Hungry Horse news and Columbian. [volume] (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1946-1948, 1947-02-21
Interviews
River Guide Of
The Mountains

IN a spacious log home shaded
oodars on Lake McDonald's
9TH shore lives DIR. Roderich
custom, perhaps Americas best
so,yn river guide of the noun
aims.
uo,s "Doc," the man who safely
';des fishing and camera par
- nv boat down the North,
";ddle and South Forks of the
rirling Flathead. His guests
ome mostly from the nations
,ost crowded cities, and have
so1uded former secretary of in
prior, Harold Ickes, IL United
Et.tes senators, a number of
overnors, and even more con-
rsssmen. Year after year boat
ravelers with Doc have been Mr..
nd Mrs. Fred Healy. The sum-
per fisherman is vice president
the Curtis Publishing COM
anv in charge of Saturday
vening Post advertising. There
Re also parties of oil men from
exas, nerve tattered lawyers
Id brokers from New York and
an francisco, and prim school
pachers tired of sing-song class
bonn recitation.
\ National magazines and news
Sapers have told of Docs skill
navigating the mountain rim
ed Flathead Forks. He's made
keauent trips from as far as the
canadian line to Columbia Falls,
b miles by river. Walls of Stew
rs canyon rise 5000 feet above
be Middle Fork, and the river
hines and foams between and
Eer boulders, but Doc has come
bwn by boat from Essex and
Syack. It's wonderful fishing.
J His South Fork trips have
tartedas far up as Spotted Bear,
) miles above Coram, in print
he, uninhabited area. He's gone |
hrougn the Devils Elbow. !
Made the trip twice." says Doc,
because people said it was only
3 accident that I got through
| at ifunneling water the first
he"
Doc, now II, received u degree
(om the Chicago College of
|entistry in 1901, and in 1902,
! me to the Flathead valley to
ractice dentistry and be nearer
hitting and fishing.
His Kalispel dentistry prac-
be for II years was interrupted
\ outstanding sportsman fetes
Ich as three-months long eX-
EDITION to Alaska in 1911 with
IS brother, Hugh Houston, a
hysician.
lit was a 1,200-mile long trip
Alaskan rivers after caribou,
Ieep, wolves, moose and bear,
any to be scientific trophies.
Finally longing for shaded
feamS with glimpses of STOW {
eaks through the pines; then |
le clear waters from the snow {
prgling over sand and rock, and :
le fleeing sight Of trout, con- E
uered the day by day routine
drilling cavities, and hoping ,
lat listerine would be more
idely used. l.
Charlie Howe, stored pioneer I
ID guide, owed Doc a dental
n. After the last war, he Of
red Doc land on McDonald's
nth shore in payment. That :
RS the start of Is years and =
,OOO miles of coming down the r
'lrhng waters of the F1athead's :
rec forks.
Doc has hunted every big game +
lmal in the United States, of n
urse not in Glacier National
TX since it became a park in
~. He's even shot mountain Al
N and buffalo. There's Mrs. =
'uton; she's hunted almost as =,
any different animals as has -
e. She's really an old-time =,
'laent of the Flathead valley, =;
ming to the old town of De- :,
'rsvlAe in 1886 before the =,
aaomg of either Columbia Falls :
Kalispell. II
wow the spritely couple live
aielr neat clean Lake McDon-
Jog home. Mounted trophies {
iar-flung expeditions are on r