Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
MISSOULA - Due to increasing temperatures and drying vegetation, wildland fire officials with the Missoula County Fire Protection Association (MCFPA) have raised the fire danger within Missoula County to HIGH and closed outdoor burning by permit effective Tuesday, June 29. High fire danger means that dry grasses and needles ignite easily, fires can spread rapidly and may be difficult to control. Unattended campfires are likely to escape. Always attend your campfire and use established fire rings. Remember to completely drown your campfire with...
SEELEY LAKE - A dislodged hitch caused a stolen trailer to flip on its side at mile marker 19 Highway 83 just north of Boy Scout Road Wednesday, June 23. Three people were in the towing vehicle, the driver in her early 40s and her four-year-old twins. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries were reported. Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Billy Munoz said that he received the call at approximately 12:39 p.m. According to Munoz, the pickup truck was traveling south when the trailer began "fi...
SEELEY LAKE - Forty years ago Seeley Lake residents Glen and Mary Ann Morin moved to Seeley Lake. They started a business and served on various elected and non-profit boards focusing on building relationships and serving the community. To recognize this commitment and dedication, the Morins were chosen as this year's Grand Marshals for the Seeley Lake Fourth of July Parade. "Glen and Mary Ann have given so much of their time, energy and resources to this community over the past 40 years asking...
At a Glance Length: There are three trail options: Crystal Lake North Trail #351 (2.3 miles one way), Trail South #351 (4.4 miles one way) and Lindbergh Trail #490 (2.8 miles one way from the head of Lindbergh Lake) that includes a four-mile boat trip to the head of Lindbergh Lake. Day hike or overnight backpack experience. Elevation gain: Crystal Lake sits just over 4,800 feet. Crystal Lake North Trail #351 starts at 5,770 feet; Crystal Lake South Trail #351 starts at 5,080 feet and Lindbergh...
I know why the left wing Democrats, left media, big tech and the swamp can’t open their own door. It is because their Pinocchio nose is longer than their arm from all the lies they tell. So sad. We were a color-blind America until the radical left got power. Democratic run states are teaching critical race theory. Indoctrinating our children, colleges, the military and businesses to hate American’s founding fathers, our Constitution, our gun rights, free speech, rule of law and equal justice under the law. Sounds like communism to me. I am espe...
Ah, the holidays. The Fourth has grown on me over the years, it hasn't always been one of my very favorite holidays. Christmas and Easter are always special. The simplicity of Thanksgiving is extra sweet, gathering to break bread and give thanks. But July 4th is more and more remarkable to me as each year goes by. There is a feeling that summer is now finally in full swing. Locals and visitors gather for the parades, brats and burgers with friends and extended families. But it's more than that....
As the COVID 19 pandemic is finally coming to an end, we can now see a light at the end of the tunnel. Businesses are fully open; visitors are coming back to our community and people are just excited to live life again. However, our community still has some critical needs. Many of our neighbors are experiencing isolation and loneliness due to the long-term quarantine period and struggling with declining health and mobility issues. We are fortunate to live in a community where our neighbors are...
“5 Let your gentleness show in your treatment of all people. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t be anxious about anything; rather, bring up all of your requests to God in your prayers and petitions, along with giving thanks. 7 Then the peace of God that exceeds all understanding will keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:5-7, CEB) Over the years I have noticed how entangled anxiety and defensiveness are. Some of the most highly defensive people I have encountered are also the m...
MISSOULA - Health Officer and Director D’Shane Barnett advises Missoula County residents to take caution to protect their health amid this week’s heat wave. “As many of you are aware, the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory warning for Missoula County in effect from 12 p.m. Tuesday through 8 p.m. Thursday,” Barnett said in a press release. “Hot temperatures can lead to the occurrence of heat-related illness in humans and animals. Please take appropriate precautions to prevent this from happening.” According to the National We...
Summer is in full bloom. Across the West, our natural areas are experiencing unprecedented visitation. With things opening up and more people traveling farther from home, this trend is only expected to increase. Montana’s forestlands are no exception. Higher numbers of campers, bikers and other outdoor enthusiasts will have an impact on our lands and the wildlife that depend on them. We remind everyone to treat the landscape respectfully and follow posted regulations. Watch out for those campfires, stay on the trail and please pack out what y...
Fort Benton rests along the mighty Missouri River. Founded in 1846, it's the oldest town in Montana. During its first century, Fort Benton would become a springboard for trade as goods would be offloaded at the navigable end of the Missouri River and transported west by wagon. Flood control and other initiatives in the 1940s rendered Sioux City the new head of navigation on the Missouri, as the Great Northern railroad would become the primary means of transportation to the community. Today, the...
