Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 1.27.16

NEWS
Historic Glacier Murals on Display at O’Shaughnessy Center Glacier Park Lodge murals are the fth and sixth pieces restored
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
A pair of historic murals from Glacier National Park have been restored and put on display at the O’Shaugh- nessy Center in White sh.
The murals are part of a collection preserved by the Hockaday Museum of Art in Kalispell and are the fth and sixth pieces to be restored since 2012. The resto- ration of both paintings was made possible with a large donation from BNSF Railway Foundation.
Leanne and Alan Goldhahn donated the 15 paintings to the Hockaday a few years after Leanne found them in her mother’s garage in Billings. Leanne said her grand- parents owned a store in East Glacier Park and as far as she can tell they saved them from a dumpster when the Glacier Park Lodge was being refurbished in the 1950s. Who exactly painted the murals that depict Glacier’s dramatic landscape is a mystery.
In the early 1900s, Great Northern Railway pres- ident Louis Hill commissioned a series of murals for the famous chalets and lodges being built in the newly
A restored mural on display at the O’Shaughnessy Center in White sh.
COURTESY OF JOE ABBRESCIA, JR.
created Glacier National Park. Evidence suggests that noted Glacier artist John Fery was originally commis- sioned to paint the murals that would line the walls. But Hill wanted them faster than Fery could produce them, so Hill hired another artist who eventually made 51 murals. The identity of that artist and when exactly he or she painted the landscapes of Glacier National Park has been lost to time.
Since the murals arrived at the museum, six have been restored. Four are on display at the museum in
Kalispell and two are now at the O’Shaughnessy Center. Local art conservator and museum board member Joe Abbrescia has headed up the restoration of the murals. Museum spokesperson Brian Eklund said the museum wants to eventually restore all 15 pieces and display them across the region, including outside the valley. Eklund said the museum is always open to proposals of how to nance and display the remaining nine murals, all of which are stored in a climate controlled collection room in Kalispell.
“These murals t in with our mission of preserving the artistic legacy of Montana and Glacier Naitonal Park,” he said “This is the type of project that is very important to us.”
As for Leanne, she said her family is excited that the public will now be able to enjoy two more murals that her grandparents shed out of a dumpster a half-century ago.
“This is exactly what we hoped for, to help preserve these pieces of Glacier National Park’s history,” she said. For more information visit www.hockadaymuseum.org. jfranz@ atheadbeacon.com
Public Service Commission to Review its Role in Rail Safety Commission met with railroad o cials to talk about safety as more oil trains ride the rails
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
The Montana Public Service Com- mission says there needs to be more peo- ple inspecting the state’s railroads but it’s not sure it should be the agency that over- sees those duties.
The ve-person commission met with railroad o cials last week in Helena to discuss the PSC’s role in rail safety oversight. The Jan. 20 meeting – which included state and federal o cials, as well as representatives from BNSF Railway, Montana Rail Link and Union Paci c – came after a legislative audit report criticized the PSC for not having a rail safety plan.
PSC Chairman Brad Johnson said 40 years ago, the utility-oversight commis- sion was more involved with railroad
safety but federal regulators took over most of those duties in the 1970s and 1980s. However, Montana’s utility com- mission still employs two railroad inspectors. Last week’s meeting was held to look at whether the PSC should create a rail safety plan, similar to other states.
“The commission is absolutely willing and able to do whatever the Legislature wants us to do, as long as we have a man- date and the resources,” he said during an interview with the Beacon. “We’re not saying we don’t want to do rail safety oversight. We just need the tools to do it.”
The two state railroad inspectors also split their time overseeing surface transportation, including garbage haul- ers and taxi companies. Johnson said he believes four full-time railroad inspec- tors and a supervisor would be ideal. In
comparison, Oregon has 11 inspectors, Washington has nine, Idaho has two and North Dakota has one and a half.
The FRA and the railroads also have inspectors. During the meeting, BNSF spokesperson Matt Jones noted that rail- road has 45 fulltime track inspectors in the state and that the railroad frequently shares information with government o cials.
“Safety is the most important thing we do every single day to ensure that every single man and woman who works for us gets home and that we safely move freight through every community we serve,” Jones said.
Last week, Johnson suggested that the Montana Department of Transpor- tation could assume rail safety over- sight, but a spokesperson for that agency
told the Associated Press that it’s more focused on building and maintaining infrastructure. In the coming months, the commission will discuss its role in rail safety and Johnson said he hopes the Legislature can formally address its role during the 2017 session.
“I can’t predict what direction these discussions will take but they will shape what is taken to the Legislature next year,” he said. “We’re committed to hav- ing legislation brought forward in 2017.”
Rail safety has taken center stage in recent years as the amount of crude oil freight railroads haul increases. Accord- ing to information released by the state of Montana, BNSF moves 10 to 18 oil trains through the Flathead Valley every week.
jfranz@ atheadbeacon.com
755-4441 •
f
Buy 1 Tapa get a 2nd for 1/2 Price
*Must present at time of redemption. Not valid with any other offer. Expires 1/31/16
Live Music Wednesdays, iday & Saturdays
wine wednesdays
1/2 off select bottles of wine Monday Happy Hour All Night Long
www.406barandgrill.com 139 1st Avenue West, Kalispell
Lunch & Dinner
10
JANUARY 27, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM