The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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When unusual weather occurrences happen, like snow storms in late May, it can alter the migratory paths of wildlife, and species may be found in places it is uncommon for them to be. Among birds, this is sometimes referred to as an irruption, where one or more species moves south out of their normal ranges in search of food. As happened in Lincoln this spring, birds may also be seen at lower elevations than their normal ranges. A few varieties of birds that aren't usually...
A young grizzly bear spotted in Lincoln Sunday afternoon caused some alarm on social media, but it apparently headed back to the Blackfoot River without incident. A Facebook post by Brandi Langlois indicated the bear had crossed her yard on Meadow Street on the west side of Lincoln and was headed toward town. Lincoln Fire Chief Zach Muse attempted to locate the bear, but it had apparently gotten spooked and headed back south to the Blackfoot River without making its way into...
Each spring, more than 150 students from schools within the Blackfoot Watershed meet up for a public swan release. This spring may have seen the last swan release for the Blackfoot Watershed. The swan release program is a joint project of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Blackfoot Challenge, according to Elaine Caton, Swan Restoration & Education Coordinator for the Blackfoot Challenge. The program began with a Trumpeter Swan Habitat Suitability Study for...
Petitions that will let the county to move ahead with funding a chip seal project for the paved streets in Lincoln and Lambkins Rural improvement districts are still in need of signatures. Jessica Makus, Lewis and Clark County special districts program coordinator told the Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council last week that they need just 17 signatures from property owner in the Lambkins RID and 65 signatures from property owners in the Lincoln RID to reach the 20 percent threshold that allows the Lewis and Clark County...
Although it was the last major point of discussion at Lincoln Government Day, an update on the progress of the Dalton Mountain Road Bridge replacement was a key subject during the Aug. 2 meeting. Montana Department of Transportation District 3 Administrator Jim Wingerter and Jimmy Combs, the District 3 pre-construction engineer were on hand for the meeting, to hear concerns about local MDT efforts, as well as to provide their perspective. The Dalton Mountain Bridge has been a...
Two petitions to fund chip sealing on Lincoln’s hard surface streets continue to be available to residents living in the Lincoln and Lambkins Rural Improvement Districts. If 20 percent or more of property owners in the RIDs sign the petitions, they will then be presented to the Lewis and Clark County Commissioners for a resolution of intention to take out loans to fund chip sealing. At the July 20 Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council meeting, the council discussed the low signature count on the current RID petitions l...
With wildfire smoke lingering in the air across western Montana, and warm, dry conditions across the region pushing fire dangers ever higher, fire restrictions are the order of the day. Tuesday morning, July 27, Lewis and Clark County Commissioners approved a resolution to extend Stage 1 Fire Restrictions to areas west of the Continental Divide effective Wednesday, based on the recommendation of the Rural Fire Council and Sheriff Leo Dutton, who also serves as Fire Warden....
Lincoln is set to have a banner summer, with events and activities scheduled most weekends through the end of August. Memorial Day weekend set the tone for the summer, with back-to-back ATV events on Saturday and Sunday. Other organizations and non-profits have their own events scheduled throughout the summer, making up for the string of cancellations that defined last year. The annual Community Spring Rummage Sale is this weekend, June 19 and 20, with more than 20 sales on...
Resurfacing paved streets in Lincoln has been the hot topic for the past few months, but updates on the roads and bridges outside of town dominated the Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council meeting Tuesday, June 15. Cattle Guards Lewis and Clark County Road and Bridge Superintendent Kevin Horne said cattle guards were installed earlier this month on Stonewall Creek Road where it crosses property owned by Mike Stahly. The cattle guards ended a three-year dispute over access...
The May 7 Lincoln Government Day meeting featured updates on several Public Works and infrastructure related projects Speed and passing zones The speed limit on Highway 200 east of Lincoln will be going down…a little. Lewis and Clark County Public Works Director Eric Griffin said the Montana Highway Commission, during their April 22 meeting, approved lowering the highway speed limit east of Lincoln out to Airport road from 70 mph to 60 mph. The decision is in keeping with the speed study completed by the Montana Department o...
These two photographs bookend a journey. The first has been seen by possibly millions of Junior High and High School students over the years. An image from the National Archive, it has became an iconic image of post-civil war westward expansion and has appeared in several U.S. history textbooks. The second image is probably known only to the readers of Gold Pans and Singletrees. Together, they show both ends of the Tuck family's journey from Litchfield, Neb. to Lincoln, Mont....
The Lincoln Valley Community Foundation endowment was established in 1996 and provides grants to local nonprofits. Money for the fund was originally provided as gifts from the Lincoln Valley Chamber of Commerce and the Phelps Dodge Seven Up Pete Joint Venture Mine, according to Jessica Stewart-Kuntz. Stewart-Kuntz is the Vice President of the Montana Community Foundation, which oversees the fund. The bulk of the money came from the LVCC, which had been raising money to build...
