Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 65
Small communities enjoy the comradely of shared history and traditions. They remain strong through ideals of generations of families sharing similar values, secrets, traditions, triumphs and tragedy. These communities are enhanced through the years as family trees branch with the introduction of spouses or business people. These "recruits" bring with them new ideas, their own traditions and create a dynamic society that grows and thrives. The Hinsdale High School Class of 2020 has only four...
As of June 13, there is officially a new route to drive into Nashua and into Fort Peck. After many months, meetings and delays, the Milk River North Project, also known as the Nashua railroad overpass, is now open to traffic, just in time for the summer travel season. To signify this new addition, the Montana Department of Transportation held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the community and all the organizations who had a key role in the various stages of the project. In attendance were...
Joan Ruth (Wetterling) Helland, 82, passed away Friday morning, June 7, 2019, at Valley View Nursing Home in Glasgow, Mont., surrounded by friends and family members. Joan was born in Kensington, Minn., Feb. 5, 1937, to Waldo J. and Eleanor (Larson) Wetterling. She was the oldest of four children. The family moved to Glasgow in 1945 to farm for Henry Osterberg, and Waldo later bought some land in the Milk River Valley between Glasgow and Nashua. Joan's mother, Eleanor, was a long-time... Full story
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is excited to unveil the Milk River North Project just in time for the summer travelers. The Milk River North project reconstructed a portion of MT 117 from the Milk River Bridge near Nashua to US Highway 2 on a new alignment just west of Nashua. The project includes a new railroad overpass and connection to US 2. The existing roadway through Nashua was repaved along with new sidewalk on the south side of Front Street between River Street and Davis Street. Both the new and existing roadways will re...
The National Weather Service in Glasgow is projecting a mild flood season for Spring, 2019. According to meteorologist Patrick Gilchrist, the projected flood risks for the area are minor flooding at 35 percent, moderate flooding at five percent and major flooding at less than five percent. Gilchrist told the Courier that the projections are favorable for a number of reasons. First is that the snowpack that does exist is low in water content. Gilchrist called this the “snow-water equivalent” which changes based on the temperature when the sno...
Do you remember all of the old iron bridges? As a young person I never was sure I liked going over them, or if they just scared me a little. That may have been the only type of major bridge constructed in a given era. I definitely remember the old iron bridge on the Tampico Road; I know that there was an iron bridge on the road going out on 6th Ave So. Of course, I got to cross the bridge over the river at Tampico and the one at Vandalia. I think there was a bridge crossing the Milk River on the Fort Peck Hwy (by the old Ken’s Club, but that i...
After a summer filled with drought followed by a heavy winter, which brought record-snowfall, the next curveball Mother Nature has in store for residents of Valley County is flooding. The flooding has been so worrisome throughout the state that Governor Bullock issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency on April 18. This executive order was issued for Valley County and other Hi-Line counties and authorizing the availability and utilization of necessary state government services, eq... Full story
Based upon the latest models at press time, the National Weather Service in Glasgow is projecting that flooding is almost imminent for the Milk River in Glasgow; it's just a matter of when. Thankfully, flooding hasn't really been on anyone's radar lately due to abnormally low temperatures for this time of year. According to Warning Coordination Meteorologist Patrick Gilchrist, it is very unusual to have this much snow on the ground this time of year, stating, "The longer we hold onto the snow,... Full story
Temperatures will be warming up in the Upper Yellowstone and Upper Musselshell River basins with readings in the fifties to lower sixties by mid-week. That will allow tributaries to start sending water and ice into the main stem rivers. Generally, it takes about five to ten days to evacuate ice out from the Billings area all the way through the Lower Yellowstone River. Things will take a little longer in the Milk and Poplar River basins as temperatures are not as warm, but it won’t be too far behind the other two. Two-thirds of Montana’s ice ja... Full story
Valley County Sheriff Vernon Buerkle reports a quiet holiday weekend locally, at least with regard to significant accidents and arrests. County Commissioner Paul Tweten tells us that Great West Engineering made their final inspections Nov. 28 on the bridge over Beaver Creek on Milk River Road near Hinsdale. County Planner Renee Clampitt still has Valley County atlas books for sale (complete with township, range and communities), as well as wall maps and folding maps featuring the county on one side and towns on the other. Atlas books are $30.... Full story
Valley County Sheriff Vernon Buerkle confirms that jail numbers are on the rise. The number of inmates rose from 13 to 41 this week, mainly due to transfers from Yellowstone, Missoula and Ravalli counties. County Planner Rene Clampitt has Valley County atlas books for sale (complete with township, range and communities). She’s also offering excellent wall maps and folding maps featuring the county on one side and towns on the other. And the price is right: Atlas books are $30. Maps are $10. Contact Clampitt at 406-228-6222 or find her at C... Full story
The decision to auction off the Magruder property was approved to be sold last week by the Valley County Commissioners. The parcel of land, located on the south side of town along MT Highway 42, was utilized as the home to the local farmer’s market. The plot will be sold at an auction taking place in the lobby at the Valley County Courthouse on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 9:30 a.m. Commissioners also decided in favor of an increase in the clothing allowance and differential pay for the Valley County Sheriff’s Office. The clothing allowance was inc... Full story
We couldn’t have asked for better conditions for the 2017 Catfish Clash, held in Williston, N.D., on Aug. 19, as 53 boats set out to conquer the Mighty Missouri. The Williston section always provides big fish and plenty of them. The days leading up to this year’s seventh-annual “Clash” were consistent and, in turn, it provided a bit of river stability that all anglers were able to enjoy. Weather on the day of the event was about as ideal as one could hope for. Air temperatures stuck in the mid 80s, storms stayed by the wayside, river flows (alt... Full story
