Remember When?

85 YEARS AGO • MARCH 8, 1939

EDDY ASKS RURAL ELECTRIFICATION LINE TRANSMISSION

The directors of the Clarks Fork Power Association met with heads of families living in the Eddy section last weekend to discuss the possibilities of extending the powerline from Thompson Falls to Eddy and vicinity.

Eighteen potential electrification line customers were present at the meeting which took place. So far about forty have signed up asking for the power line extension. It is hoped that conditions will permit the extension of the line to service this large additional group of citizens.

TOWN IMPROVEMENTS

Mayor A.S. Ainsworth has advised that last week in consultation with Col. Geo. Wisel, the W.P.A. engineer, a street graveling project for Thompson Falls totaling $19,000 was approved. All streets in the city will be graveled under this project as soon as possible. Also included with the project will be the parking of the railroad right-of-way along the main street, which will be put to lawn, and planted with shrubs, a rock walk, and other improvements.

The school district has also received approval of a grandstand enlargement at the athletic field, lawning and shade trees to be planted. Note: the school athletic field at that time was where Ainsworth Park now is. It was the high school athletic field used for football and track until 1971.

ROAD IS BLOCKED

Rock slides in the vicinity of Eddy, 12 miles west of here, late today have tied up the Northern Pacific line and the highway, and cut off the power lines of the Montana Power Company and the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Co. The town of Plains is in darkness tonight as a result, and reports are that it will take from 6 to 10 hours to clear the railway line and the highway. The rocks came down the mountainside without a warning at about 5:30 o’clock and are scattered along for a distance of a quarter of a mile.

Tons of boulders rolled down the mountain and some of them weigh half a ton, according to reports brought here. The westbound North Coast Limited was tied up this side of the slide trouble.

The trouble occurred almost at the scene of an accident a number of years ago when a huge rock raced down the mountainside and tore out a section of railroad track right in front of a westbound limited train. The engineer and fireman were killed at that time in the ensuing wreck.

80 YEARS AGO • MARCH 1, 1944

BLACK BEAR CAFE OPENS

The Black Bear Cafe opened for business last week under the management of Mrs. Wayne Thompson. The Black Bear Cafe has been opened and closed intermittently during the past year or so, not because of any inadequacy in business, but largely because of help and ration point difficulties. In the past, the cafe was so crowded that they could hardly accommodate the public, but closed because business was so good they couldn’t get the help and the management did not want to work 16 hours a day. The Thompson family has had considerable experience operating restaurants, and it is therefore expected they will find their venture successful.

30 YEARS AGO • FEBRUARY 24, 1994

NEW PHONE SERVICE TO CONNECT MONDAY

Monday, Clark Fork Telecommunications takes over ownership and management of nine telephone exchanges as part of a sale from U.S. West. That sale includes the Noxon, Thompson Falls and Plains exchanges in Sanders County; the Haugen, St. Regis, Alberton and Superior in Mineral County; and Philipsurg and Drummond in Granite County.

Several of the exchanges are scheduled to be upgraded to digital switching which will provide clearer voice transmission, faster connections, more choices for long distance service and services such as call waiting, call forwarding and voicemail.

Phone service rates are not scheduled to change, with the current rates established by U.S. West remaining in effect.

An agreement has been reached with the City of Thompson Falls that will allow phone customers to pay their bill at City Hall rather than mailing in their payment. In return for the service, the city will receive use of a fax machine and a monthly fee.

Clark Fork Telecommunications is a subsidiary of Blackfoot Telephone, a rural telephone cooperative that serves rural areas around Missoula County, including the Dixon area. The firm is headquartered in Missoula.