Page 11 - Flathead Beacon // 9.16.15

NEWS
Community of Troy Hits Century Mark
Small community on the Kootenai celebrates 100th anniversary of its incorporation
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
The history books that chronicle the life and times of Mon- tana are littered with towns that didn’t quite make it; commu- nities that fizzled out before putting down solid roots.
For many communities, their prospects were tied to the boom and bust cycles of the mineral industry. When prices were good, miners from across the country would rush to an area hoping to strike it rich. But when the mineral deposits were gone or the values dropped, prospectors would pack their wagons and hit the dusty trail.
That is very much how the story of Troy could have ended. The first miners arrived in 1886 and set up a tent camp at the mouth of Lake Creek, just south of where the town is today. But unlike other mining camps that disappeared into the pages of history, Troy survived and this month it celebrated its 100th anniversary with a series of events on Sept. 12 and 13.
After those first miners set up camp near where Lake Creek meets the Kootenai River, they found their mineral claims were bountiful and more prospectors beat the path to the area. That path to Troy was soon widened in 1891 when the Great Northern Railway built its rapidly growing transcontinental line through town. The construction of steel rails cemented the community’s future and the following year the city’s first lodging house, the Windsor Hotel, was built. In June 1892, the town of Troy was created within the boundaries of Missoula County, which at the time encompassed most of western Mon- tana. A few months after the hotel went up, Libby postmaster J.P. Bowen built the first house there.
The town grew even faster beginning in September 1892, when the Great Northern built a rail yard in Troy, complete with a sta- tion, roundhouse, coal chute and living quarters. The combina- tion of rowdy railroaders and mischievous miners made Troy a hot spot for those looking for a good time. A visitor once described the scene in detail, writing, “Such sights and sounds that met the eyes and horrified the ears of this young woman from the east, were spectacular to say the least. Fifteen saloons gaily lit filed to the doors with ‘wild men and wild women’ yelling, singing, danc- ing, and cursing, with glasses held high, such was Troy.”
Troy City Hall. BEACON FILE PHOTO
Troy’s rowdy ways would continue for another two decades until 1915, when it decided it should and become a real town. In July of that year it voted to incorporate and on Sept. 9 the city council met for the first time. U.S. Highway 2 was also con- structed to Troy that year and by the end of 1915 more than 350 people called it home.
By the 1920s, the timber industry began to grow and within a few years its population grew to over 1,000 residents. By 1923, Troy was the richest town in Lincoln County. Its population peaked a few years later at 1,300 residents. The Great Depres- sion and a series of fires took a toll on the town in the 1930s, but through the years it has persevered and today about 950 people live there. Mayor Darren Coldwell said considering all the other communities that have come and gone, it’s amazing that Troy has made it more than a century. He attributed that success to its people.
“The people make this place special,” Coldwell said. “There have been many ups and downs over the years.”
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“ Community banks build better communities.”
- JOHN K.
Columbia Falls Looks to Create Development
District to Boost Industrial Park
Officials say additional infrastructure will attract businesses to a 110-acre site north of town
www.ThreeRiversBankMontana.com
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
The city of Columbia Falls is looking to spur development on the north side of town with the creation of a Targeted Eco- nomic Development District.
The creation of a special economic dis- trict for the Columbia Falls Industrial Park was considered during the Sept. 9 city planning and zoning board meet- ing. Following a recommendation from the planning board, the full city council will vote later this month on whether it should use tax increment financing to improve the industrial park.
The Columbia Falls Industrial Park is a 110-acre site located just north of BNSF Railway’s rail line through Columbia
Falls. The land was purchased by BID Group Properties and annexed into the city earlier this year. Four businesses already use parts of the property, but City Manager Susan Nicosia said more would use the area if it were improved. She said the industrial park needs paved roads, a working sewage system and fire hydrants for it to flourish. But projects like that could be funded with the cre- ation of an economic development dis- trict, Nicosia said.
“(The development district) is a tool that can be used to give matching grants or offer loans to businesses,” she said. “It provides us with a tool to be competitive with other communities when trying to attract new business.”
Area businesses are already look- ing at relocating or expanding into the Columbia Falls Industrial Park, includ- ing SmartLam, which is planning on building a 20-acre facility there. When the cross-laminated timber facility is complete it will be one of the largest in the world.
Anna Louise Stene is a member of the planning board and the executive director of the Columbia Falls Chamber of Commerce. She said improvements at the industrial park would help the overall economic situation in the community.
“This would be a big step forward and help Columbia Falls attract new busi- ness,” she said.
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SEPTEMBER 16, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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