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Full coverage to come in an upcoming Pathfinder edition....
It's springtime when bears have emerged from their winter hibernation, many with cubs in tow, and are out and about exploring the Clearwater Valley. If you and your neighbors are curious and a bit worried about what the bears are up to in your neighborhood, here's some good news. Clearwater Valley Bear Smart Group selected Alan Davis to be our first local coordinator. This new position will support education and other activities to help Seeley Lake and surrounding areas to become more bear aware... Full story
This is a lightly edited and condensed version of Eddie Coyle's July Fourth story from 1964 provided by the Seeley Lake Historical Society and Visitors Center. By Eddie Coyle I was promoting one of our bigger celebrations for that year, and started preparing for it back in May. The plans included a water carnival, slalom races, ski jumps, a Miss Seeley Lake bathing beauty contest, a Boat and Motor raffle and three nights of dancing with live music. Two local carpenters with helpers built a...
On a sunny day buzzing with the anticipation of summer days to come - people lining up outside The Ice Cream Place, a boutique pop up outside of Good Times Gifts - some Seeley Lake locals were gathered outside the Seeley Lake Community Foundation building to celebrate the end of a month-long fundraising event. Twenty groups participated to raise $126,000 during the ninth annual Change Your Pace fundraising challenge. Both of those numbers are record-breaking, Seeley Lake Community Foundation...
Tour Divide frontrunner Justinas Leveika, 35 of Lithuania (pictured) rode into Ovando on Sunday at about 11:30 a.m. He was followed by second place Laurens Ten Dam, of the Netherlands, at about 1 p.m. and third place Ulrich Bartholmoes, from Spain, around 4:15 p.m. The riders are racing the Tour Divide on the 2,745-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Banff, Alberta to Antelope Wells on the Mexican-American border. Ovando is located right on the route. The frontrunners took advantage of th...
Rebecca McCarthy got a call from Norman Maclean's daughter during an event at the Missoula Public Library. Based on the way Jean Maclean Snyder spoke on the phone, it could have been her father. Maclean had a deliberate way of speaking, which translated to the way he spoke over the phone. Per McCarthy's memory it would go like this: "Rebecca, dear." Pause. "How are you?" She'd answer and Maclean would respond with a particular exclamation that sounded like, "Gaaaaaaawd." That was the same way...
The tables in the sanctuary at Mission Bible Fellowship were full of people filling out raffle tickets for the fundraiser at Loving Hearts' annual fashion show and fundraiser Saturday June 8. Raffle tickets were for the 61 "baskets" of like-new goods displayed in the auditorium. Each basket had a box for raffle tickets where people could put in as many tickets as they wanted for a basket. The annual event supports Loving Hearts' scholarship fund for local high school students. This year Loving...
Thirty-five years ago ... Thursday June 22, 1989 Grand Marshals chosen for Swan Valley Fourth of July Parade The Grand Marshalls for the annual Swan Valley Fourth of July Parade for 1989 are Dorothy Clothier and Winnie Kaiser, Legion members announced last week. The pioneer women will be honored at the celebration in Condon and will ride in the parade, which begins at Liquid Louie's at 11 a.m. on July 4. Members of the American Legion Post 63 are organizing the parade. People who would like to...
The Dusty Banditas gravel race returned to Ovando for a second appearance June 1. This year 300 riders entered, 60 for the 80-ish mile race and 240 for the 45-ish mile race. It was an increase in ridership of 100 from last years' 200-rider limit. The Dusty Bandita is the nation's first all-women gravel bike race. "Overall the event was hugely popular and successful," Jenna Tomiello, one of the co-race directors and director of MT Alpha Cycling in Missoula, said. "The positive energy at the...
In June’s primary election, Seeley-Swan voters had 12 candidates for the Montana Statehouse to choose from on their ballots, along with levies related to local government studies. According to Montana’s Secretary of State tabulations, voter turnout statewide for the primary election was 40.9%, with 308,226 voters turning in ballots out of the 753,698 registered voters. Missoula County’s turnout was a bit lower, coming in at 39.5%. After the decennial redistricting process, some of the state House and Senate districts were rearranged perta...
Scenic Montana Trails (SMT) is continuing its efforts to develop all-season trails for bicycles, fat tire bikes, e-bikes, ATVs, UTVs and snowmobiles in the Seeley Lake area. An event held June 21-23 will introduce bike trail plans for the Nordic ski area off Morrell Creek Road. SMT has been working in partnership with the Forest Service, the Nordic Ski Club and a trail designer to develop the trails. The bike event is designed to introduce people to SMT and the proposed new bike trails, and prov...
Shortly after a swimming safety assembly at Seeley Lake Elementary School, a mermaid and a lifeguard walked into the Grizzly Claw. Olivia Colburn (lifeguard), Melanie Blank (mermaid) and Michela Reese (local chiropractor) had wrapped up a three-week round of swimming lessons in Seeley Lake for about 70 school-aged children, four and up. The Double Arrow Lodge allowed the instructors, who all went through Red Cross training funded by the Seeley Lake Lions Club, host the swim lessons at the...
