Flathead County Library

Hey! It’s History Friday!

This week we are comparing photos of the McDonald Creek Bridge in Glacier National Park, circa 1941 and 2026! As you can see, even today people enjoy fishing off the bridge. Lake McDonald Creek bridge is a reflection of broader development in Glacier National Park’s west side. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were no real bridges over McDonald Creek, and access to Lake McDonald was slow and difficult. It often involved rail travel followed by wagon routes or boats. As tourism increased and the park developed, especially with the construction of the Going to the Sun Road between 1921 and 1932, permanent bridges became necessary. During this period, early “rustic” bridges, designed to blend with the natural landscape, were built, including crossings like the Apgar Bridge, originally constructed in 1927.

Over time, these early structures were repaired, upgraded, or replaced to handle growing traffic and withstand harsh mountain conditions such as flooding and winter damage. The most recent major change came between 2022 and 2024, when an older multi-span bridge over McDonald Creek was replaced with a modern clear-span design to improve safety, durability, and environmental protection. This new bridge continues the long evolution of crossings at Lake McDonald. Going from simple early access routes to engineered structures that balance visitor uses with preservation of the park’s natural features.

Source: McDonald Creek Bridge in Glacier National Park Utilizes IC - ESCSI 2026 09-13-2024_Going_to_the_Sun_Roadpdf.pdf

Photo: Montana History Portal, 2026 photo taken by library staff Liz Camarillo.

For more Montana history, check out the 978.6 section of the library!

Come one, come all! Join us for a lively reading of the Declaration of Independence by Head Librarian Tony Edmondson on the front steps of the library after the Kalispell Fourth of July parade. Stick around, celebrate with your neighbors, and don’t miss the outfit!

Kalispell Library Front Step: Saturday, July 4, after the parade (11am - ish)

LEGO Masters Workshops for kids entering grades 5-8 launch June 29th!

This summer workshop is geared towards kids who are confident and ready to MASTER their LEGO skills. 🧱✨ Creative additions and engineering challenges await! 🚗🌋🏗️⁠
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Come imagine, build, and engineer with us on Mondays in the Kalispell Teen Zone from 12–2pm! 🚀

The Play Expo continues today, June 18th, at the Bigfork library! Kids, come kick off your summer with us! Explore art, water and sensory play, building and movement today until 4pm.

Looking for your next great read? 📚✨

We’ve got you covered! June's Book Recs from Librarian Deidre are out!

Check out our blog and find out what's on Deidre's TBR list this June: https://flatheadcountylibrary.org/about-us/library-blog/librarian-book-recs-june-2026/

June books mentioned:

Whistler by Ann Patchett
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Land by Maggie O’Farrell
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden
The Children by Melissa Albert
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
The Book of Birds: A Field Guide to Wonder and Loss by Robert MacFarlane
When Memory Fades: What to Expect at Every Stage, From Early Signs to Full Support for Alzheimer’s and Dementia by Nathaniel Chin

Join us for a talk with Louise Ogemahgeshig Fischer, a cultural and spiritual leader as well as an artist and elder from the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe, Chippewa) Tribe at the Bigfork Library on June 27th from 4-6pm.

This talk is an exciting look into the past, as artifacts are brought into the audience’s view. Louise sings an Indian song now and then, and has lived in the old ways.

“Living with the Land,” means more than the universe… more than the earth and skies…. “Living with the Land” covers medicinal plants and their uses, Indian History, ways of life, hunting, fishing, foods, clothing, gatherings, stars, storytelling, Indian games and so much more.

Welcome to Montana Mondays, our weekly series dedicated to uncovering the rich and rugged history of Montana!⁠

After an extreme year of forest fires in 1910, the newly formed Forest Service began constructing fire trails and replying on pack animals for firefighting. By 1930, the agency needed a central location to train and house both the animals and the packers who supported wildland crews. A run-down ranch outside Missoula was acquired and transformed into the Ninemile Remount Depot.

By 1935, the Depot had been rebuilt in a Cape Cod style and expanded to house a Ranger Station, thought the two operated separately. At its peak, the Depot leased 44,000 acres of rangeland and housed up to 1,500 horses and mules, making it the largest mule ranch in the Northwest. Crews were expected to load a truck with nine mules, one horse, and supplies for 25 men within 15 minutes of the fire bell.

Aerial firefighting and improved road access eventually reduced the need for pack stock, and the Remount Depot closed in 1953. The rangeland was released in 1962. In 1979, Ninemile reopened as a Horsemanship and Packing school, and the Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places the following year.

Today it remains a working ranch, offering packing clinics and winter quarters for approximately 200 Forest Service animals. A Visitor Center is open Memorial Day through Labor Day, with self-guided tour brochures available year-round.

Let us know in the comments if you have ever visited Ninemile!

Sources:https://npshistory.com/publications/usfs/ninemile-remount-depot.pdf , https://blog.glaciermt.com/a-piece-of-history-ninemile-remount-depot-ranger-station/ , https://www.fs.usda.gov/r01/lolo/recreation/ninemile-remount-depot-and-historic-ranger-station , https://www.mtmemory.org/

Check out this week's programs for Kids! Join us for Play Expo's and Storytimes at all three Flathead County Library locations. For more information go to flatheadcountylibrary.org/events-calendar/

Hey! It’s History Friday!

This week we are sharing a photo of the Griffith/Conrad House. Located at 405 6th Avenue East in Kalispell, it was originally built between 1891 and 1897 for Charles R. Griffith, an early Kalispell resident who arrived in 1891 and worked as a real estate and insurance agent, city treasurer, and volunteer firefighter. Griffith expanded the home significantly in 1904, adding a large rear wing. He lived there with his family through the early 20th century, as documented in federal census records, before moving to the Montana Hotel in 1918. Ownership then passed to H. R. Moore, although Moore himself did not occupy the house. His daughter, Frances McGee, a newspaper editor, lived there for a time.

By the early 1920s, Charles D. Conrad, son of Kalispell founder Charles E. Conrad and a leading banker, was living in the home, acquiring full ownership in 1936. Conrad, who served as president of the Conrad National Bank, remained associated with the property until his death in 1941, and the house stayed in his family until 1965. Over the decades, it retained much of its original architectural character, though it experienced events such as a 1979 chimney fire that damaged multiple floors. Today, the house is recognized as a contributing property within the East Side Historic District due to its strong historical associations and preserved architectural integrity.

Source: Library Reference, Blue Binders

Photo: by library staff Liz Camarillo

For more Montana history check out the 978.6 section of the library!