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105 YEARS AGO • JANUARY 3, 1918

SMALL STREAMS GO ON RAMPAGE

Creeks Overflow Banks and Take Out Many Bridges

RAILROAD SERVICE PARALIZED

Power Company’s Transmission Line Also Suffers Damage From High Water

The unprecedented rains which fell almost continuously during the past three weeks culminated Saturday night in the highest water in all the creeks in this vicinity that has ever been known. The steady drizzle that had been going on before, turned into a hard rainfall Saturday evening and before morning the already swollen streams overflowed their banks, rising even higher than at any the spring floods.

Three bridges over Prospect creek are reported to have been taken out, and so far this week it has been impossible for people living west of Thompson Falls and across the river to reach town. Bridges over Dry Creek, Big Beaver Creek and Vermilion Creek are also gone and it is very difficult for the ranchers to make their way about.

The railroad bridge over Big beaver on the old line was washed away and a slide on the new line completely paralyzed railroad traffic for more than 24 hours from Saturday afternoon until Sunday evening. As both the Great Northern and Milwaukee had previously been tied up, trains from three transcontinental lines were stalled between Missoula and Trout Creek and it is reported that about 15 of them were waiting at the time traffic was resumed.

The power company also had its troubles, caused by Prospect Creek changing its channel and undermining some of the stations near the Montana Standard mine. One line was out of commission entirely for two days, but they managed to keep the other one open, although it was in serious danger for a while. The record of the river showed a raise from 16,500 second feet to 35,900 second feet during a period of 48 hours, and reached its maximum flow Monday when 38,500 feet was registered. This stage is about five times the normal flow of the stream for December.

The clear weather of the past few days has again relieved the situation and today trains were running almost on schedule. However, considerable damage has been done and the county will be forced to expend quite a sum of money to replace and repair the bridges that have been washed out and damaged, and to repair the roads at points where slides have occurred. This work will be taken up as soon as conditions permit, in order to have the roads again open to travel at the earliest possible date.

70 YEARS AGO • JANUARY 21, 1953

REX THEATRE HAS NEW POPCORN MACHINE

Harold Jensen, who usually has work to go to in Superior or Polson remained at home a couple of days the first part of last week to install a new popcorn machine he had purchased for the Rex Theatre. Jensen had theaters in both these other towns in addition to Thompson Falls. The new popper is one of the latest with the stainless steel container, warming oven, etc. Everybody likes popcorn and it is quite a job trying to keep up with the demand for the fluffy tasty confection just before each showing of a film. Helen Jensen, resident proprietor of the show house says that this new machine is faster and that very few, if any, hulls remain to be discarded.

CATHOLICS SHOW INTEREST IN BUILDING PLANS

Members of St. Williams Parish are turning out splendidly for meetings each Monday evening to discuss plans for building a church here in the near future. Good progress is being made; donations to the fund are coming in, the lots on which construction will take place are being arranged for purchase. The building site is on corner lots next to the LaFriniere residence and directly north of the depot (corner of Spruce Street and Preston Avenue).

TUSCOR

Tuscor was a station on the Northern Pacific Railroad line that fell to progress under the backwaters of the Noxon Rapids Dam. It was located down the valley west of “Old Trout Creek” now known as Larchwood. The entire town consisted of a depot and a combination Post Office and store. The first building was 11x24 and was built by Bob Donahue, with a small addition for living quarters on one side. Myrtle and Irwin Swett were the second owners and N.J. LaRue purchased it from them in 1921, with a stock of old notions, such as crochet thread and elastic and many ladies’ hats and bonnets. This he replaced with staples such as coffee, flour and sugar. Gas was also added to the consumer’s list and stored in three barrels in a small shed. A barrel was rolled up to the car and the gas hand pumped into the tank. 25 cents per gallon was the going cost and 15 cents for kerosene.