most importantly, have you taken this c...
The Montana Grizzlies will soon be under new management. We’re not talking about the UM football team, but rather the grizzly bear population in the state. Specifically, those living in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced that the agency plans on removing grizzlies living in the Yellowstone area from Endangered Species Act protection and turning management to the states and tribes. The announcement was made June 22. The rule takes effect 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register. “This ach...
Change Your Pace Challenge SEELEY LAKE - Seventy-two runners braved the late morning heat to run in the Change Your Pace Challenge 10K, 5K and 2K races. Micah Drew from Seeley Lake finished first in the 10K with a time of 33:40.96. Forty-year-old Daisy Zell of Bozeman led the women in the 10K with a time of 51:38.03. In the 5K, Seeley Lake eighth-grader Hannah Ayers finished first for the women, and third overall, with a time of 21:53.33. Chris Boland of Cascade, Mont. won the race with a time o...
SEELEY LAKE - Six miles up Rice Ridge Road, a line of vehicles slowed to a stop. Dirt roads spread out to the left and right until they disappeared in to the trees along the ridge. Race Coordinator Chris Stout emerged from the lead vehicle and began giving instructions. Behind him, several people opened car doors and carried out coolers, water jugs and milk crates filled with various foods. In the crisp not-yet-above-60-degree air, volunteers set up an aid station-the first of four along the...
SEELEY LAKE - Hours before his first performance at the Bob Marshall Music Festival, Matt Strachan was lounging at his cabin in Dogtown. Scattered around the back deck overlooking the Clearwater River sat members of his band, the Hoot Owls, along with his wife and friends, sipping on White Claws and huckleberry-colored mixed drinks. The band members all showed signs of being in the sun-they'd spend part of the day out on the boat-which was a precursor to the hot, summer sets ahead. "Do you want...
SEELEY LAKE - Summer music festivals in Montana are almost as prevalent as cherries on a tree in the Flathead. They range from the Montana Folk Festival in Butte, to the Big Sky Classical Music Festival, to the new Traveler's Rest in Missoula. The local Bob Marshall Music Festival, on July 13-16, enters its second year as a solid member of the summer music scene in the four-oh-six. Last year's inaugural event hosted more than 2,500 people at the festival during the busiest day-including kids...
SEELEY LAKE - “Frankly, it was about to fold.” That was Cheryl Lewis’s comment on the old Seeley Lake Chamber of Commerce. Lewis, the newly elected chairperson, is one of the members breathing new life into the Chamber this year. Over the years, the Chamber has been involved in community affairs and events such as the Fourth of July and Winterfest. In recent years the enthusiasm and interest in the Chamber dwindled to just a member or two and “people were just tired,” according to Lewis. “We had to decide whether to let it die or bring it ba...
POTOMAC - Last month Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines announced that after a 13-year ban, the U.S. will once again be able to ship beef to China. "Montana beef will now be served on menus, plates and in Chinese households," Daines stated in a press release. "On my next trip to Beijing I look forward to seeing Montana beef on the menu." The measure reopening the markets is set to go into effect this month. Errol Rice, Executive Vice President of the Montana Stockgrowers Association stated, "We are...
SEELEY LAKE - When festival organizer Chris Stout thought about what kind of music he wanted to bring to Seeley Lake, he decided that it should be an eclectic mix that would appeal to the widest variety of people. This year, he assembled 17 bands from 12 different states. Here is a look at the range of bands playing at this year's Bob Marshall Music Festival. Deer Tick Deer Tick has been electrifying the music scene for more than a decade. The five-member blues-infused alternative rock band from...
SEELEY LAKE - Bands are coming from as far as the Atlantic Coast to play at the Bob Marshall Music Festival. The Pathfinder reached out to a couple of bands that only have to travel down a highway or two to get here. Matt Strachan and the Hoot Owls Helena-based country rocker. Matt Strachan has been part of the music scene for the last 13 years. He has played solo gigs and as part of various ensembles around Montana and the country. His current ensemble, the Hoot Owls, released their latest album in October. The Pathfinder spoke to Strachan...
SEELEY LAKE - Seven Montana communities, Seeley Lake among them, will receive funding to update water infrastructure. On June 28, Montana Senator Jon Tester announced he had secured more than $2 million for rural water projects, including water supply infrastructure, wastewater treatment facilities, environmental restoration and surface water resource protection. The Seeley Lake Sewer District is set to receive $600,000 of the funds. The funds come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Water Resources Development Act Section 595...
GREENOUGH- A blown up black and white photograph depicting the Sunset School class in 1956 hung from the railing outside the schoolhouse. An elderly couple approached the picture, the man pushed his wife Mary in a wheelchair. "Mary, that's you," said her husband Dennis Sheron, pointing to the upper right corner. Her younger vision stood in the back row of the photograph, next to the teacher, Mrs. Mary Ann Beard Derrickson. Fifteen students made up the school in 1954. Her younger sister, Eloise...
