Columbia Falls Heritage Days "Official" Website

The Early Years:

The area that is now Columbia Falls, in the early days, was a logging and agricultural section with numerous mills and farms located throughout the area. When the Great Northern Railway built through the area in 1891, Columbia Falls, once known as Monaco, became the eastern gateway into the Flathead valley and the western gateway into the North Fork and Lake McDonald country and points east. Though settlers were in the area long before, the city of Columbia Falls was not officially incorporated until April 26, 1909.

Click here to visit our Glacier National Park Centennial page for a bit of park history with a touch of local flavor.

For an early day history of J. E. Lewis, Flathead Valley pioneer and fur trader, owner of the Gayloard Hotel at Columbia Falls, and the Glacier Hotel at the head of Lake McDonald from 1908 - 1930, click here.

1894 Inter Lake Ad

1895, 16 August: Columbia Falls Gets Soldiers Home

And Columbia Falls gets the soldiers home. Well, here's congratulations to Columbia Falls. It is the next best thing to having it located at Kalispell. We hope the location will prove to be a good one, and be a pleasant one for the old soldiers who may live there.

We think the commission made a mistake in selecting a location eighteen miles from town when they could have had one but a mile away. The extra subscription offered for the location chosen will not make up the difference in distance. It seems however that the commissioners thought different.

If the people who subscribed so liberally to secure the home think it will be worth the price they had to pay for it, it is no concern to other people, even though they may think it is paying pretty dear for the whistle.

- - - Inter Lake

1896, 27 November: Another Saw Mill   NEW !

One of the two mills which were shipped into the valley a short time ago by Geoffrey Lavell, of Butte, is being set up on Joe Gangner's ranch near Columbia Falls. The mill will have a capacity of 35,0000 feet daily, and its product will be shipped almost exclusively to the mines of the Anaconda company. A spur will be built to the mill by the railroad company.

The location of the other mill has not been decided on yet, but it will be put in condition for work in a short time.

Both the mills have been in use by the Anaconda company in the south part of the state, and their removal here means that the company will get at least the larger part of its lumber supply from the Flathead in the future. To the people of the valley it means a larger and livelier market for their timber.
- - - Daily Inter Lake

1896, 20 November: Columbia Falls Schools

The Columbus School, at Columbia Falls, was built in 1892. It is a handsome two-story red brick building of four departments, and is furnished in polished tamarack. The light and ventilation are good while the halls are wide.

The school is supplied with the best furniture, slate black-boards, a large bell, and modern apparatus. The building and furniture, when present improvements are completed, will cost $12,000, and accomodate on hundred and eighty pupils.

Since the school was founded, but two teachers have been employed. Prin. N. T. Conklin, who is serving his second year, has charge of the higher department, and Miss Mary G. Browne teaches the primary department.

The course of study, which is followed as closely as possible, is the one prepared by the State Board of Education.

The pupils of the Columbus school are all enthusiastic in their work, well advanced for their age, and rank second to none with any school of their size in the state. Last year, besides the regular work in the common branches, there were classes in physical geography, civil government, and algebra. This year a class studies rhetoric. Special attention is given to composition, the classics, grammar, mental arthimetic, written arithmetic, and orthography.

During the school year of 1896 there were enrolled in both departments one hundred pupils; at present the enrollment is eighty-five.

In order to secure funds for completing and furnishing the two upper rooms of the school building, the district last May voted a tax of $2,000. The rooms are now being finished; and after the holidays a third teacher will probably be employed. The school will be then much more efficient.

- - - Inter Lake

1896 Inter Lake

1903, 05 June: Newspaper Plant Moving To Columbia Falls

It is reported that D. A. Henricks will move the plant of the defunct Libby Montanian to Columbia Falls and begin the publication of a paper there. He states that politically the paper will be Republican. It will probably be no difficult matter for Bro. Hendricks to be a republican - after a fashion. The Montanian switched its position so fast under his administration that it was no easy matter to locate it at all times. It was republican, Clark democratic, anti-Clark, and several other kinds, running wild and mixed a good share of the time. Any kind of political coat that was on the shelf seemed to fit well enough.

