The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1934-09-13
Large Crowd
At Highway
Celebration
People From Many Cities
Gather in Picnic at
Falls Project.
REMOVES HIGH AND
DANGEROUS SECTION

Vii y uIie "a, 1919, The western News
had the following paragraph as the in
PRODUCTION of an article on the opening
OF the Libby Troy phighway.
After three years of hard work,
the board of county commissioners
OF Lincoln county have the satisfac-
ton this week of seeing the last
rock blasted from the right-o way,
the last shovelful of earth removed
and the last spike driven in the last
plank in the last bridge of the
stretch of road which runs across
Lincoln county and which is the
connecting link between the Allan
tic and the Pacific ocean in the
great National Park automobile
highway"
That article was descriptive of the
opening to traffic of the highway west
from Libby down the Kootenai canyon
and through one of the most scenic sec
tons of the Northwest
A little more than 10 years later, on
last Sunday, September 9, 1884, another
noteworthy affair was held on this same
highway celebrating its great improve
ment and final removal of high and
dangerous section that had given the
highway blackeye from the Atlantic
to the Pacific and from Canada to
Mexico
One Thousand Present.
The event was joint picnic spon-
sored by the Commercial clubs of
Libby and Troy, to give expression to
the pleasure and satisfaction the entire
community feels in the final achieve
ment of an objective toward which
much hard work has been expended
during past years.
A crowd that was estimated at fully
thousand people gathered on the
highway near Kootenai falls to cele-
brate the occasion. Present were large |
delegations from Libby and Troy, from
Standpoint, Bonners Ferry, Rexford,
Eureka, Whitefish, Columbia Falls and
Kalispell.
After a sumptuous picnic dinner had /
been given attention, short program
of speaking was held, with A. A. Wood
of Libby acting as master of cere-
monies.
In his remarks Mr.. Wood referred to
passage in David Thompson's journal
at the time Thompson and his crew of
explorers passed around the falls on
May s, 1903. Thompson wrote that it
was necessary to portage around the
falls over high rocky cliffs where
misstep would have hurled one to
death on the rocks below Mr.. Wood
remarked that from that time to the
present the same condition has been
true. Happily, however that danger has
been removed for all time by the work
now being completed Mr.. Wood further
said:
Ever since the former road was con-
structed this route has borne an un-
favorable reputation, although for more
than century it has been the most i'm
portant outlet from this area into the
Spokane country.
4NNoW that the danger has been re-
we may expect to see this route
favored by those travelling from north
ern Montana to the coast and by In
land Empire residents travelling to the
parks or to eastern cities"
Mr.. Wood also read telegram from
Senator M. D. Rowland, in the hospital
at Choteau, expressing his regret at not
being able to attend the picnic.
Marshall Murray, attorney of Eureka,
was introduced by Mr.. Wood as the
second speaker Mr.. Murray emphasized
that those present should consider the
picnic not SO much the celebration of
a completed task but rather the begin
ming of 2O-year campaign for still
better roads in Lincoln county.
William Herbert, Libby attorney, fol-
lowed Mr.. Murray and emphasized still
another line of thought. He said that in
the years past the powers that build
highways had been more or less criti-
cized for the slowness of their work in
Lincoln county Mr.. Herbert said the
blame rested not SO much on the high
way officials as it did on the law The
law lays down certain stipulations the
officials must follow and they can ex-
pend only SO much money in each dis
trict. Mr.. Herbert criticized strenuously
that provision of the law that allows
the same amount Of money for build
ing a mile of earth road in eastern
Montana as 1t does to blast out high
way through rock cliff in the western
part of the state. He said energetic men /
ought to be sent to the legislature who
would put UP stiff fight to correct |
that unfairness.
The last speaker of the day was W.
M. Cady of Standpoint, former Libby
citizen and at one time Lincoln county
representative in the state legislature
always a hard worker for Lincoln |
county highways. Mr.. Cady spoke in
reminiscent strain, recalling some of
the interesting points in the history of
highway building in the county.
The Libby band provided music for
the occasion with several selections |
during the program.
A Beautiful Highway.