SEELEY LAKE - The ad in the Spokesman-Review was small, just two lines of print. "Resort For Sale," it said. "Seeley Lake, Montana. 13 cabins." Sue Heagy read the ad, picked up the phone to find out more and then went to Montana to see the place for herself. "I really don't remember anything about the resort itself or the cabins," she said about that first visit. What she does remember is the view. "I saw this, and I go 'This is it!'" With that one look at Seeley Lake with the southern edge of...
At A Glance Pyramid Pass, Lake and Peak Length: 5.2 miles from the parking lot to Pyramid Pass and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Boundary. 0.75 miles further to Pyramid lake, 1.5 miles up to Pyramid Peak **The sign in the parking lot is wrong- it shows 4 miles to the pass** Elevation: Trailhead: 5,200 feet; Pass: 6,695 feet; Lake: 6,946 feet, Peak: 8,309 feet Directions: Turn east off Highway 83 onto Morrell Creek Road north of Seeley Lake. Drive just over a mile before taking a left, following...
CONDON - Following a pancake breakfast hosted by Swan Valley Emergency Services, the Fourth of July festivities in Condon kicked off with the parade down Highway 83. Following the parade, everyone converged at the Swan Valley Community Hall for huckleberry ice cream, the used book sale and other fun activities. The Omoksee finished out the afternoon. “Greatest Little Parade in the USA” - Winners Sponsored by the American Legion Post 63 Walkers: Swan Valley Community Library Supporters, Yvo...
SEELEY LAKE- Dozens of boats cruised around Seeley Lake on Saturday morning-a common sight for a weekend morning. The unusual sight was the sheer number of kids on board each boat, trolling the waters for the biggest fish they could catch. The 15th annual Seeley Lake Kids Fishing Tournament took place Saturday, June 24. Children ages seven through 13 spent several hours on the lake competing for the heaviest overall catch. Forty-seven kids turned out for this year's tournament-20 more than last...
GREENOUGH- A mere mile from the banks of the Blackfoot River, Sunset School sits tucked away on the property of the Paws Up Resort. For a century, the tiny two-room schoolhouse has educated the children of Greenough. From an enrollment high of 26 students in 1967, to a single student-teacher combo from 2010-2012, Sunset has remained a staple in the educational diet of the Blackfoot Valley. This weekend, students, teachers and supporters of the school from decades past will descend upon the...
OVANDO- On Sunday, June 25, a truck heading eastbound noticed a disabled car and pulled a U-turn to help. An eastbound motorcycle crashed into the driver's side door. The rider of the motorcycle was life-flighted to Missoula but will live according to Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Tom Gill. The driver of the truck did not sustain any injuries. No citations have been issued at this time. The highway was closed near mile marker 46 for more than two hours....
SEELEY LAKE - South Morrell Trail #30.1 is a popular destination for mountain bikers, trail runners and hikers. It starts from the first switchback of Pyramid Pass Road and runs about five miles down to Woodworth-Seeley Lake Road. Early this summer the trail received maintenance from the Forest Service. According to Katie Knotek, the Seeley District trail manager, a small bridge on the trail was not up to Forest Service standards. Crews went in and replaced the old bridge near the start of the t...
SEELEY LAKE-A line of 10 mules, interspersed with the occasional ranch hand on horseback, wound its way down the trail into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The mules each carried a large canvas covered pack on either side of their back-enough supplies and food to last four days. The first pack trip of the season was underway. Several hours earlier, at 7:10 a.m. Gail Theard and her family from North Carolina arrived at the Rich Ranch to start their trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Jack Rich,...
OVANDO- How much fun can you have with a piece of pine, two axles and four wheels? This is what volunteer firefighter Andy Whitehead hopes to find out next week. The Ovando Fire Department is hosting the inaugural Pinewood Derby Classic on the Fourth of July. The race will be a fundraiser for the volunteer fire department but more importantly it is designed to create community participation. “Everyone in the community puts in $10 and comes together for an event,” Whitehead said. “It’s really created some interesting energy and partici...
SEELEY LAKE- In the fabled children’s story “Winnie the Pooh,” the characters pass time playing a game called ‘Pooh Sticks.’ Sticks are dropped off a bridge and the first to emerge from the other side is declared the winner. Seeley Lake has its own version of river racing. The annual Fourth of July Duck Races will once again fill the Clearwater River with hundreds of rubber yellow ducks. Gayle Gordon has been organizing the duck races for 20 years. The first year, it began as a fundraiser for the Seeley-Swan High School golf team. The team...