In a republican stronghold like Columbia Falls, though, it ought not to be hard for him to stick to one line for a few months at a time.
- - - Inter Lake

1903, 26 June: Columbia Falls Has A Newspaper

The first number of Hendricks "Columbian," the new newspaper at Columbia Falls is out, and makes a creditable appearance. Bro. Hendricks though new to his field, has been in the county for a good many years and he will give the people of Columbia Falls a good newspaper, if they do their part.
- - - Inter Lake

NOTE: The Columbian was published until 1925 when the owner moved the plant to Whitefish and began publishing the Whitefish Independent. Other early day newspapers in Columbia Falls were The Columbia Falls Review, renamed The Montana Review in March 1939.

1904, 05 February: Destroyed By Fire

Haskill's livery barn at Columbia Falls was entirely destroyed by fire about midnight Wednesday. All the horses and vehicles were saved, but several sets of harness were burned. It is believed that the fire was of incendiary origin.
- - - Inter Lake

1904, 22 April: Columbia Falls Has A Blaze

Row of wooden buildings burned - body of man found in ruins.

Five frame buildings were totally destroyed by fire at Columbia Falls Monday. The burned buildings were in the block north of the Gaylord hotel, and only the building occupied by the Main Mercantile Company was left standing. All were occupied by saloons.

It is thought the fire was of incendiary origin, as a number of attempts to burn the buildings are believed to have been made before. The fire started in the saloon of Al. Morgan, and when discovered had got under such headway that few of the contents of the building could be saved. From the adjoining buildings much of the contents were saved. The Main Mercantile Co.'s store was protected by its heavy brick wall, and a fortunate change in the direction of the wind made it possible for men to work on top of that building, or it would certainly have been destroyed, as it was on fire under the roof in a number of places. All the goods from the store were removed when it seemed likely that it would also go up in smoke.

Soon after the fire a message was sent to Kalispell asking for aid, and the chemical engine, accompanied by forty or fifty men from here, was sent up on a special [train]. A quick run was made, but the fire was practically under control before the Kalispell department reached it.

Several hours after the fire was under control the body of a man was discovered a few feet from where the Stockholm saloon, one of the burned buildings, had stood. Two small boys made the discovery and reported it at once. Coroner Willoughby, who was in Columbia Falls at the time, took charge of the body, and held an inquest to discover if possible a clue as to the manner of his death. A watch and key found near the body made it certain that the body was that of Howard L. Gladwin, who had slept in the Stockholm the night before, and who had gone back to bed a short time before the fire was discovered. The jury was uncertain as to the cause of his death, and returned a verdict of death from unknown cause. It was the opinion of Dr. Robinson, who examined the body where it was discovered, that the man was dead before he had been touched by fire, and that he had not died from suffocation by smoke. His reason for his opinion was that the muscles of the limbs were not contracted in the least, as they could have been had death been the result of burning or suffocation. The body when discovered, was lying flat upon the back, with the arms and legs extended and was burned and charred beyond recognition.

May Have Been Murder: Later developments in regard to the body of Howard Gladwin who was found dead after the fire at Columbia Falls Monday, point to the possibility that Gladwin may have been murdered and the building burned in an attempt to conceal the crime. Two men were reported in custody at the Falls each accusing the other of having been concerned in the murder. County Attorney Grubb and Deputy Sheriff Donahue went to Columbia Falls yesterday to hold an examination, which is being continued today. A telephone message from there says that nothing of any importance had yet been developed in the inquiry, but the investigation had not been completed.

April 29, 1904: No Clues Found: The investigation that was conducted at Columbia Falls last week in the attempt to determine the cause of the death of Howard Gladwin brought out nothing on which a definite charge could be made. Ed. Staples, who had been held on Burns' statement that he had seen Staples strike Gladwin with an iron bar some time before the fire, was discharged. Burns had been drunk, and the general belief was that he was in no condition to know what had really happened. He has been in the county jail since the fire, and since he has sobered up sticks to the story practically as he told it in the first place. County Attorney Grubb is still investigating the case, but has so far been able to find little to throw light on the affair.
- - - Inter Lake

1904, 27 August: Night Operator At Columbia Falls Held Up

"Trow up yer hands and do it bloody quick, or I'll blow der top of yer bloody head off!"

These words fell with a hard metallic ring on the ears of Luttrell, the night operator at the Columbia Falls railroad depot about two o'clock Thursday morning. This peremptory order came from a masked man with a determined air and a six shooter in his red right hand. The operator obeyed and on the instant, for never before had he seen a gun with such a deadly appearance, and all thought of the message he was receiving at the time over the wire fled.

