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SUMEMR SALES ON PACE WITH PREVIOUS YEAR Following four years of a dramatic covid-19 real estate market that saw rapid price appreciation, very limited inventory and multiple offers on many properties, the past two years have seen sales in the local market stabilizing. Locally, we are coming off a real estate run with virtually no inventory, to an increasing inventory. Nationally, active home inventory for sale is 22% higher than it was this same time last year. Properties with unique aspects like creek front, bordering forest service, mountain...
It’s been just over six months since I started as the editor of the Pathfinder. I wanted to write here to explain a couple of things, introduce a new intern and offer some gratitude. As I’m sure many of you have noticed, our office hours and responsiveness in some ways have been wacky. We’ve been without a working computer for a month, which has made our office manager’s job quite difficult. I’ve been so grateful to Jessi for continuing to do as much as she possibly can without a computer. As of last week, we have a new computer, and Jessi wil...
A new project from the Flathead National Forest would do fuel reduction, logging and road management work on roughly 6,000 acres in the southeast area of the district, which officials said would help limit dangerous wildfires and increase forest health. The project stretches from the southern edge of the Flathead National Forest to Rumble Creek, with Highway 83 and the Bob Marshall Wilderness bordering the western and eastern sides. The area would also include Holland Lake and Upper Holland...
8/25 10:17 a.m. Suspicious Activity 3XX Lodge Way, Seeley Lake 8/25 11:50 a.m. Offenses Against Family/Children 430XX Blanchard Court, Greenough 8/25 1:08 p.m. Accident - Injury 394XX Highway 83, Condon 8/25 5:13 p.m. Suspicious Activity 30XX Highway 83, Seeley Lake 8/25 5:30 p.m. Accident - No Injury 30XX Highway 83, Seeley Lake 8/25 7:41 p.m. Trespassing 32XX Highway 83, Seeley Lake 8/26 9:23 a.m. Suspicious Activity Highway 83, Lake Inez 8/26 3:31 p.m. Vandalism 27XX Boyd Lane, Potomac 8/26 6:00 p.m. Suspicious Activity 25XX Rumble Creek...
Keri Neal was sick of sitting in her friend’s car at the north side of Salmon Lake, so she decided to dance. Neal and her friend Jack visited Seeley Lake from Missoula for the day to sunbathe and swim. Although the two come to Seeley each year, the reconstruction of Highway 83 on Salmon Lake Road came as a shock — and a future deterrent. “I think I’ll wait to come back up when all this is done,” Neal said. “I don’t want to have to deal with this again.” Residents and visitors alike have wait...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan High School Entrepreneur Class has been talking about Market Day since the first day of school. Now their mini businesses are a reality and will make their debut during the second annual Blackhawk BIZ Market Day from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 10, in the SSHS Cafeteria. The high school students are excited to offer their homemade goodies, hand-made crafts, jewelry and apparel, and unique art created from various mediums. With the class size more than doubling...
Weekly COVID-19 update As of Aug. 15 there have been 300,607 cases of COVID-19 in Montana. There have been 1,527,257 doses of vaccines administered and 571,664 Montanans fully immunized. There are 2,099 active cases, 12,934 total hospitalizations and 3,481 deaths in Montana due to COVID-19 complications. Missoula County has had 31,069 cases and 213 COVID-related deaths to date. At-home test kits are available at no cost at the Seeley Lake Fire Department, 200 Firehouse Lane. For the most up-to-date and accurate information please refer to the...
Donations sought for Seeley Lake Elementary Christmas Store SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake Elementary is seeking donations for their annual Christmas Store. They accept new and gently used items (no clothing) for all ages and also monetary donations to purchase gifts for the store. Every year there is a shortage of gifts for dads and boys. The Christmas Store is an opportunity for students to purchase gifts for their immediate family. Items are sold for $0.25 each. This year it will be held Tuesday, Dec. 21 at the school. Donations can be dropped...
The fourth in the series covering the Roads and Trails program presented Aug. 7 by the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society (USVHS). CONDON – For his part in the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society's Roads and Trails program, Gene Miller talked about the earliest bridges in the area. Miller moved with his family to the Upper Swan Valley region in the late 1930s. According to Miller, "When you came from Swan Lake there were only two bridges - one across Cold Creek and one across Lion Creek. T...
Prescribed burn planned for Game Range on Bandy Ranch WOODWORTH – Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in coordination with the University of Montana is planning to conduct an 80-acre prescribed burn on the Bandy Ranch, on the east side of the Blackfoot/Clearwater Wildlife Management Area Game Range. The burn will be conducted in April when weather, fuel conditions and air quality become favorable. Smoke will be visible from Highway 200, Highway 83 and the Woodworth area. According to FWP Wildlife Biologist Scott Eggeman, the purpose of the project...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake Community Council listened to presentations from multiple community leaders during their virtual meeting Monday, Jan. 11. Speakers included Missoula District Administrator Bob Vosen who presented Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) projects expected to take place in the upcoming year; Claire Muller, Seeley Lake Community Foundation executive director, who presented the Foundation’s accomplishments in 2020 and their plans for 2021; and Seeley Lake District Ranger Quinn Carver who spoke about the U.S. Forest S...
Death Notice SEELEY LAKE - Jack C. Venters, 76, passed away in the evening, Friday, Dec. 25 at the St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. Brothers Mortuary and Crematory are honored to care for the family. Memories and condolences may be shared with the family at www.brothersmortuary.com Ethnobotany Zoom presentation, Jan. 6 SWAN VALLEY - The community is invited to join Swan Valley Connections for their first Zoom presentation of 2021 on Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Rose Bear Don’t Walk, ethnobotanist and descendant of the Bitterroot Salish and C...