Editors Note: Rick Graetz with the University of Montana selected Lincoln to be the first town featured in a new series of community profiles in the 'This is Montana Community Vitality Program.' Graetz allowed the BVD to be the first publication to run the Lincoln article before it goes out for wider distribution. A limited human presence, single main street, towering ponderosa pine trees reaching up toward snow covered peaks, a lumberjack atmosphere, and a ranger station is...
Jesse Sallin, Rosaire Hoffman and Kate Radford Created a 62-inch by 84-inch queen size quilt out of the late Lola Arvidson's varied and unique vintage aprons. The quilt is being raffled off, with the proceeds supporting the Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society's Matt King House reconstruction and restoration project. The Quilt will be on display at Citizen's Alliance Bank in June. Tickets are $1 each or six for $5. Tickets can be purchased from Jesse Sallin or Erin Dey...
Lincoln Prosperity During last week's Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council meeting, the council heard from Jordan Reeves of the Wilderness Society on the status of the Lincoln Prosperity Proposal, which was developed by a diverse group of local and area individuals and groups who agreed "the status quo isn't working" when it comes to forest management on the federal land surrounding Lincoln. The work of the Lincoln Prosperity Group is poised to take a major step forward...
The Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society received a grant from the Lincoln Valley Community Foundation in January to continue reconstruction of the Matt King house. The Lincoln Valley Community Foundation is run through the Montana Community Foundation, and grants are issued to local nonprofits. The $8,800 grant award to the UBVHS will be used to complete the roof on the Matt King house. Any grant funds leftover after the roof is completed will be utilized to complete...
The Lincoln Council for the Arts and the Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society have banded together for a local fundraiser selling pasties using Olga Perkl’s recipe. The fundraiser came to fruition after both organizations realized they were planning pasty sales independently. “The two organizations were thinking about doing pasties, so we just joined forces to sell more,” said UBVHS president Erin Dey. Dey and Laura Butler, president of the Lincoln Council for the Arts, are competing to see which president can sell...
Lewis and Clark County Public Works told the Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council they favor pushing back a planned chip sealing project for Lincoln streets until 2022, to provide time for public meetings and feedback after COVID-19 restrictions ease up later this year. The discussion dominated the Jan. 19 meeting, which provided the first opportunity to dig into the details of the maintenance project that was slated for this year. The streets on Lincoln's, Lincoln and...
Strong winds that tore through western Montana last week up trees, damaged buildings and led to power outages throughout the Upper Blackfoot. An extended period of abnormally strong, gusty wind began Jan. 12 and intensified throughout much of the day Jan. 13, with peak wind gusts recorded in the early afternoon Wednesday. The weather station at the Lincoln Ranger District, near the Lincoln airport, reported a peak wind gust of 41 miles per hour at about 2 p.m. The reading was...
The Lincoln School Board, in their regular meeting Monday Jan. 11, heard a number of updates on how the faculty and students are handling the return to school. Classes resumed in-person Jan. 4, after more than a month of online distance learning prompted by an increase in possible COVID-19 cases and close contacts in the community. Both Lincoln High Senior Lindsey Weisner, the student representative in the meeting, and Lincoln Schools Superintendent Jen Packer noted initial...
In our Nov. 26 issue, we looked at the murder of John Smoot, a man from Blackfoot city murdered in McClellan Gulch on Christmas eve, 1867. Blackfoot City is often referenced in the stories of Lincoln's early days, but we realized that not many people today may know much about it. It was an important hub for miners en route the the Upper Blackfoot, but by the turn of the 20th century, it had effectively faded from Montana's history. This story appeared in the Melstone...
"If we can come to a broad consensus, that has the potential to give us power. A new kind of power that will let us figure out that maybe we can affect some change. It may take decades, it may happen a long time after I'm gone, but it begins with the first step and that's what this is about." Paul Roos made that comment in the spring of 2014 while talking about community movement he had been spearheading since the year before. Paul passed away Nov. 10 after a short battle...
Zach Muse enlisted in the Navy on Sep. 1, 1990 and served in navigation during Desert Storm as a Master Helmsman. He was also a Master of Arms during his time in the Navy. "I knew I was gonna go in the military," said Muse, "just cause everyone in my family goes. I'd flown over the ocean, but I'd never really been in the ocean or anything." Muse grew up in Great Falls and waited for the next round of boot camp to start after high school. "Once I got out of boot camp and my...
On Dec. 5, 1980, a small, still unnamed newspaper began circulating in Lincoln. Sporting a series of question marks where the publication's name should be, the front page included the issue's only story - a message from the publishers - and a photo of a then-new Ponderosa Snow Warriors Clubhouse and information on the club's open house and Christmas dinner. The remainder of the issue was almost entirely advertisements, save for an announcement about the VFW Post 3669...
Reconstruction of the walls of the historic Matt King House began last month, but is winding down for the year due to weather. The Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society project began in 2015 and UBVHS President Erin Dey says she hopes it will be fully restored and open to the public next year. Exterior walls on the first floor and part of the second are almost completed at the front of the house. UBHVS Board member Bill Quay spent much of the summer preparing the logs to...