The unwelcome intruder then ordered the operator to unlock the cash drawer. "How can I, with my hands in the air," he replied. "Lower'em, but be quick, came the order. Silver, gold, paper money, nickels, all found their way into the capacious pocket of the man with a gun. The clean up made, the hold-up man was quick to get away. But before leaving he order the wires removed from the telephone, and then told the operator to stand against the wall for twenty minutes, and to be careful, for a man watching from the outside was likely to shoot.

He did not attempt raid the safe in the office for it was locked and the combination was with Halmar Lewis, the agent, who had long before retired to his home up town. Thursday was to be Lewis' last day in the office for he had resigned his office. So far as learned in Whitefish no trace of the robber has been gained. The money stolen amounted to $97.40.
- - - Whitefish Pilot

1906, 09 March: New Mill At Columbia Falls   NEW !

The Hollister Lumber Company, of Manchester, Iowa, has bought a site for a sawmill near the Soldiers' Home, two miles down the river from Columbia Falls, and will move a mill there from Michigan. A. Hollister and G. W. Hunt, of the company, spent some time making an examination of the timber along the Flathead, and secured contracts for a large amount of timber. They attempted to buy the Olsen & Peterson site at Columbia Falls, but were not able to make satisfactory arrangements. A spur will be run from the railroad to the mill as soon as it is ready to begin sawing. Mr. Hunt will be local manager, and will move his family here from Manchester.

It is not the intention to manufacture lumber for the general trade, but the company will cut exclusively for its own yards, nine in number, located at towns in eastern Iowa and western Illinois. The company is a strong one and is backed by abundant capital.

- - - Daily Inter Lake

1909, 27 April: Columbia Falls Incorporated

As the result of the election held in Columbia Falls yesterday, that village has decided to step up and take her place with the regularly organized cities of the state.

The saloons offered about the only opposition to the movement. The returns of the election will be canvassed at the next meeting of the county commissioners, and then the new city can elect its officers at a special election after thirty days notice has been given of the coming of the election.

The vote stood 55 for incorporation and 30 against.
- - - Daily Inter Lake

1909, 22 June: Murray Is Elected First Mayor Of New City

The canvas of the election held at Columbia Falls for the election of municipal officers yesterday, was made this afternoon by the commissioners. E. J. Murray had no opposition for mayor, and the citizens ticket was successful in electing its aldermen, except in the third ward. The vote by wards are as follows:

1st Ward — Mayor, E. J. Murray, 26; Aldermen: Joe Imholt, 18; Axel Lund, 21; C. C. Miller, 13.

2nd Ward — Mayor, E. J. Murray, 44; Aldermen: Franklin Lord, 44; J. W. Lewtz, 22; J. T. Hutchinson, 28.

3rd Ward — Mayor, E. J. Murray 15; Aldermen: J. M. Grist, 6; M. Bartleson, 3; W. J. Howell, 5; Wm. Werner, 8; Albert Brinkerhoff, 9.
- - - Daily Inter Lake

1910, 29 April: Changes At Columbia Falls

Two important business changes are reported from Columbia Falls this week.

The big general store of R. W. Main & Co., has been sold to parties from North Dakota and will be turned over as soon as the invoices of the stock can be completed. Mr. Main does not say what he intends doing, but it is certain that he is not contemplating changing his residence from the Flathead.

L. D. Bates has also sold his drug business to F. C. Sherran, of Faribault, Minn. Mr. Bates is postmaster, and will remain in Columbia Falls, holding that position.
- - - The Kalispell Bee

1910, 05 July: New Concern For Columbia Falls

The Hustler Mercantile Company filed articles of incorporation last week and will open a first-class line of general merchandise at Columbia Falls in the near future. The company will occupy the business location of the former Main Mercantile Company and will put in a large and complete stock. The incorporators are A. J. Brinkerhoff, John Morton, and Harry Whitestone, all well known residents of the Falls.
- - - The Kalispell Bee

1910, 02 September: Safes Cracked At Columbia Falls

A smooth job of safe-cracking, which was unquestionably the work of experienced hands, was pulled off at Columbia Falls last night, and money and checks to the extent of several thousand dollars were secured by the crooks. Both the big safes of the Olson and Jordan Lumber companies were blown open, and the contents taken.

No trace of the cracksmen was found, and a hurried call to the sheriff's office this morning merely stated that the crime had been committed, and asked for an officer to be sent up to look into the case.