Construction will soon begin on a new bridge just west of Hinsdale. Due to begin on Aug. 28, the project will replace the bridge over Beaver Creek on Milk River Road. The contract will be carried out by Tamietti Construction of Great Falls. The bulk of the project will be completed by Nov. 26, and the crew will have the bridge finished sometime in December. Ballots have been sent out for an upcoming election concerning mills to aid Valley View Nursing Home. The proposed 10-mill levy over two years will offset the deficit between the cost that... Full story
Riverside Contracting and subcontractor Sletten Construction will be making repairs to the Milk River Bridge south of Nashua. To begin the repairs, the northbound lane of Highway 117 at the Milk River Bridge will be closing on Tuesday, July 11, at 8 a.m. During the closure, only single-lane traffic with loads less than 10 feet in width will be allowed across the bridge until the entire bridge work is completed. The closure will remain in effect seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The work will take approximately two months and will be completed... Full story
Valley County and the city of Glasgow saw a string of driving under the influence of alcohol cases over the weekend. Two DUI cases in the county involved vehicle crashes with one DUI occurring in the city limits. The first crash occurred on June 2, at 9 p.m., near the Milk River Bridge on Tampico Road. The driver, who is alleged to have been under the influence, collided with a truck pulling a camper trailer. No serious injuries were reported. Sheriff Vernon Buerkle commented, “It’s a miracle there were no serious injuries in that crash.” The s... Full story
A lot of road construction projects across the county are now one step closer to being accomplished after this week’s discussion and decision meeting at the Valley County Commissioners' office. The first project that the commissioners gave the go-ahead on was a bridge over Beaver Creek on Milk River Road, located just west of Hinsdale. After consulting with Great West Engineering Firm, whom designed the plan, the commissioners approved the bid of $717,131.25 made by Tamietti Construction. The county will perform the dirt and road work as w... Full story
Valley County Commissioners would like it to be known that the Milk River Bridge south of Nashua will be getting the deck replaced this summer. Early indications show that the project should take 10 weeks and traffic will be limited to a single lane. During the construction, commissioners warn that the bridge may cause problems with transporting heavy machinery. They also expect that delays of 10 to 15 minutes may occur while the maintenance takes place. The site will have stop lights and flaggers present to assist in directing traffic.... Full story
George Raymond Nicol (aka: Punk, Nick, Monty, Ray) was born on Oct. 4, 1924, to George Raymond, Sr., and Minnie Anna (Struple) Nicol in Glasgow, Mont. While spending his last two years with assistance from Valley View staff, he quietly and peacefully fell asleep in his bed Thursday evening, Feb. 23, 2017, at age 92. His folks came to Montana in 1909 and built a log house which is now under the Ft. Peck Dam waters. Their home then was what later became the Southern most edge of Ft. Peck Dam... Full story
Long time Valley County resident Mary Ann (Clowes) Moen, 93, passed away on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, from natural causes in Fargo, N.D., with her daughter, Ruth, by her side. A Celebration of Life will be held at First Lutheran Church in Glasgow on Wednesday, March 8, at 11 a.m. She was born on Feb. 18, 1923, in Polson, Mont., to Homer and Ruth (Biddle) Clowes. The family returned to Glasgow when she was a toddler and there she remained except for the last year of her life. She lived through... Full story
Two moose were recently spotted at Duane Mattfeldt's place, east of town, located near the Milk River Bridge on MT Hwy. 24. The moose originally appeared north of the railroad tracks near the Valley Veterinary Clinic, and were eventually seen on Mattfeldt's land Jan. 4. The moose, likely a mother and her yearling calf, seem to come and go from the property. Although sightings have been sporadic, it appears the best time to see them has been between 8 and 8:30 a.m. on any given day. Once the time... Full story
The Montana Department of Transportation expects the paving project along Hwy. 117 between Nashua and Glasgow to be completed within the next two weeks, including the sloping and planting of grass along the finished roadway . The remainder of work and chip sealing will be completed next year. Sections of the much-used roadway had been reported by residents as worsening every winter. After investigating the area, the damage was determined to be caused by “frost heave,” which is caused by a combination of soil types underneath the road and the... Full story
Recent flooding throughout Valley and Phillips counties have had impacts on low lying areas, drowning out hay bales and alfalfa seed as well as covering roads. The Courier spoke with local ranchers and farmers affected by the flooding to get their reports on this problematic fall weather. West of Hinsdale, Mark and Heidi Johnson have been ranching for some time. Mr. Johnson grew up ranching since the 1950s and Heidi married onto the ranch some 25 years ago. They provided insight not only on... Full story
Living on the Milk River bottom all my life, something you learn to expect and accept as part of life are the floods. I don’t think you ever really get used to them, as each presents a different challenge. I have memories back to grade school days of the floods – the enjoyment of getting to stay home from school for a few days until it became apparent the water was not going to recede quickly. Dad and Uncle Lee walked the distance of the road under water and staked the sides so you knew where you were on the road. They then went through the wat...
Religion played an important part in the community life of the homesteaders. The Kienitzes belonged to the Lutheran congregation, which met once monthly at the Gus Pehlke home, beginning in 1916. Members would take turns meeting Pastor A. Jordan at Saco, where he arrived by skidoo. Pastor Jordon was stationed at Chinook and was single at this time. He was silent about possible romantic attachments and his congregation might have been in the dark to this day if it hadn’t been for Mark Wright’s sheepherder’s weekly Chinook newspaper. One Sunda... Full story