SWAN VALLEY - Liquid Louie's Owner Valli (Reed) Bigley was selected as this year's Grand Marshal for the town's Fourth of July parade by American Legion Post 63. "Val and her partner Lars [Hansen] from Liquid Louie's have been longtime supporters of the American Legion, veterans and her community," Ed Klassen, American Legion Post 63 commander, wrote in an email. "Her father was in the Navy, former husband in the Marines. Lars is a member of the Sons of the Legion. Pride for this nation runs...
SEELEY LAKE - The Glacier Street Rod Association will have multiple cars on display outside the Seeley Lake Fire Station during the Seeley Lake Fire Foundation's annual Fourth of July pancake breakfast from 7-11:30 a.m. Association President Rob Eickert said the non-profit group, which is based out of Kalispell, will celebrate their 40th anniversary this year. They currently have 56 members. Their overarching goal is to promote car safety and host display events for special interest vehicle enth...
OVANDO – "I love having the ability to affect students' lives," Ovando teacher Leigh Ann Valiton said. "I don't care what affiliation, wherever your families' beliefs are, I want you to understand the facts. I just like it when I see the light bulb go off. That is the best gift of teaching." After working at Ovando School more than 20 years, Valiton retired this spring from teaching. While she will maintain her position as chair of the school board and hopes to continue helping when needed, s...
I decided we needed to have a class reunion (1963-1974) to honor students that did or did not graduate, because of the long bus ride. Remember the long fight Seeley Lake and surrounding communities had and they made trips to our capital in Helena to get a high school built in Seeley Lake? Every year students wrote letters to the Helena Legislators. I remember standing on the balcony in the capitol building, looking down on the senators. Lots of people showed up!! Sometimes we take things for granted and we all need to know how lucky we are to...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Elementary School Board unanimously approved updates on their 3000 policy series during their regularly scheduled monthly meeting Monday, June 21. During the meeting they also approved a stipend for staff as well as the Safe School Reopening and Continuity Plan. Much of the updates on the 3000 series dealt with wording clarification and redundancy reduction for policies including bullying and harassment, attendance and enrollment and student records. Some of the updates came as a result of statewide legislative...
In celebration of 35 years of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder, each week we will run parts of articles that appeared in the issue 35 years ago and 20 years ago. The entire issue will be uploaded to our website seeleylake.com for you to enjoy. We hope you will enjoy the journey with us as we follow our community through the past 35 years as documented by the Pathfinder. 35 years ago: July 3, 1986 issue Champion cuts Twin Creek Loggers Sixty-five people have been or will shortly be terminated at the...
SEELEY LAKE – The American flag is the preeminent symbol displayed at Fourth of July celebrations throughout the United States. Unlike the flags of other nations which once established maintain a static design through the generations, the American flag is a dynamic entity reflecting the growth of the nation it represents. The most obvious evidence of growth is the need to rearrange the configuration of the stars in the blue square canton whenever a new state is admitted to the union. Other flag deviations provide a graphic depiction of the c...
Still ebullient from the previous day's meeting of the Continental Congress – the Congress that had just approved a formal resolution to break from the rule of King George and establish an independent government – John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail: "The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epoch in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Delive...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake local Victoria Elliott is excited to be back as a merchant for Seeley Lake Market so she can sell her cotton appliqué dish towels to patrons. Elliott said she has been a merchant at the market for about 11 years and has been sewing for 20 years. She learned the skill by taking lessons from Patti Bartlett at Deer Country Quilt. Her mom helps her design the patterns and then she traces those patterns on a special paper. She then presses it onto fabric and begins cutting...
SEELEY LAKE - Missoula Woodworker Dave Erickson brought his collection of wooden bookcases, benches and birdhouses to sell at the Seeley Lake Market. Erickson has been a merchant at the market for three or four years, however he has been crafting a plethora of wooden decorations for around 50. "There was an old carpenter from Lolo back in '62 that got me into carpentry," he said. "And I helped build houses for probably four or five years." Currently Erickson does woodworking mostly as a hobby....
Fireworks reminders this Fourth The public is reminded that fireworks are prohibited on state and federal lands as well as on the Double Arrow Ranch. Shooting off fireworks is also not allowed in designated forested lands, land within one air mile of forests as defined by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation. Even though the Fire Danger is Moderate as of Monday, June 28, with the expected heat wave, fuels will be drying out. Sparks from fireworks can cause a fire and spread quickly if there is wind in the grass, dry...
OVANDO - A cyclist was killed by a grizzly bear in a campground near Ovando before dawn Tuesday, July 6 according to a press release from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. FWP’s Wildlife Human Attack Response Team is currently responding to the fatal attack by searching for the suspected bear. The team is made up of game wardens, biologists and wildlife conflict specialists. A helicopter has been added to aid in the search. The camper, who has not yet been identified, was attacked around 3:30 a.m. A local business’ video camera caught foo...
