Seeley Swan Pathfinder Archives (2024)

Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Dec 1, 2016

SEELEY LAKE – The five University of Montana (UM) students who make up the 2016 Celebration Brass Quintet had a busy three days Nov. 20-22. They traveled the Seeley, Swan and Potomac valleys to perform four informances, four workshops and one community concert. Though the quintet played many of the same pieces at each venue, their presentation differed from group to group. The full musical playlist was performed at the community concert at Swan Valley School. Incorporating music from Bach to con...

Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Dec 1, 2016

SEELEY LAKE - Frank Tabish of LHC Inc. in Kalispell, Mont. has applied for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) with Powell County to operate a 26.5-acre gravel pit within 160 acres four miles east of Highway 83 and south of Cottonwood Lakes Road. Gary Lewis, owner of Deer Creek Aggregates, LLC, will be leasing the pit after it has been developed and sees many benefits of the gravel pit to the area. An opposing group of Double Arrow Ranch landowners feels it will be detrimental to the area. Powell...

Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Dec 1, 2016

SEELEY LAKE - The Holiday Home Party Extravaganza featured 14 direct sales consultants offering everything from health and wellness, to everyday home items and fashion. Since its start four years ago, the extravaganza has been held on Small Business Saturday. Organizer Kelly Hoag said this is a great opportunity for direct sales consultants to feature their wares and interact with the community all at one location. Many of the consultants agreed that the reason to shop local through the holiday...

Dec 1, 2016

Dec 1, 2016

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) reports that white-tailed deer harvest reported through the Anaconda, Bonner and Darby check stations reached a six-year high with the close of the 2016 general big game hunting season on Sunday. “The climb in white-tailed deer harvest is welcome and follows an upward trend in deer populations on public land, as well as on private land,” said Mike Thompson, FWP Region 2 Wildlife Manager. On the other hand, elk harvest was 36 percent behind last season, due primarily to a lack of snow and cold weather suf...

Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Dec 1, 2016

SEELEY LAKE – When Great Falls resident Ben Sidor expanded his business Coop Ski Works into Montana, he had trouble finding a local wood supplier for spruce. His search ended at Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Inc. in Seeley Lake. There he found the spruce lumber needed for the wood core to make his backcountry skis the lightest, strongest backcountry skis on the market. Sidor started building skis out of Wenatchee, Wash. with three friends in September 2014. Their first shop was a chicken coop so a...

Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Dec 1, 2016

SEELEY LAKE – Three Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) band students participated in the University of Montana (UM) All-Star Wind Ensemble Nov. 11-13. Seniors Tessa Grimes and Trinitey Bartlett and freshman Jayla Kauffman each said the opportunity to play with other musicians with more experience has made them better players. SSHS Music Director Kaytee Ambrozich said seven students applied for the All-Star Wind Ensembles. Three were chosen based on their level and need for the band. SSHS paid for t...

Sigrid Olson, Pathfinder|Dec 1, 2016

GREENOUGH - Hali Miller is a new teacher at Sunset School in Greenough. Miller believes each student has the right to get the highest and best education possible. Miller is from Sunburst, Mont., a small town seven miles south of the Canadian border. She attended school at the College of Education at the University of Montana in Missoula, Mont. She graduates this December with her teaching certificate for kindergarten through eighth grade. Miller's student teaching brought her to Greenough to...

Pathfinder|Dec 1, 2016

SEELEY LAKE - It's getting to be that time of year again as Christmas fast approaches. Each year Seeley Lake Lions Club distributes Holiday Food Baskets to area families in need of help, providing a holiday meal for Christmas. The Lions perform various fundraisers throughout the year to raise money to purchase turkey dinners, with all the trimmings for those in need. Besides fundraisers by the club, personal donations have been made in the past from community residents. All groceries are...

