Independently owned since 1905
Independently owned since 1905
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One day last week, I got home to let my dog outside in the afternoon and in the field behind our house, a massive golden eagle was demolishing a turkey. I was taken aback because I didn’t understand what was happening at first and couldn’t tell what was out there. The predator was massive against the small “town turkey” and I was shocked at what I was seeing. It caused quite a ruckus among the flock of 50 or so turkeys that was congregating in groups in the field. When the large eagle took off, it looked like a creature from a fantasy movie a...
It was a successful District 7B tournament in St. Ignatius last weekend as all four Sanders County teams earned a trip to the divisional tournament Feb. 22-24 in Pablo. Thompson Falls boys and girls each placed second in their respective bracket, with the Plains boys finishing third and the girls finishing fourth. The Horsemen opened the District tournament last Tuesday with a play-in game against Troy which they won 59-45. In St. Ignatius, the Blue Hawks and Horsemen met in the first round...
by Annie Wooden The town of Noxon suffered a devastating loss on Tuesday when a fire destroyed several businesses. Fire crews responded to an early-morning fire Tuesday in the 700 block of Noxon Avenue that destroyed several buildings. The fire, which officials said Tuesday appears to have started at the Angry Beaver General Store, also destroyed Toby's Tavern and the Noxon Mercantile and Cafe. Along with the Noxon Fire Department, Heron Fire, and Trout Creek Rural Fire responded to the blaze,...
A Trout Creek man died over the weekend after falling through the ice in the Trout Creek area. On Thursday, February 8, the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) received a report of a missing person after Jim Chambers did not return home from ice fishing. Chambers’ belongings were located on and around the ice, and his vehicle was still parked in the Marten Creek area just outside of Trout Creek. Sheriff Shawn Fielders told The Ledger that Chambers had been fishing on the Clark Fork River down from the the Marten Creek boat launch. He sai...
More than 50 people showed up to the Thompson Falls City Council meeting on Monday, which was preceded by the much anticipated zoning committee meeting. The council has told community members since last fall that the city’s zoning ordinance would need to be revised, and Monday’s committee meeting was the first step in that process. Former mayor and current zoning committee member Mark Sheets addressed the crowd, saying that additional committee meetings would be scheduled and detailing changes. Among those, Sheets said the ordinance needs to...
In between the Mr. Swift show and the Usher concert on Sunday, I had the chance to review some fifth-grade Social Studies. My young friend was studying the Declaration of Independence, and she was surprised at how much I remembered and knew about it (she was also impressed that I knew the names of Christopher Columbus's three ships). I was a little surprised at how much I remembered as well. I was also surprised at how much still applies today. Life was different in the 18th century, no one can deny that, but I'm pretty sure most Americans...
“We’re making some noise in science for the state of Montana,” Thompson Falls High School science teacher Doree Thilmony told the Thompson Falls School Board meeting Monday night. Thilmony announced that TFHS was one of five rural schools chosen by Montana State University to host a Geospatial Skills Camp for Rural Montana Youth this summer. The camp, which will be June 10-14, is funded by MSU and gives students an opportunity to learn skills focused on different careers, including disaster relief, homeland security, remote-sensing image...
by Annie Wooden and Skye Hill Blue Hawk Max Hannum returned to the state championship round for the second year in a row, taking on rival McCoy Banner of Fairfield at 182 pounds for the final match of his high school career. Hannum pinned his way to the championship round, with none of his matches lasting more than two minutes until the final round. Hannum pinned Gaven Flannagan of Simms in 1 minute, 58 seconds. In the quarterfinals, he had a rematch with Gabe Rasmussen of Plains, pinning the Sa...
I've been making an effort lately to practice some skills that I haven't used very often in the last few years, and I think are becoming lost arts. The first is writing hand-written cards. I have a friend who, after every holiday or birthday, has her kids sit down and write thank-you cards. It makes a person feel special to get a card in the mail. It's nice to know people think of you with texts and emails, but taking the time to write a card, address the envelope and put it in the mail is worth the extra effort. Opening your mailbox to find mo...
Shelby sits at the crossroads of Interstate 15 and Highway 2 on Montana's hi-line. Western Montana wrestlers came to a different crossroads last weekend as they competed in the divisional tournament in Shelby, fighting for a trip to the state tournament. The Plains-Hot Springs team finished the tournament in third place, garnering 172 points. Florence finished in first place with 239 and Eureka was second with 187.5. The Savage-Horsemen had an incredible nine wrestlers qualify for the state...
Plains and Thompson Falls put on a great show on the court last Thursday in Thompson Falls as the rivals met for the final time in the regular season. The Blue Hawk girls bested the Trotters 51-25 and the Hawk boys won 46-28. It was an aggressive game for the Hawk boys and Horsemen as Thompson Falls took an early lead and kept it the entire 32 minutes. The Hawks led 11-6 after the first quarter and 25-13 at the half. The lead was enough to lead the Hawks into the home stretch for the win. Aden...
It was a busy week for the Hot Springs basketball teams last week. The Savage Heat went back-to-back with Two Eagle River Wednesday and Thursday, with the girls getting two wins and the boys two losses. The Lady Savage Heat beat Two Eagle River 59-49 on Wednesday and 50-43 on Thursday, while the boys fell 44-54 on Wednesday and 53-65 on Thursday. The Savage Heat boys bounced back with a win on Saturday, though, beating Alberton 56-37 in Hot Springs. The girls did not play on Saturday as Alberton does not have a team. In their win at home...
