The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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"Of all the flowers, me thinks a rose is best." -Emilia, Act 2 of The Two Noble Kinsmen, William Shakespeare The Woods' rose (Rosa woodsii) was named for Joseph Woods, a botanist who specialized in roses in the late 1700s to mid-1800s. Also known as the common wild rose or the mountain rose, this shrub can be found throughout the Blackfoot Valley, particularly in dry forest areas, the ponderosa belt, and in rocky areas with well-drained soil. The roses prefer south-facing...
The Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance has recently brought on three new EMTs. Ron Arambarri, Klara Varga, and Chelsea Woodland all took the EMT class offered in Lincoln earlier this year and have now passed their tests to join the LVA as full EMTs. "This was kinda an odd class," said Aaron Birkholz, LVA President, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the class. The three new EMTs will double the number of active EMTs for the LVA. "It's gonna help," said Birkholz. "I think...
Lincoln's gold mining tradition, dating to the gold mining boom of the 1860's that led to the establishment of the town, continues today as the Blackfoot River Chapter of the Gold Prospectors Association of America share their knowledge and experience. About 34 club members took part in a search for gold during their monthly meeting Saturday, Sept. 19. The members met up for their meeting at the club's claim on Poorman Creek, where they spent the day processing material from...
Classic vehicles lined Lincoln's main Street Saturday, Sept. 12. The Lambkins Rod Run and Wilderness Car Show The Lambkins Rod Run is now it in it's 19th year, after a year off in 2017Held on the same weekend as the Wilderness Car Show that began in 2012, the separate events are among the last shows of the season in Montana and saw a large number of classic cars to Lincoln every September. This year saw a larger than normal turnout, since many other car shows and events were...
Editor's note. Corey Butler, a 1998 Lincoln High graduate, grew up in Lincoln and is the daughter of Mike and Renee Campbell. The following appeared in Montana Tech's MNews Chancellors Edition published earlier this year. Re-printed with permission During this complex and challenging time, Montana Tech's Vice Chancellor for Advancement and Alumni Engagement, Joe McClafferty, recently spent some time with Lieutenant Commander Corey Butler (Campbell). Lt. Cdr. Butler is a U.S....
The 56th Annual Helmville Labor Day Rodeo wrapped up the Northern Rodeo Association season Sept. 6 and 7, with a shift in weather that presaged the coming change of seasons. Sunday saw temperatures in the 80's with a slight breeze throughout the day, but by Monday things turned cold and blustery. This year's rodeo also saw changes as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Guests no longer paid an entry fee as they entered to park, but instead paid at a controlled access gate,...
According to direct sales statistics, there are approximately 16 million people who account for the direct sales workforce in the U.S., generating more than 35 billion dollars in retails sales. In Montana there are more than 90K direct sales consultants with an estimated $142 million dollars in retail sales throughout the state, and in Lincoln alone we have more than 13 independent consultants representing more than 20 direct sales companies. Each person's reason for...
AirBnB and similar services allow individuals, called "hosts," to offer up second homes, cabins and spare rooms as short-term rentals. AirBnB currently shows nine listings in the Lincoln area, ranging from a private room to a camper to full cabins and houses. Several studies over the last few years have stated that AirBnB rentals can raise the rental and housing prices in a community, while also driving down the availability of long-term rentals as property owners choose to...
This is the beginning of a sometimes-series about plants in Upper Blackfoot Valley. Are you interested in a particular local plant? Contact the BVD to let us know! All plant information is provided in consultation with local botanist Klara Varga. The Mahonia repens, better known locally as Oregon grape, grows across the Upper Blackfoot Valley. A plant with coarse leathery leaves, this local shrub can easily be found on a walk through Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild...
The 2020 decennial Census count started on Apr. 1. With the final day to be counted scheduled for September 30, Montana lags behind nearly every other state with a completion rate on Aug. 21 of 66.4 percent. That puts Montana in fourth to last place, above Puerto Rico, New Mexico, and South Carolina. Census data is used for a variety of purposes. The U.S. Census estimates that for every Montana resident counted (including children), the state receives approximately $2,000 in f...
The Elkhorn COAD (Community Organizations Active in Disasters) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Lewis & Clark County to define the working relationship of the two organizations. The Elkhorn COAD helps coordinate the local support and disaster relief efforts for disasters in Lewis and Clark, Jefferson, and Broadwater Counties through partner organizations including the Red Cross, the Civil Air Patrol, Montana Department of Health and Human Services, the...
From Gold Pans and Singletrees Mail delivery provided one link with the outside world and within the Blackfoot Valley, and in 1921, citizens of Lincoln looked into another form of communication. At two o'clock on Sept. 27, 1921, the first meeting of the telephone company was called by Mr. Holgate. Paul Didriksen was elected secretary. The members discussed the materials they would need for the telephone service. They talked about what kind of posts, where they should be placed...
On Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, declaring, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." This year marks the 100th anniversary of the amendment, and organizations across the country are hosting events and celebrations in commemoration. The term suffrage, which is now defined as the right of voting or the exercise of such right, stems from the Latin, meaning a...