Dec 1, 2016

Seeley-Swan Mountain Bells to Perform Carols by the Fire – Dec. 1 SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Mountain Bells invite the community to join them as they ring in the Christmas season with Carols by the Fire. Enjoy an evening of traditional carols and holiday tunes in the Great Hall of the Double Arrow Lodge Thursday, Dec. 1 at 6:30 p.m. Admission is free. Donations to help support the choir, maintain the bells, buy music and so forth will be gratefully accepted. What is Your Big Idea? SEELEY LAKE – Meet small business experts John Donovan fro...

Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Nov 24, 2016

SEELEY LAKE – Two employees of Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Inc. were killed in two separate incidents Thursday morning, Nov. 17. The first, 60-year-old David Solum of Condon, Mont. was killed in a vehicle accident while travelling south on Highway 83 around 6:15 a.m. The second victim, 66-year-old Phil Pohlman of Seeley Lake, was killed in an industrial accident during his shift at Pyramid. Solum was involved in a single-vehicle accident on Highway 83 near mile marker 25. He was heading south to w...

Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder|Nov 24, 2016

SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Community Council hosted a question and answer session with experts involved in the proposed wastewater treatment plant. Voters will decide whether or not to allow the board to move forward. Ballots for the bond election are being mailed Nov. 23 and are due back to the Missoula County Elections Office Dec. 13. Seeley Lake Sewer District Vice President Mike Lindemer introduced the panel. Engineer Craig Pozega from Great West Engineering (GW) was attending to answer...

Nathan Bourne, Pathfinder|Nov 24, 2016

SEELEY LAKE - As of their Nov. 17 regular meeting, the Seeley Lake Sewer Board will not be sending out informational packets on the proposed wastewater treatment plant. Concerned residents discussed the possibility of sending out information on their own at the meeting. District Vice President Mike Lindemer said the district planned to publish an informational packet but hit a legal roadblock. An attorney with the public relations company the district hired to produce the packet said it would be illegal to send. Lindemer said the board was...

Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Nov 24, 2016

SEELEY LAKE – An estimated 80 to 90 people piled some combination of turkey, ham, gravy, stuffing, rolls, mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes on their plates at the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner at the Swan Valley Community Hall, Nov. 20. They then chatted with their neighbors, visited with old friends or met new acquaintances. When their plate was empty they went back for a slice of apple or pumpkin pie, both of which disappeared quickly. The Condon Community Church sponsors the event. C...

Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Nov 24, 2016

SEELEY LAKE – Public comment on the SLE Outside store, current school district policies for conduct on school property and the Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace were topics of discussion at the Seeley Lake Elementary School Board meeting, Nov 15. The board made no changes to the current policies. They anticipate discussing the profit and loss report for the SLE Outside store at their January meeting. Business owner Duane Anderson inquired about the profit and loss statement for the SLE Outside store. District clerk Sally Johnson said she had o...

Pyramid Mountain Lumber Inc.|Nov 24, 2016

SEELEY LAKE - Two tragedies befell the Pyramid Mountain Lumber family Thursday, Nov. 17. We lost two key contributors to our success, Dave Solum and Phil Pohlman. While neither were on the production line, both were integral ensuring production workers could do their jobs. Dave started working at Pyramid April 16, 2012. He spent his day in a Bobcat, on a loader or in a dump truck. His primary responsibility was keeping all of the bark, broken logs ends and other debris cleaned up under and around our three debarkers. If he was not doing his...

Colleen Kesterson, Pathfinder|Nov 24, 2016

SWAN VALLEY - Justin and Crystal Taylor of Condon enjoy their hobby of working with their horses and competing in rodeos and jackpots in their spare time. While Crystal's focus is barrel racing and Justin's specialty is team roping, they enjoy the love of horses and passing that love to their children. Both Taylors started riding horses at a young age. Crystal said that she probably began riding her family's horses when she was about three years old. "My mom, [Lily Wood of Condon], gave me my...

