Editing Columbia Falls, Montana (section)

== History ==
The area that would become the city of Columbia Falls was first settled in 1891, in anticipation of the arrival of the [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern Railway.]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Columbia Falls History|url=https://flatheadgenweb.weebly.com/columbia-falls.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214195830/https://flatheadgenweb.weebly.com/columbia-falls.html |archive-date=December 14, 2021 }}</ref> On April 26, 1909, the city of Columbia Falls was officially incorporated.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Columbia Falls Heritage Days "Official" Website - History|url=http://cfallsheritagedays.com/history.html|access-date=2021-12-14|website=cfallsheritagedays.com}}</ref>

The first residents requested the name "Columbia" for the U.S. Post Office, but the element "Falls" was ultimately tacked onto the name in order to avoid any confusion with the already-named [[Columbus, Montana]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hungryhorsenews.com/local_news/20171113/yesterdays_the_real_story_behind_the_name_columbia_falls | title=YESTERDAYS: THE REAL STORY BEHIND THE NAME, 'COLUMBIA FALLS' | publisher=Hungry Horse News | access-date=4 July 2019}}</ref>

The [[Soldiers' Home Historic District|Montana Veterans Home]] in Columbia Falls has served [[veteran]]s since 1896.<ref>
{{Cite web
| title = Montana Veterans' Home - Columbia Falls
| work = Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services - Senior & Long Term Care
| access-date = February 6, 2014
| url = http://www.dphhs.mt.gov/sltc/services/vethome/MVHHP.shtml
}}</ref> Its current housing facility was opened by Montana Governor [[Forrest H. Anderson]] at an official dedication ceremony in 1970.<ref>{{Cite book
| last = Montana Veterans Home
| title = History and future of Montana Veterans' Home, Columbia Falls, Montana
| location = Columbia Falls, MT
| access-date = February 6, 2014
| date = 1970
| url = https://archive.org/details/historyfutureof10057mont/History_and_future_of_Montana_Veterans%27_Home_Columbia_Falls_Montana
}}</ref> An [[E. M. Viquesney]] statue of a [[World War I]] [[doughboy]] was moved to the front of the Veterans' Home in 1972. The statue "originally stood in [[Kalispell, Montana|Kalispell]] in the Main Street median in front of the [[Courthouse Historic District (Kalispell, Montana)|Flathead County Courthouse]]."<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Columbia Falls, Montana Viquesney Doughboy Statue
| work = The E. M. Viquesney Doughboy Database
| access-date = February 6, 2014
| url = http://doughboysearcher.weebly.com/columbia-falls-montana.html
}}</ref>