It is believed that the men who did the work effected their escape on the east-bound Burlington, which was several hours late last night. The safes were located near the depot, and several persons were around the place at the time the explosions were supposed to have occurred, but no one noticed anything out of the ordinary, and it was not until this morning the wrecked safes were discovered.
- - - The Kalispell Bee

1910, 23 September: Electric Lights For The Falls

Columbia Falls will turn on their electric lights for the first time tonight in their street lighting system, and in celebration of the event have arranged for a big jubilee. Manager McDonald has been invited to attend, and with other Kalispell people will help celebrate the turning on of the lights. Thirty-two arc lamps are being put in for a start, and a most effective system has been perfected.
- - - The Kalispell Bee

1920, 27 July: Among The Sawmills   NEW !

The buzz of two sawmills will soon be heard in Columbia Falls daily, and the added prosperity will be greatly appreciated by the people of this community. The manufacture of lumber will be carried on steadily by three new sawmills in the immediate vicinity of Columbia Falls, one of the greatest logging centers in the state, and in a short time will be listed among the great lumber shipping points of the state.

The John Olson mill will be running full blast in a few days, and with all the latest up-to-date machinery with a large band saw, will be a good producer. The company has millions of feet of logs to saw into lumber, and at present their boom is full of white pine logs, which will keep the big mill busy for several months.

The Hunt-Trippet Lumber Company have their new mill nearly completed and will be running by the first of August. They have their boom full of logs and several million feet banked which are ready to be put in the river at any time. This company has one of the best mill sites on the river, and the buildings they have erected make the camp one of the best appearing in the county

The Parker - Zorzi Lumber Company are sawing steadily and have been shipping for some time. This company is located north of Columbia Falls in the heavily timbered section and have an abundance of timber in their possession to keep them sawing for years.
- - - The Columbian

1922, 23 June: Columbia Falls Mill Is Burned   NEW !

Fire of unknown origin completely destroyed the Montana Western Lumber Company planing mill here Tuesday night. The night dispatcher at the depot first noticed the fire at a few minutes before midnight and called the telephone central who at once turned in a general alarm.

The fire department responded quickly and was soon upon the grounds, but nothing could be done, as the flames had spread throughout the frame buildings and nothing could be saved. The loss is estimated at about $20,000, with insurance of $10,000. It is believed that one planer and the boiler can be salvage.

The night watchman was eating his lunch in the office building near the mill when he saw flames burst from the filing room, in the southeast corner of the plant, and within a very few minutes the entire building was in flames. The fires in the engine room had been drawn during the afternoon, as the state boiler inspector was expected to make an examination of the plant the following day.

Manager Schoknecki announces that a temporary plant will be constructed to complete present orders on hand and will be running in about 10 days.

The mill was built by the Olson Lumber Company in about 1907.
- - - The Columbian

1925, 16 April: Anderson Opens Theatre At Columbia Falls

Carl E. Anderson of the Liberty theatre here [Kalispell] opened a new moving picture house, the "Columbia Theatre," in Columbia Falls last night, in the old Kennedy building, which had been vacant for some time. Mr. Anderson has remodeled the place considerably, adding a white stucco front, a stage, and "the last word in theatre equipment," he says, and shows will be on there from three to five nights a week. A local manager will be appointed to run the house. The opening picture, Harold Lloyd in "Safety Last," played to a large audience, which included some Kalispell people.

The only other picture theatre in Columbia Falls is the Theatorium, which has been running for about fifteen years, it is understood.
- - - Daily Inter Lake

June 29, 1927: Indian Trapper Returns From The Northland   NEW !

Winter in the north country was not severe, according to Joe Cosley, well-known trapper, who has just returned to the Flathead. Although the ice on the lakes was so thick that on May 18 he had to make a sled to get his canoe across one of them, the snow did not reach a depth of over six inches, he said.

Cosley, who wears gold ear-rings and talks like the old-time "voyageur," came out of his tripping grounds near the Bush River in British Columbia April 1, and decided upon a canoe trip down the Beaver River to look over the land with a view to locating grounds for muskrat farmers, and incidentally to do a bit of spring trapping.

Trapping itself did not prove very profitable, for although Beaver River, he said, has been famous for "muskrats," he found it all trapped out by men ahead of him. Below Green lake he came onto a Cree Indian settlement and knew it was useless to look for rats thereafter. However, he made mental note of marshes adjoining the lakes and along the river which he is confident could be made to flourish through muskrat farming.

