Day 8
Tuesday September 22, 2020
I came to Libby, Montana for one reason only, Kootenai(pr; KOOT-n-A) County Park. The turnout is only a few miles north of town, right on Hwy 2. After a dash past two rather smelly bathrooms, it’s an easy walk through the woods.
Then it’s a bridge over the Burlington Northern railroad tracks. And yes, I was bummed no trains came through when I crossed.
Eventually, you come to a poorly marked trail juncture. A helpful person used a Sharpie on the signs to clear things up.
Even here, the clarity of the water is astounding...
If you go to the left, the trail takes you to the Kootenai Swinging Bridge. I’ve crossed quite a few of these over the years. In all honesty, this was probably the most stable.
When planning this trip, I guessed maybe two hours here. I spent closer to three. When I arrived back in Libby, I started thinking about that other trail I had planned for the day. It was seven miles south of town. In the end, I decided to try it in the morning. As it turned out, this was definitely the right choice.
As for Libby, they call themselves the "City of Eagles." Flagpoles over municipal buildings have large eagles on top. This is outside the city's visitor center...
Right along Hwy 2 as you drive into town...
Instead, it was off to the Libby Heritage Center. Being past tourist season, it’s only open Thursday through Sunday. But, there was the oversized frying pan out back. At eleven feet in diameter, it's not the biggest, not even close. It was constructed for the local Mormon church and used during fundraisers.
The area was first settled in the 1880's as a mining and timber community and named after after miner Stephen Allen's daughter Libby. The town's fortunes took off in 1919 when a compound called Vermiculite was discovered a few miles outside town. The compound has many uses, from reconditioning soil to insulation.
Unfortunately, the local Vermiculite contained Asbestos. Over the decades it contaminated the air and soil. W.R. Grace and Company took over the mine in 1963, they knew of the dangers, but didn't tell anyone. They even donated piles of contaminated mine debris for local construction projects.
The mine closed in 1990, but the damage was done. Four hundred people had died of illnesses related to asbestos exposure, with three thousand more effected. In 2008, the EPA declared the town a Public Health Emergency, the first such declaration. W.R. Grace was forced to pay $250 million towards cleanup costs. By 2018, the cleanup had cost another $600 million. You can see more about it here:
East of the city, you'll find Libby Dam. It was built in 1975 and created a lake ninety miles in length, half of which is in Canada. A contest was held to name the new reservoir, and Lake Koocanusa was chosen. "Koo" from the Kootenai River. "Can" and USA" from Canada and the U.S.
During the summer, and pre-Covid-19, you could take a tour inside the dam. Today, even the visitor center was closed.
I picked up a map that went from the dam north to the Canadian border. It showed a hiking trail to Little North Fork Falls. With no way to judge the mileage, and no clue how long a trail it was once you arrive, I decided against it. Instead, I simply worked my way down towards the lower part of the dam.
Back in town, I came across a flier about an International Chainsaw Carving Competition. I had missed it by nine days. It's not something I would have thought about, but it could have been interesting.
There was also a mural for something called Ignite the Night, an annual event sponsored by the Igniters Car Club. It's part car show and part burn-out competition. Car shows can be interesting. But, watching people burn rubber, not so much. Here's some video from the event in 2016.
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While I was out enjoying the park, I heard a familiar rumble. Yeah, it never gets old...
Coming up,
The day is saved by a nice man and his chainsaw.
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