Hungry Horse news., 1955-10-14

1he following paragraphs provide
= statistical repor7 On The growing
city ~ Columbia Fails. No small
Montana city has been more IN Ire
iimelighf in recent years. There are
emissions in The following account.
The story actually is endless.
Ten minutes from trout fishing and
II miles from LOCO, 900 acre Glac-
Ter National Park is Columbia Falls,
the small Montana city that has
tripled in population since World
War H.
The American family becoming
much more aware of recreation finds
Columbia Falls and the Flathead
presenting an almost unique situa
ton of industrial jobs next to great
unspoiled areas of the out-of-doors.
In 1910 the U. S. census showed
Columbia Falls having 637 people;
in 1850, the census showed 1,232, and
in 1855, the estimate is 1900.
Columbia Falls figures PERCENTAGE
wise show: post office receipts for
1854 up 80 per cent from 1858, and
nearly 400 per cent more than in
1874; Bank of Columbia Falls re-
sources AZ per cent more for 1854
than for 1858; assessed valuations %
per cent higher for 1854 than for
1858 and 81 per cent increase for
1855.
There are four major factors con-
tributing to this healthy growth:
numbering, Hungry Horse Dam, an
aluminium plant and scenic setting
of the community.
Growth of the lumber industry that
employs over 600 men in the Column
bia Falls-Martin City-Coram work
ing circle is indicated by shipments
over the Great Northern railroad.
The 1947 shipments from Columbia
Falls set new record of 779 cars.
The 1854 lumber shipments topped
$500 freight carloads.
Columbia Falls has become the
hub of the Flathead's lumber in
dustry that employs a total of 1,5O0
men. There has been a ten-fold in
crease in capital investment by To-
cal mills in ten years.
Principal source of timber is Flat
head National Forest with a sus-
tanned annual yield figure Of 60,000,-
600 board feet a year.
Further utilization of the resource
has come with additions Of dry kilns,
better finishing and products such as
snow fence, glued boards and more
2x4x8s all helping reduce waste.
Located in Columbia Falls is the
Flathead's largest mill, Plum Greek
Lumber Co., employing $50 men al
the mill; two miles east is Stoltze
Land and Lumber Co. employing los
men at the mill, and adjacent to the
city are the Sizeable operations Of
Rocky Mountain Lumber Co. and
Superior Buildings Co.
HUNGRY HORSE DAM
Columbia Falls is ten miles from
Hungry Horse Dam, the nation:
third highest, fourth largest con
crete dam. Construction of Hungry
Horse Dam started in 1913 and las
concrete was placed Oct. 4, 1875.
with first power generated Oct. l
1852. There we're $500 men employ
ed during peak construction months
of 1851 and 1852.
Now Hungry Horse Dam, 564 fee
high backs a "a mile long lake con
tanning 3,468, 600 acre feet The fou
1,250 kilowatt generators in TIL
Hungry Horse Powerhouse are tie'
in with the Bonneville Power Admin
istration grid, and resulted in tn
Anaconda Aluminium Co. plant 10
eating two miles east of Columbi
Falls.
AS a tourist attraction, Hungr,
Horse during the summer of 1855 wa
viewed by 104,785 persons. Their
were IS, 531 persons who took the s.
minute guided tours of the dam an
powerhouse during the summe
months.
ANACONDA ALUMINIUM PLANT
Aug. Is, 1855 saw dedication of tn
$65, 00O, 900 Anaconda Aluminium G.
plant two miles east of the city. Til
new plant employs 500 men and wi
produce &C, 900 tons Of aluminium pig
and bars year. Construction of tn
plant started June 9, 1858 and wa
officially completed Sept. is, 1855.
The aluminium plant has alread
resulted in construction of more tina
$50 new homes in Columbia Falls.
LIVING ATTRACTIONS
Columbia Falls is located near tn
Flathead river, good, clear-flov
ing trout stream. No industrial pr
cessing waters are returned to tn
river.
Seventeen miles from the city
1000, 900 acre Glacier National Parl
that for the past five years has a
tracted over 500 900 visitors yea
This years travel figure is to to
CSC, 200, more than the populatic
of the state of Montana.
Each fall in Flathead Nation
Forest sees an average harve
of 1000 elk during the hunting Sc
son that also includes deer, black al
<rrs1o1xy hoor ovd y,eo,,uP DIN ooofc