Saturday night at the Thompson Falls High School gymnasium was a little like Groundhog Day. The Hawks welcomed the Eureka Lions basketball teams, and the night was nearly a repeat of when the Hawks traveled to Eureka just a couple weeks ago. While the Blue Hawk boys fell to the Lions 64-36, the Lady Hawks finished the evening off with a 60-50 overtime win. The Lady Hawks handily led the Lions through the first three quarters, up 15-5 after the first and 31-15 at halftime. As the third quarter...
The Red Devils hosted Two Eagle River on Friday in Noxon, sending the team home with two wins. The Red Devil boys lost 49-62 and the girls 41-50. The Red Devils kept it close in the first quarter, down just five points as the buzzer sounded. The Eagles soared in the second though, as they scored 19 to Noxon's 2 points and led 34-12 at the half. In the second half, Noxon had more momentum as they worked to lessen the lead. In the fourth quarter Noxon scored 27 points, more than they had the...
Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is inviting the public to comment on a proposed rehabilitation project near Thompson Falls. The Highway 200 bridge over the Clark Fork River just west of Thompson Falls is on MDT’s proposed schedule of projects. Construction on the project is tentatively scheduled to begin next year. Proposed work includes a variety of bridge deck repairs and preservation treatments. Treatments include hydro milling and overlaying the bridge deck with new concrete, replacing the existing steel expansion joints, and s...
Sanders County students will gather at the Sanders County Courthouse later this week to put their spelling skills to the test for the annual Sanders County Spelling Bee. The county bee is sponsored by The Sanders County Ledger and First Security Bank. Former Ledger owner Tom Eggensperger will serve as the pronouncer at this year’s bee. Karen Dwyer, Joanne Burk and Kate Baxter of Thompson Falls will serve as judges. County schools held spelling bees this month to determine which fourth through sixth graders would advance to the county c...
The Thompson Falls reservoir above the dam began to thaw late last week. After a string of subzero temperatures in January, the month of February comes this week with temperatures in the 40s. See page 14 for the weekend forecast....
Sanders County honored employees for years of service on Tuesday. Honorees in attendances (from left) included Willy Ovitt (5 years), Lisa Richmond (5 years), Denise Taylor (10 years), Allison Smith (10 years), Jeff Lundberg (10 years), Kimberly Patton (5 years), Shelly Wrightson (15 years), Bill Naegeli (20 years) and Becky McDonald (15 years. Also honored but not pictured were Richards Woods (5 years), Richard Stovall (10 years) and Brad Syth (25 years)....
I love going back and looking at past Ledgers, but this week was a special adventure. This edition you're reading begins the 120th volume (or year) of our weekly publication. That first edition was published February 24, 1905. The Ledger back in 1905 focused on what was happening throughout the nation and the world. Bakers in New York City were on strike, causing a bread shortage. Russia was dominating the world news. There were proceedings over oil leases on the Osage Nation. This topic is back in the forefront with last year's "Killers of a...
The Thompson Falls and Plains libraries have been selected to receive resources to provide financial education to local kids. The American Library Association and FINRA Investor Education Foundation announced this week that 300 public libraries, including Plains and Thompson Falls, will receive the Thinking Money for Kids program kit. The materials are geared toward children aged 3 to 12 and will be able to be checked out by local families, said Thompson Falls library director Crystal Buchanan. “We’re super excited for this opportunity,” Bucha...
If you have to face off on the wrestling mat against your best pal, you might as well make it the best match of the evening. Last Thursday as the Blue Hawk wrestling team hosted Plains-Hot Springs and Superior for a mixer, Blue Hawk Brock Ryan and Savage-Horseman Beau Crabb (best friends off the mat) put on an exciting show. It was a scramble for the two wrestlers as they traded control in the match. Crabb was up just two points, 12-10, after two periods, and neither wrestler was letting his...
by Annie Wooden It was a busy first day of competition at the Western B/C Divisional wrestling tournament at Shelby High School on Friday. Friday evening, Plains-Hot Springs sat in fourth place as a team with 76 points. Florence High School currently leads the team competition. Here's how the Sanders County wrestlers fared in day one. 103 Pounds: Blue Hawk Weston Block will wrestle in the semifinal round Saturday morning. 113 Pounds: Matthew Thurston of Plains pinned Russell Douglas of Boulder...
The filing period for candidates opened in Montana last Thursday, with dozens of people filing for statewide and local offices that first day. Candidates have until 5 p.m. March 11 to file for office. Local elected positions on the ballot this year will include Clerk of District Court, County Attorney, Coroner, and Clerk & Recorder / Treasurer / Superintendent of Schools, as well as Commissioner, District 1. As of Tuesday, Dan Rowan had filed for re-election as county commissioner for District 1, Cynthia Neste for re-election as Clerk of...
Some Sanders County school districts received email threats late Tuesday, but law enforcement said the threats were not credible. Administrators at Thompson Falls and Hot Springs schools received bomb threat emails around 8 p.m. Tuesday. Thompson Falls Superintendent Bud Scully said he did not see the email until the morning because it went to his spam folder. Scully said the threat was not credible. “We notified law enforcement and the Montana Attorney General has been notified as well,” Scully said Wednesday. “We do everything we can to ke...
When Justin Timberlake performed during the Super Bowl halftime show in 2018, I joked with everyone that they were going to try and play football during the Justin Timberlake concert. I’ve been making the same joke this year because one of my good friends loves Usher (the 2024 Super Bowl halftime entertainment) just about as much as I love JT. However, this year, with the possibility of the Kansas City Chiefs making the big game, there’s a whole new level of celebrity surrounding football. In case you’ve been under a rock this NFL seaso...
