Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Elementary School Board accepted Superintendent Chris Stout’s resignation at a special meeting June 25. Stout emailed the board his resignation June 18, “Hey guys. I just wanted to let you know that I will not be returning next year. I know everything is open to speculation but honestly it’s time. It’s time for everyone. I appreciate all your support and will always look back on my time and smile. Life changes. People change. Places change. I think this is a win-win for everyone. My last day will be June 30. You ca...
SEELEY LAKE - Nearly seven years after Seeley Lake resident Gayle Gordon was diagnosed with breast cancer she has found a sisterhood to help her navigate survivorship. Gordon first heard about the group of women through a friend and fellow breast cancer survivor in Missoula, Mont. Gordon's friend Stacey Vetter encouraged her to become involved in the Silver Lining Foundation. "I have found a lot of people who aren't just down in the dumps. They are positive, they are supportive, they are so...
SEELEY LAKE –The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board had a packed agenda for the June 20 regular meeting with topics ranging from bidding schedule and changing the force main route to Rules and Regulations (R&Rs) and cost estimates for Phase 3 and 4. The meeting ran nearly four hours with some agenda items being tabled. Bidding Timeline District Manager Jean Curtiss asked that the board to consider changing the bid dates from late this summer or early fall to January. Curtiss explained that a small sewer job in Missoula that went to bid in A...
SWAN VALLEY – The Swan Valley School board prioritized the list for facility security, safety and maintenance at their June 19 meeting. Topping the list was school safety and security closely followed by a water cooler and bottle filler for the main school and building insulation. The board voted to start getting estimates to address the recommendations from staff to create a main portal for the school. Board Chair John Mercer told the board they have a maintenance fund pool of $50,000 and he wanted to set priorities. He went back through t...
SEELEY LAKE - We tried calling the Seeley Swan Medical Center during noon hour and got their answering machine instead. We were grateful that my wife’s condition was not an emergency although dealing with chronic pain is difficult. The Seeley Swan Clinic Staff did return the call after the lunch hour. During the week, we drove by the clinic and were astonished because there were no cars outside the clinic. The clinic was closed for lunch. I know there are budget constraints in operating a clinic in rural Montana, but I consider our clinic to b...
SEELEY LAKE - After the June 20 Sewer Board meeting, it was clear that there are innumerable loose ends and many unanswered questions to be addressed before any user agreement reaches the property owners in Phase 1. At one point, I made the comment that we would need many more property owner participants in the district to be able to pay for the proposed sewer system. Costs have always been too high and continue to increase. They are high enough to price many people right out of their homes. That idea seems to go right over the heads of most...
SEELEY LAKE - The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled property owners can go directly to Federal Court if they believe local government regulations....such as the onerous health department septic regulations here in Seeley Lake..... have deprived landowners of the right to use their property. The Missoula County Health Department has regularly for years deprived us of the right to use our properties up here with its constantly-changing regulations without public hearing or input. Just two years ago it created a Special Management Area up here which...
SEELEY LAKE - The Bob Marshall Music Festival is coming June 27-28. For some people it is ironic that this festival name conjures feeling of the wilderness next door. The festive genre and activities experienced by the participants exhibit few of the solitude and primitive attributes of wild lands. The Seeley Lake area is adjacent to the “Crown of the Continent” recognized as one of the wildest, most diverse and intact ecosystems in the temperate zones of the world. The “Crown” boundary extends from the Jasper-Banff area of British Columbi...
SWAN VALLEY – Area horseback riders are invited to participate in the Swan Valley Fourth of July O-Mok-See. This is an annual event held at the Swan Valley Community Arena starting at 1 p.m. Bring your horse and your friends. This year all ages can participate in the Pole Bending, Key Hole, Western Jump, Let's Get Dressed and Barrel Races. There were will be Pair Sack Races for the 7 and under and 8-11 age groups and a Ribbon Pair Race for the 12-15 and adult age groups. Riders pay $2.50 per e...
As summer is approaching the seasonal population influx around Seeley Lake begins. The campgrounds and outdoor activities will become much more active as the community wakes up. This increase in movement begins an increase in our highway traffic. Visitors unfamiliar with our scenic roads will not be as attentive toward driving, as people tend to look at surroundings rather than focusing on the road. Motor vehicle accidents happen. Should an accident occur please consider the following: • 911 should be called immediately and emergency crews w...
SEELEY LAKE - Four members of the Seeley-Swan Search and Rescue were formally honored by the Missoula County Sheriff's Office for their rescue efforts in early February 2018. Deputy Heath Hanson presented SSSAR Chief Tim Hoag, Jon Haufler, Auguste Lockwood and John Anders with individual awards at a SSSAR meeting on June 18. SSSAR responded to a report of four missing snowmobilers on Feb. 7. All snowmobilers were found near Lake Elsina and were successfully rescued. Photo Skylar Rispens,...
