The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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Readers of the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch have probably noticed that for several months our stories and updates have been pretty hit or miss – mostly miss. For anyone wondering about the future of Lincoln's only local news, I'll be blunt: the BVD's future with us is short. We will continue with our printing business, but unless we can find someone to take over the news business and website in the next few weeks, we anticipate closing down the BVD around the end of January. W... Full story
UPDATE: The fire buring in the Bear Gulch Area southwest of Lincoln had grown to an estimated 15-20 acres by midnight last night, July 14. According to Lincoln Fire Rescue , the fire is still actively burning. Firefighters are requesting that people stay off Herrin Lake and Dalton Mountain Roads if they don’t live in the area. People wanting to get a closer look at the fire by driving into the Bear Gulch area create a significant issues for firefighter and firefighting equipme...
Lincoln American Legion Post 9 is slated to hold their annual Memorial Day Observance Monday, May 17 at 11 a.m. at the Lincoln Community Hall. The observance is open everyone, with hotdogs and chili served after the service. Memorial Day originated as Decoration Day after the Civil Wa and was generally observed May 30r. Over time it became known as Memorial Day and in 1971 its observance was set at for the last Monday of May. Although Memorial Day generally marks the... Full story
School Board Lincoln School District had nine candidates to choose from for three seats on the Lincoln School Board this year. The results saw incumbents Billy Cyr and Doug Mengel retain their seats, while voters elected Julie Zarske to the third open seat, which had been held by Ken Lumpkin. Mill Levy Voters also opted not to approve a 25.75 mill levy for the school. The increase was designed to raise $127,581.62 per year for the school budget. The property tax increase was...
Lincoln School students starred in the Missoula Children's Theater's adaptation of Treasure Island, with two performances following a week of rehearsals. Starring Claire Gilbert as Jim Hawkins and MCT actor Olivia Woodall as Captain Long John Silver, the tale sees Hawkins discover a treasure map at his family inn, with Silver seeking to take advantage of the youngster to recover treasure left on Skull Island. With a small band of ruffian friends, Hawkins joins Silver and the...
An open house at the Lincoln Library April 24, designed to gather the first round of information for updates to the Lewis and Clark County Comprehensive Growth Policy, saw only light turnout. About eight people showed up to the event facilitated by the planning and design firm SE Group, which is partnering with the county on the growth policy update. They provided input on ta variety of topics that will be taken into account as the county develops the policy updates The open...
About every 20 years, Lewis and Clark County tackles the thorny issue of drafting a new, updated policy to plan for anticipated changes as the result of population growth in the county. Later this month, Lewis and Clark County will host a series of open house meetings to gather information from residents on the direction the county should take in develping a new Comprehensive Growth Policy. Since the county adopted its current policy in 2004, the county has seen a population i...
It's well known locally that Lincoln counts a larger than usual number of veterans among its residents, but it's not always obvious, even to other veterans, who they are. Finding a way to let veterans connect with one another was at the heart of the March 29 Veterans Meet and Greet Pancake Breakfast sponsored by Lincoln American Legion Post 9. Nearly 50 veterans and family members turned out for the free pancake breakfast, which was seen as a good turnout, particularly for a...
Hooper Park once again found itself awash in brightly colored plastic eggs on Easter Sunday as Lincoln Volunteer Fire Rescue once again hosted their annual Easter Egg Hunt March 31. For about an hour, kids ranging in age from Pre-K through sixth grade scoured areas designated by their grade level. For the youngest kids it was a scramble to gather eggs scattered around the main oval at the park, while kids from second grade oan up scattered hither and thither as they searched...
A pair of Steller's Jays spent time hunting insects ion the bark of Ponderosa pines East of Hooper park on Easter Sunday, March 31. Steller's Jays are common in the forests of the western US, including Montana. Unlike the mountain bluebird, which spends its time in open fields, the jays can be a bit harder to spot as as their dark blue and black coloring allow them to blend into the shadows of the trees in which they roost. Although they often referred to as blue jays,...
LINCOLN – Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte stopped by Hi Country Snack Foods Wednesday, March 20 as part of several Ag Week visits around the state highlighting Montana's 27,000 farms and ranches and related businesses. Hi Country has emerged as one of the states leading value-added agriculture businesses after transitioning to the use of Montana-grow beef for its products. In 2022, Montana Manufacturing Association and Montana Chamber of Commerce recognized Hi Country as the v...
A handful of Legionnaires from Lincoln American Legion Post 9 spent the morning of March 6 gathered at the Lincoln Community Hall. Standing around tables piled with boxes of hygiene supplies and cold weather gear like socks, gloves and caps, they filled nylon sacks for distribution to homeless veterans. Although helping veterans in need was the main goal, the morning's effort was also related to the upcoming Montana American Legion District 6 meeting slated for March 17. "At...
Reports of the demise of the Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce have been greatly exaggerated, and the latest version of their website is a key part of the plan to reinvigorate the business organization. The new, updated website went live in early February after about a year in development. It marks the fourth iteration of the LVCC website since 2013. The decision to once again revamp the chamber website stemmed from ongoing difficulties in keeping the last site updated, the...