Last week Swan Valley Elementary School celebrated the school's eighth grade graduate, Noah Morgan, and three kindergarteners moving up to first grade. Three Swan Valley teachers spoke warmly about Morgan's positive attitude, hard work ethic and artistic skills in addition to his track and field prowess and ability to see the good in everyone. Morgan asked Swan Valley School Secretary Katie Gleason to be his guest speaker at the celebration. "I'm so honored that Noah asked me to speak today,"...
In a brief outdoor ceremony covered against the rain showers, Nikylie Vance, the sole graduate from Salmon Prairie School, received her eighth grade diploma from her teacher, Holl Hubbard, Lake County Superintendent Carolyn Hall and school board member Kvande Anderson. Vance's three classmates told the audience of family, friends and neighbors that Vance helped them heat their lunches and with their schoolwork. They said they would miss her....
At 17-years-old, Ben Kesterke understands that business interactions hinge on the foundation of making deals with others. In meeting that end, Kesterke has spent the last year developing his social and networking skills despite having a lot of social anxiety around the same time. He wasn't bad at socializing, Kesterke said, but it made him really anxious and he wanted to get better at it. Kesterke traveled to the Bozeman-based Prospects business competition, hosted by the Montana Chamber of...
Thirty-five years ago... Thursday June 15, 1989 Forest products production down everywhere this year Timber shortages and unusually cold weather in late January and February slowed production in Montana's forest products industry during the first quarter of 1989, reports the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research. All major sectors of the industry - lumber, pulp and paper, plywood, particleboard and fiberboard - saw reduced production for the first quarter of 1989....
In an area where history, hindsight and remembrance are important, it's not surprising the Seeley and Swan Valleys - where at least in Seeley Lake 14.6% of the population are veterans, according to Census data - treated Memorial Day as something special, and not just a three-day weekend. The Pathfinder was able to attend three celebrations throughout the valleys, and further afield, to see how the holiday was being commemorated. From Condon, to Seeley, to Helmville, one thing was for sure - the...
Two days before graduation, Seeley-Swan High School seniors sat in the gymnasium to receive scholarships provided by local and state-wide organizations. Anywhere from $750 to over $300,000 was awarded per student. A throughline from those handing out the awards was the importance of community service and volunteerism. Steve Bowen from the Seeley Lake Lions Club said community service is what drives our lives. Mary Stone, who presented the Seeley Lake Leo Awards and the National Honors Society...
When Shelia Devins had the Seeley Elementary sixth graders as first graders in music class, they were upset after learning how sea turtles can get caught in plastic that makes its way into the ocean. At the time, it was the last week of school and there wasn't a ton of time to dive in, so Devins and the class looked at what else could be used instead of plastic, like biodegradable straws or packing peanuts. Flash forward to this school year and the sixth graders harkened back to their concerns...
About a month ago, some of the greens at the Double Arrow Golf Course were looking quite brown. Before that, pictures of the course looked like it could have been a lake frozen over due to all the ice that formed on top of the grass. Kyle Darrow has been working at Double Arrow for 17 years. He's experienced years when the dead grass post-winter was rough and generally thinks worse seasons for the course are during El Niño years when winters in the United States are generally drier. But this...
The deadline is fast approaching for the Seeley Lake Community Foundation’s scholarship opportunity for local students. The 2024 SLCF scholarship is designed for students who have graduated from Seeley-Swan High School and are enrolling in their second or third year of post-secondary study at a college or technical school. The scholarship is meant to assist with costs incurred at a college, university, or technical school for the 2024-2025 academic year. The SLCF scholarship is generally in the $1,000 per student range. Applications are due J...
Sunset School celebrated their end of the year celebration on May 24, the last day of school. Family and friends packed the Lubrecht Forest Pavilion for the ceremony. The ceremony celebrated the school year with individual student awards, drum music, recognition of graduates and an emotional thanks to teacher Miss Peterson. "I'd like to thank the board members and staff who provided a robust and individual school experience this year," Toni Hatten, Head Teacher, said. "I like to recognize that...
The Lolo National Forest Plan Revision committee held the first of four meetings region-wide in Seeley Lake on Monday, May 20 at the Community Hall. Thirty people filled the chairs and contributed comments on draft alternatives to the proposed Lolo National Forest Plan. "We just closed the scoping comment period on the proposed Lolo Forest Plan," Carolyn Upton, Lolo Forest Supervisor, said. "Then I had a great idea, why don't we go to the communities to see if we got the issues right?" The three issues the National Forest suggested for...
A day before Montana’s Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee met to discuss the low precipitation levels of April and look at what was in store for the months to come, a traffic-stopping, Search and Rescue-compelling snowstorm occurred on Bozeman Pass on May 8. According to KBZK, the interstate was closed for almost 24 hours and some travelers were stuck in their cars for 15 hours. Those presenting at the committee meeting — including representatives from the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the U.S. Geological Survey — said...
The Swan Valley Community Council heard a presentation on what it would take for Condon to become its own town at the council's May meeting. No action was taken, other than forming a subcommittee to further investigate incorporation, but general considerations of the idea included the prospect of being able to handle things on the town's own terms - without needing to fit in Missoula County's envelope for some things like road maintenance and building codes - and looking toward the future on...