Broadband internet is a big buzzword these days, as employees and students frantically started working and learning from home when businesses and schools shut down earlier this year due to COVID-19. Connection to fast and reliable internet, which is usually better with broadband, can affect students' access to materials, employees abilities to do their jobs, as well as tele-health capabilities, which can be especially important in rural communities like Lincoln. Over the past...
Brad Orsted normally avoids naming bears, but Nervous Nelly wasn't an ordinary bear. Over the past decade, dozens of grizzlies, like Nelly, have headed each fall to the fields of private ranches in the Tom Miner Basin in Montana's Gallatin Range, just north of Yellowstone National Park. In the fall of 2015, logging trucks were traversing the ranches, and most of the bears that congregated in the area got so they wouldn't even appear to notice the trucks jostling down the dirt...
Longtime resident and Lincoln Telephone Company President Bob Orr has lived in Lincoln for the better part of 75 years. "I came with my folks. I was only five years old," said Orr, who moved to Lincoln in 1942. An article from Gold Pans and Singletrees shares that Orr's parents also served as caretakers for the 7-Up Ranch properties. "My dad was at that time logging," said Orr. After attending grade school in Lincoln, Orr started high school in Simms, as Lincoln didn't have a...
With the Pentagon's Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force reportedly preparing to release a report on UFO encounters, it seemed like a good time to take a look back at perhaps the earliest recorded UFO sighting In Montana, which happened just east of Lincoln near Cadotte Pass. Montana is no stranger to UFOs. Today, Montana is ranked number two on a list of states with the most UFO sightings. One of the most notorious - and difficult to explain - UFO films comes from Great...
Dr. Scott Bovard of the Missoula Veterinary Clinic and Brooke Tanner, director of the Wild Skies Raptor Center released an immature female bald eagle earlier this week. The eagle was hit by a semi near Arrastra Creek Feb. 20. Lincoln Ranger District wildlife biologist Pat Shanley and Beech Hasting, the district's mineral administrator located the eagle after the report of the accident reached the Ranger Station. They took the bird to Wild Skies in Potomac. Bovard performed...
As a child, Kyle Greenwood would watch his father Jim pull lawnmowers out of the trash, repair them and sell them. Jim gave that sideline up for a few years, but around ten years ago, when Kyle was about 16 he took an interest in fixing things, so Jim started recovering lawnmowers again. "We stated fixing them and selling them," Kyle said. "Made a lot of money that way. At least when you're 16, it seemed like a lot of money." From push mowers, Kyle moved on to riding mowers...
Sediment washed down from Monture Creek gives the Blackfoot river a split personality at Scotty Brown Bridge Friday, July 25. Heavy rains that fell in the mountains late last week loaded Monture Creek with plenty of extra mud and sediment, splitting the waters of the Blackfoot River in two below the confluence. Clear, green-hued waters of the main river flowed along the south bank, while the mocha-colored waters from Monture Creek ran along the north bank....
Downtown Ovando got a face lift with the buildings on the south side of the town's central square getting a distinctive new paint job this month, updating the look of the small downtown for the first time in years. "Pretty cool, huh?" said Fred Valiton, owner of the Blackfoot Commercial Company, which sits on the opposite side ofthe square, facing the refreshed buildings. "I wasn't sure it would turn out as well as it did, but now that it's up, it looks real good." "This is th...
Howie and Peggy Fly’s sale of their buildings in downtown Ovando has meant a move for them, but they haven’t gone far. The home they had been living in - the old Boyd Ranch house that was moved to Ovando in 1968 - was part of the sale, which prompted them to find a new home. Or in this case an old one. “So, we bought this house, and it’s got just as much work that needs to be done,” Howie said. Their new home on the west edge of the town began its life as the school house at Browns Lake. “There were ranches and homesteader...
Welcome to the new and improved Blackfoot Valley Dispatch. This issue marks our first as a broadsheet since the mid 1990's. It's a return to a format we hope our readers will appreciate. Last week, the BVD earned a somewhat dubious spot in the history of newspaper publishing in Montana when our final issue in the tabloid format became the last newspaper printed on the Goss Community press at River's Edge Printing in Great Fall. The Great Falls Tribune wound down its press oper...
A biological technician at the Lincoln Ranger District, Klara Varga is a botanist by training, with a fascination for all types of plants native to the region. Varga's plant walk didn't actually involve much walking. Covering only a couple hundred feet, she spent an hour and a half keeping participants engaged with the wide variety of plants found over the short distance....
The new 406 MT Mercantile, Lincoln's newest shopping destination, had their grand opening the weekend of June 27. The new retail shop at 224 Main Street features a variety of Made in Montana items. Sarah Muse, owner of the new establishment, developed the idea to bring additional shopping to Lincoln, while creating a business that fit her schedule and lifestyle. She said she likes the idea of being able to set her own hours and work at her own pace, which is really helpful giv...