Despite the historically warm and dry winter Lincoln has been experiencing the Ponderosa Snow Warriors had a good turnout Feb. 24 for their annual Vintage Rendezvous. More than 40 vintage snowmobiles, including some very rare machines, graced the oval at Hooper Park after warm weather prompted cancellation of the Snow Moxie and the move to town from the Rodeo Grounds. "We didn't want to tear it up," Snow Warriors President Forest Mercill said. "We'd harvested snow and we were...
Half a dozen kids took advantage of the recent belated snowfall to strap on cross-country skis and cruised through Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild with the Lincoln Outdoor Club Friday Feb. 9. The excursion marked the third activity for the Outdoor Club since December, after being dormant for a year. Club coordinator and Lincoln High School science teacher Nancy Schwalm said they had planned a ski day in January, but it was cancelled as record cold settled across...
If there's one thing Montanans seem to love, it's bragging about how cold their town got during a cold snap. Maybe it's pride in being able to deal with extreme cold; maybe it's due to the old idea that "40 below keeps the riff raff out;" or maybe its because record cold temperatures often make both state and national headlines, as Lincoln did on Dec. 22, 2022. It hit minus 49 at the Lincoln Ranger Station weather site and broke the previous local records of 48 below, set...
Six and a half years ago Dalton Mountain Road bridge was closed due to failing piles. Although it re-opened a few weeks later as a one lane bridge, the lingering question has been: when will it be replaced? This year finally seems to be the year, as the Montana Department of Transportation opened bids Feb. 1 for the bridge's replacement. At the. Feb. 2 Lincoln Government Day meeting, Lewis and Clark County Public Works Director Jenny Chambers said the Montana Department of...
Despite the recent cold snap and ensuing snowstorm that dropped a foot of snow on Lincoln, snow conditions remain poor enough that the Montana Sled Dog board of directors decided to cancel the 2024 Race to the Sky, which had been slated to run Feb.9-13. The announcement came Monday morning, Jan. 22, as weather forecasts called for a return to unseasonably warm weather throughout the rest of January. "The lack of snow, no base to build from, predictions of no significant snow p...
The Lincoln School Board accepted a letter of retirement from Lincoln Public Schools Superintendent Jennifer Packer during their meeting Jan. 8. Packer has served as the Superintendent of Lincoln Schools since July 1, 2019, when she took over the job from Carla Anderson. During her tenure she has dealt with a number of challenges,. While most were relatively routine for a small school she oversaw the implementation of distance learning as students and staff conducted classes...
Students at Lincoln Public Schools were evacuated to the Lincoln Methodist Church just after the start of the school day this morning after administrators found an email claiming there were explosives hidden in the building. The same e-mail was sent to dozens of schools statewide Tuesday evening. Some reports indicate as many as 75 schools received the bomb threat. "We didn't see it until this morning. Some of the bigger districts saw it earlier and started doing some...
The first Lincoln Government Day meeting of 2024 Jan. 5 proved to be short and to the point, despite getting off to a slightly late start. The start of the meeting was delayed for a few minutes as a camera was set up to record the meeting. A new law that goes onto effect in June, aimed at increasing transparency, will require the county to post video of their meetings in Lincoln and Augusta on line just as they do with their meeting in Helena. Commission Chair Andy Hunthausen...
The grave of Minnie Neal, who died and was buried in 1869 in the old Lincoln Gulch Cemetery has a newly reconstructed fence back in place around her grave. Her grave was one of three from the pioneer mining era that had picket fences around them, and the only one of them identified by a headstone. Lewis and Clark County Heritage Preservation Officer Pam Attardo, joined by Mary Webb and Emory Padgett with Preserve Montana worked to rebuild the fences during a visit Oct. 16 and...
As the only one of the three fenced graves with a name on it, Minnie Neal's final resting place has stood out from the others. With hand-cut diamond-shaped pickets and diamond-shaped finials on the corner posts, it was one of the two most ornate graves in the pioneer section of historic Lincoln Gulch Cemetery. Over the years, a local legend about the grave said that Minnie was a dance hall girl whose perfume could still be smelled at the cemetery on certain nights. Others...
Lincoln grade school students hit the road on Halloween to make the rounds of downtown businesses in search of treats. the halloween walk gives kids a chance to trick or treat under the watchful eyes of their teachers and parents as they visit businesses to fill their bags with candy. Halloween walks have been a tradition for Lincoln kids for decades. Although it's not clear when businesses began handing out candy, the event can be traced back to at least the late 1960s, with...
Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild marked their 10th season last month with the return of some familiar faces who created two new installations in a 15-acre expansion to the sculpture park. “Two new installations will bring our total for art installations in the park to 24,” BPSW President Becky Garland told the dozens of visitors who showed up Sept. 23, for the new sculpture launch. “The other thing we’re really really happy about is that we just signed on with th...
