100 YEARS AGO • MAY 8, 1919

BIG PICNIC AT ALGER

Will Entertain All Soldiers, Sailors and Marines from Sanders County

Arrangements are being perfected for the picnic to be held at Alger (near Child’s Road) on June 26, 27 and 28 in honor of the soldiers, sailors and marines of this county.

The Alger Marketing Association will entertain the service men during the three days free to all Sanders county soldiers, sailors and marines, but the boys are requested to bring their own blankets.

Three camps will be established – one for the civil war veterans, one for the Spanish-American war veterans, and the other for those who served in the recent world war.

During the three days, sports of all kinds will be held and a dance each night.

The people of Alger are preparing to do everything necessary to give all visitors a good time and show the boys how much they appreciate their service.

40 YEARS AGO • MAY 24, 1979

WORK ON SHORT-CUT ROAD

IN FULL SWING

After a long, wet spring, construction work on the Thompson Pass Short-cut road is back in full swing by Wickens Brothers Construction Co. of Lewistown, prime contractor. Redding Construction of Spokane began work on installation of three bridges on the project. The first concrete on the upper bridge was poured last week.

Jim Hickey, project superintendent for Wickens, said he has 22 men at work on the project.

Hickey said he has four long-haul units hauling gravel to the fill near the old Montana Standard Mine

That big fill has drawn some comments and questions from some observers. As one logger put it, “It doesn’t make much sense to be tearing down one mountain (where the old road is located) and then build another mountain right beside it.”

The present road bed cannot be widened because to dig into the hill further would endanger a BPA transmission line tower above that point. The road can’t be kept down below the hill because the Dept. of Fish and Game will not permit the road to encroach on Prospect Creek.

Dirt being used for the big fill is being hauled from a large cut across the creek near the U.S. Antimony Mine.

The three bridges to be installed include a 100-foot span near the mouth of Crow Creek, a 95-foot span at Cooper gulch and another 95-foot span below 24-mile creek.

When completed, the road will be an energy saving project since it will save two to three gallons of gas or more for each auto traveling between the Flathead and Spokane.