Loving Hearts Toy and Gift Sale, Dec. 8 SEELEY LAKE – The community is invited to come and shop at the annual Loving Hearts Toy and Gift Sale Dec. 8 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at Mission Bible Fellowship. There are a lot of toys and gifts ready for purchase. Organizers said to be sure to get there on time, as toys sell out fast. Each customer will receive a free stocking filled with goodies. Masks are required to be worn and hand sanitizer is available to use before handling the merchandise. Social distancing is requested. Hospital District mee...
Meals continue for Cahoon family SEELEY LAKE – Christian Cahoon made it home Friday night from the hospital. Local law enforcement provided an escort for him and his family. The community lined Highway 83 with lights, signs and honking to welcome him home. It was reported that the welcome home parade could be heard at the last home football game at Seeley-Swan High School. Meals continue to be coordinated for the Cahoon family. If anyone is willing to make a meal please contact Teresa Cahoon at 406-210-4688 to sign up and to ask any q...
Seeley Lake Library News SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Library has resumed curbside service and is currently open after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 - 6 p.m. In accordance with local COVID-19 directives, upon arriving at the library, patrons are asked to call 677-8995 to arrange pickup of their items. If driving, library patrons are asked to stay in their vehicles. All items returned curbside or to the book drop will show as “checked out” on user accounts for a while. Items are currently quarantined a minimum of four b...
Online courses for hunter and bowhunter education Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is offering online hunter and bowhunter education courses in response to COVID-19. To take the online hunter education courses, Montana students can get the free code by visiting http://fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter/ and select the course you want to take. The online courses, which are developed and administered by the outdoor education company Kalkomey, include text, videos and interactive scenarios to engage students. Students will need to pass a final test to...
Directions: Drive north on Highway 83 approximately 28 miles from Seeley Lake, or two miles south of Condon (mile marker 39). Turn east onto Rumble Creek Road. Follow the road four miles to the parking area, just past the Cooney Lookout. Elevation: 5,633 foot gain (9,356 total) Distance: Five miles to the peak Difficulty: Advanced Disclaimer: This trail is not a US Forest Service trail and some sections of the trail can change or become hazardous. The hike Holland Peak is truly a must hike for...
Lorentz named to spring Deans’ List at Nebraska LINCOLN, NEB. - Elizabeth “Ibby” Lorentz of Seeley Lake was named to the Deans’ List for the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for the spring semester of the 2019-20 academic year. Lorentz, a junior biological sciences major, earned a grade point average of 3.7 or higher. Nearly 7,500 students at Nebraska have been named to the Deans’ List for the spring semester. For the full Deans’ List, visit https://go.unl.edu/deanslist-spring20. Weekly COVID-19 update As of Ju...
SLE Quilting Class seeking donations SEELEY LAKE - Seeley Lake Elementary School is starting a quilting class Nov. 19 and will also be offering a sewing elective. They are in search of new clean cotton fabric (1/4 yard cut minimum), thread, batting and any good tools (rulers, rotary cutters, cutting mats, sewing machine needles, scissors, etc). The class runs through Jan. 19. Fabric and supplies may be dropped off at SLE or Deer Country Quilts. SSHS Leos Club Turkey Drive, Nov. 22 SEELEY LAKE – Help support the Seeley-Swan Community Food Bank b...
SWAN VALLEY – In 1918, Swan Valley residents built three one-room schoolhouses to accommodate their growing families and the influx of new pioneers. On Aug. 4, 100 years later, the Upper Swan Valley Historical Society invited residents and visitors to tour the valley and see what became of those and subsequent early school buildings. Some were destroyed, some repurposed and some are part of the valleys continuing education story. Those first three schoolhouses were built near Swan River t...
SWAN VALLEY - In upper Swan Valley the first schools were built in 1918 when a group of residents petitioned the Missoula County Superintendent of Schools requesting that the district be split at the Swan-Clearwater watershed divide. The Swan River watershed retained the School District #33 while the Clearwater watershed became School District #34. Three one-room log school buildings were constructed near three tributaries of Swan River: Smith Creek, Rumble Creek and Elk Creek. To accommodate as...
South of Swan Peak, Lion Creek Pass offers another important route into the Bob Marshall Wilderness by way of Palisades and Little Salmon creeks. The route up the Swan-face side travels through beautiful stands of giant cedars. Farther down range, Smith Creek Pass is another course to the Swan summits and eventually into the South Fork country. The two trails join up with one coming over Lions Creek Pass to Little Salmon Creek. Just east of Condon, the second highest pinnacle in the Bob...
The Mission Mountains Mercantile, one of the upper Swan Valley's landmarks, was destroyed by a devastating fire nearly two years ago. Owner Len Kobylenski decided to rebuild and a new version of the iconic store has risen from the ashes. The old Merc was more than just a grocery store. It included a deli, an art gallery, a real estate office and a gas station. Visitors to the area were often amazed to find such a well-stocked store in the middle of nowhere. As a central part of the community,...
SWAN VALLEY - As the terminus of summer loomed nearer, and my tenure reporting for the Pathfinder approached with equal speed and horror, I knew I needed to get in one last adventure before trading in my lakeside life for one of city streets and lecture halls. For several weeks, I had the idea of bagging Holland Peak, the tallest mountain in the Swan Range, in the back of my head. For those same weeks, I was continuously thwarted in my attempts-first by a lack of adventure buddies, then by the e...
LINCOLN - About eight and a half miles below Ken and Sandy Crymble's home in Mead Gulch, something moved. "I thought the cabin exploded. I didn't know," Crymble said. "The cabin was shaking and there just a loud, huge noise." According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a "shallow strike-slip faulting" motion triggered a 5.8 magnitude earthquake almost directly beneath the Crymble home at 12:30 a.m., July 6. As a retired fire chief, Crymble had years of experience. Awaking from a deep sleep by...
