50 YEARS AGO • MAY 31, 1969

GRADUATES

Members of the 1969 senior class of Thompson Falls High School receiving diplomas at commencement exercises Tuesday night were, Diana Dodson, treasurer, Orin Kendall, president, Jennifer Cuddy, secretary and salutatorian, Richard Brotherton, Donna Riffle Quitt, Steve Lime, Lynne Rosdahl, Susan Larson, Louie LaRock, Walter Borgmann, Irene Pirker, Andy Wilkinson, Lynda Vulles, Kacey Collins, Linda Huffman, Jay Wood, Judy Eaton, Jack Inman, Jeri Eldridge, Russ Grantham, Tom Eggensperger, valedictorian, Victor Andersen, Taffy Miller, Terry Wetzler, Jerry Taylor, John Dickson and Philip Lewis.

FOREST SERVICE, STATE AGREE TO START WORK ON SHORT-CUT ROUTE

The Forest Service and Montana Highway Dept. have reached agreement to proceed with construction of the top portion of the Thompson Pass Short-Cut road as soon as possible, officials of the two agencies announced Wednesday.

The agreement to get the “project moving again was reached at a meeting in Helena last week of Orville Daniels, acting supervisor of the Lolo National Forest, Grover Powers, pre-construction engineer for the highway department and other officials.

The two agencies agreed that construction should proceed on the upper portion of the short-cut road from Thompson Pass on the Montana-Idaho line down to the location of the proposed channel change in Prospect Creek, which has been a subject of controversy between the two agencies.

“This will give us additional time to work out a satisfactory alignment in the area where the stream channel change is proposed,” Daniels commented. He noted that a technical problem exists there in that field geologists for the two agencies differ on the maintenance problems that would be created by moving the road further into the hillside to hold stream changes to a minimum.

Both the Forest Service and Highway Department agreed to study all alternatives to the channel change and decide on the best alternative after carefully weighing construction and benefit cost ratios.

It was pointed out that before actual construction on the top section can begin, a major problem regarding pipeline changes must be solved. The two agencies plan to meet as soon as possible with officials of the Yellowstone Pipeline Co. to discuss changes which will be required. A legal decision must also be made to determine who will be required to pay for the pipeline relocations or work which would be required by the road construction.

Daniels stated that the Thompson Pass Short-Cut route has been assigned the No. 1 priority for allotment of future Forest Highway Funds in the Lolo National Forest after the Paradise-St. Regis cutoff is completed.

The Thompson Pass Short-Cut road wasn’t completed on the Montana side until the late 70s. Idaho didn’t complete their side of the project until the early 90s.