SEELEY LAKE - There are two raffles going on in Seeley Lake to support the Seeley Lake Fireworks Show July 4. Good Times and All Decked Out have a basket available (right) valuing at $150 including $50 gift certificates for Good Times and All Decked Out. Tickets can be purchased at both businesses for $5 each or 5 for $20. The drawing will be held June 28. All proceeds go to support the Seeley Lake Fireworks Show....
SEELEY LAKE – As the boats floated towards Big Larch boat launch for the Seeley Lake Kids' Fishing Tournament weigh-in Saturday, June 22, the smiles could be seen from the dock. "We've got a monster," pronounced Bob Mytty as he grabbed the dock. "I had the winner in my boat last year too. I think Kieu has it this year." Seeley Lake third grader Kieu Snow was confident that she beat her older sister Isis who caught a 1.59 pound northern pike last year. Kieu was right. She took the biggest fish c...
SWAN VALLEY - Robert Allerton Cushman, born Oct. 26, 1929 died June 23, 2019 following a slow decline at his home in the Swan Valley surrounded by his wife and 20 of his kids, their spouses and his grandkids. A giant of family, faith, science and nature, Cush, as he was known, led a full and pioneering life. He died the way he had lived: without fear, wrapped in the Holy Spirit, showcasing his strength, and with Sue, his wife of 67 years by his side. Born in Cambridge, Mass. in 1929 as the...
I received an email from one of my favorite online bookstores where I especially like to order Bibles from. The opening of the message certainly caught my attention: “Shop our selection of slightly imperfect” That really doesn’t give me a lot of confidence buying Bibles from a “slightly imperfect” discount sale. Now…I know what they mean…this is sort of a Bible bookstore version of a “scratch & dent” sale. I’m sure these Bibles don’t have the book of Romans missing, or the first 11 chapters of Genesis. Probably the cover might be blemished or...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Rural Fire District Board approved their insurance policy and passed a preliminary budget at their June 18 meeting. Marketing Coordinator - Montana Chris Hindoien with Volunteer Firemen’s Insurance Services, Inc (VFIS) presented this year’s insurance plan to the board. The policy increased $476 from last year to cover the buildings, 13 vehicles and the volunteers on and off work. He said that the Department is adequately insured to cover liability concerns and to meet state law including the accident and sickn...
SEELEY LAKE - For the past three years, the Bob Marshall Music Festival has brought world-class musicians to perform in Seeley Lake, and its fourth year is no exception. This year, the Flatland Cavalry of Texas is eager to bring its unique sound to the festival. The band includes Cleto Cordero on vocals and guitar, Reid Dillon on electric guitar, Wesley Hall on the fiddle, Jonathan Saenz on the bass and Jason Albers on percussion. Together, the five of them blend into an energetic mix of...
SEELEY LAKE - Since 2008, the Tour Divide bike race has brought hundreds of bikers from around the world into Seeley Lake's backyard. The Tour Divide is considered the most difficult mountain bike race in the world that covers over 2,700 miles, beginning in Banff, Alberta and ending at the Mexican border. Racers left with the Grand Depart on June 14, and have been trickling through the Seeley, Swan and Blackfoot valleys throughout the week. Seeley Lake is not directly on the course for the Tour...
SEELEY LAKE – As I was reading about the Newspaper Association Contest in the June 13 issue, the judges said the story about the elusive Bigfoot won for “originality and imagination.” Sounds like they thought it was a made up story. That story was true. In fact all my stories are true. I hate fiction! But I do change some of the names to protect the innocent....
SEELEY LAKE - The Mountain Trail Series ultramarathon trail race stopped in Seeley Lake and brought a variety of runners to explore the wilderness in the East Morrell Complex on Saturday, June 22. Each race in the series consists of a 10K, 25K and 50K option for competitors. In the Seeley Lake race, the 10K stuck to the Seeley Creek Nordic Trails, while the 25K and 50K explored the East Morrell Complex through a variety of Forest Service roads, single track trails and primitive areas through...
Forest Service vehicle parked at Liquor Store SEELEY LAKE – A photo of a US Forest Service vehicle parked in front of the Seeley Lake Liquor Store caused quite the discussion Wednesday, June 19 on the Seeley Lake Neighborhood Watch Facebook page. While the post has since been taken down, the post posed the question, “Isn’t this misuse of government property?” The Seeley Lake District Ranger Quinn Carver said that it is an inappropriate use of a vehicle for any Forest Service employee. Carver wrote in an email to the Pathfinder, “The driver/car...