The 800-mile canoe trip down the Beaver River, as described by Cosley, sounded ideal. Outfitting at Edmonton, he started from Lake LaBiche and in all his journey encountered no bad weather, only clear sunlight. At night he did not even put up a tent but slept under trees, his only friends being the wild animals and birds.

The trapper saw many rare birds he was not acquainted with. Thousands of geese and ducks were flying northward, as well as sandhill cranes and "whoopers," - white cranes believed by many to be extinct. Hawks, crows, owls, and rabbits he saw by the thousands. Many of the rabbits, he said, were dead along the river banks, a condition presumably explained by the fact that rabbits are believed to die off every seven years. Deer, caribou and moose - all seemed in good condition, Cosley said. He lived on birds' eggs almost entirely.

The trip was a slow one on the whole. The crooked rivers traversing the land made the water route so circuitous that 10 miles as the crow flies frequently meant 35 miles by water and required a whole day's canoeing.
- - - Daily Inter Lake

1929, 31 January: Fire Totally Destroys The Gaylord Hotel   NEW !

Hostelry was one of the old landmarks of the valley - built by James Talbot 35 years ago.

With the thermometer registering 10 below zero and with a stiff gale blowing down through Bad Rock Canyon, members of the Columbia Falls fire department were unable to save the Gaylord Hotel building at Columbia Falls Saturday evening, when fire of unknown origin broke out in the attic of the building, and soon had spread to the lower floors.

The 31 rooms of the hotel were all occupied at the time of the fire ad many of the guests escaped with only the clothing they were wearing. The homes in the town were thrown open to the fire victims and with the exception of a number of frozen ears, fingers, and toes the guests suffered no severe injuries in leaving the burning building in the blizzard which was raging outside.

Several teaches who made their home at the hotel were attending a movie when the fire broke out and they lost all of their possessions, one of the teachers losing a piano as well as all her clothing and personal belongings.

John E. Lewis, proprietor of the hotel, was away at the time of the fire and did not learn of his loss until his return Sunday morning. Several thousand dollars worth of raw furs which were stored in one of the rooms of the hotel were saved and some of the furniture was also removed from the lobby and the lower floors.

Three paintings, the work of Charles Russell, and valued very highly by Mr. Lewis, were also saved. One of the paintings, "The Three Wise Men," is valued at $40,000 by Mr. Lewis.

The members of the fire department being unable to save the hotel building put forth their best efforts to confine the blaze to the single building, and succeeded in doing so, although the fierce wind carried the heat of the flames across the street to the brick building occupied by the Bank of Columbia Falls, and it is understood every window in the building was broken from the intense heart. Several stocks of merchandise from nearby buildings were moved out into the street, when it looked as though the adjacent buildings were to be gutted by the flames.

The Gaylord was one of the old landmarks of the Flathead Valley. It was built by James A. Talbott some 35 years ago, with the advent of the Great Northern Railway, and was one of the finest hostelries in this part of Montana. The hotel in those days was a social center and many are the parties that were held there and remembered well by the pioneers of this section.

The property changed hands about twelve or fifteen years ago, J. E. Lewis taking over the building and making many improvements, so that it was modern and used much as a community center for the people of the Columbia Falls vicinity. The loss will be felt not only by the owner but by the whole community as well.

The building was valued at $32,000 and the contents at about $10,000 it is understood. The insurance on the building and contents amounts to $22,000. It has not been learned whether or not the building will be rebuilt.
- - - Daily Inter Lake

Business Men Erect Arch Sign
August 27, 1953

1956, 12 June: Falls To Use Dial Telephones Sunday   NEW !

Columbia Falls telephone users will officially switch over to the dial telephone system at 12:01 a. m. Sunday.

Lyman Olliver, Whitefish - Columbia Falls Pacific Power & Light manager, said about 875 dial phones will go into use.

Being tested now is the installed dial equipment. Near completion is the exchange building behind the Falls PP&L office.

Columbia Falls numbers will be identified by the prefix Twinbrook 2.

A new number might be TW 2-3413. For local calls, the prefix need not be dialed.

Columbia Falls and Hungry Horse will communicate on a local basis with no long-distance charges. The Hungry Horse number prefix is Dupont 7.

Long distance calls from Columbia Falls will be handled by Kalispell operators.
- - - Daily Inter Lake

PLEASE NOTE: If you have any information about the history of Columbia Falls, and / or Heritage Days, and you would like to share that information on this website, please contact the Heritage Days coordinators (click on the 'contact us' link at the top of this page for contact details).

Thank you,

Heritage Days Committee