Colleen Kesterson, Pathfinder|Nov 24, 2016

SWAN VALLEY - At their Nov. 15 meeting, the Swan Valley Community Council (SVCC) voted to form an Ad Hoc committee to research issues that came from the proposed renovations to the Swan Valley Library and the septic system used by the Community Hall and library. SVCC chair Ken Donovan said the purpose of the meeting was to identify issues facing the community hall and library and offer solutions to be considered. “We need to consider our options as a community.” The nearly 25 attendees discussed their thoughts on how to spend the $100,000 set...

U.S. Small Business Administration|Nov 24, 2016

When small businesses do well, local communities do too. These are the businesses that generate two of every three net new jobs and deliver essential goods and services to America’s communities 365 days a year. On Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26, millions of Americans in communities across the country will “shop small” to complete, or start holiday shopping. On the heels of Black Friday, shopping small is a concrete way to support small retailers. Since 2010, Small Business Saturday has been a growing economic force in Montana and acros...

Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Nov 24, 2016

SEELEY LAKE – Based on the current budget, Seeley Lake Rural District Fire Chief Bob Vanden Heuvel does not see the financial ability to afford an Assistant Chief. However, at the monthly Fire Board meeting, Nov. 22, he continued to advocate for officer pay when assigned as Officer in Charge and for a three percent raise for both District Administrator Lynn Richards and maintenance employee Mark Kues. Board member Gary Lewis suggested having a volunteer assistant chief. Vanden Heuvel was not in favor of the idea. “I have good officers in pla...

Sigrid Olson, Pathfinder|Nov 24, 2016

POTOMAC - There were 2,650,000 Montana cattle including calves as of Jan. 1, 2016. According to Montana Department of Livestock (DOL), more than 600 head will be shipped this month from Potomac producers. On shipping day, the cattle are sorted into pens. Brand inspectors check brands and ear tags. They must clarify cattle ownership by the brands before the cattle are sold and shipped. Livestock cannot be sold or owned without proof of ownership according to the DOL. Owners need to prove...

Nov 24, 2016

Annual Giving Tree Opportunity Available Nov. 22-Dec. 13 SEELEY LAKE - It’s time again for the annual “Giving Tree” sponsored by the Mountain Lakes Presbyterian Women. The tree will be set up in Cory’s Valley Market on Tuesday, Nov. 22 and will be available for those wishing to purchase gifts for children in the Seeley Lake community. There are two cards for each child (one for clothing, one for a toy) listing age, gender and a gift to purchase. Parents or guardians have indicated clothing items and toys that are needed and/or wanted by the chi...

Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder|Nov 17, 2016

SEELEY LAKE – To follow up on the Resource Team Assessment conducted Sept. 19-20 by Montana Economic Developers Association (MEDA), four of the team members returned to Seeley Lake Nov. 10 to help prioritize and kick-start the projects deemed most urgent by Seeley Lake community members. Following a brief review of the topics and issues resulting from the team's September interviews, attendees were separated into five groups of six to eight people. Each group decided which three topics they f...

Andi Bourne, Pathfinder|Nov 17, 2016

SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake resident Adriana Walton was sworn in as a United States (U.S.) citizen Oct. 20. While becoming a citizen was never a dream of hers, the security and ability to live freely with her husband and participate in elections was enough impetus to trade in her green card. Adriana was raised in Araras, Brazil. During high school, her least favorite class was English. "I thought that [because] I come from a poor family, I will never travel outside of Brazil. Why do I need to l...

Sigrid Olson, Pathfinder|Nov 17, 2016

POTOMAC - Potomac veterans joined Potomac School students Nov. 10 for the first annual Veterans Breakfast and Assembly at the Potomac/Greenough Community Center (PGCC). Grades kindergarten through eighth sang songs, played instruments, recited and acted for the veterans and their families. Breakfast, provided by head cook Debra Blodgett, included pancakes, breakfast sandwiches, fruits, milk, juice and coffee. The poem "Veterans Day" by Jessica Hawkins was recited by Terri Klein's first grade...