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<p>A harvested of potatoes off of Columbia Falls Stage Road on Thursday afternoon, September 22, east of Kalispell. Farmer Steve Streich said the ground was only able to produce a good crop of potatoes once every three years. The ground will be used to grow other crops for the next two years. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)</p>

<p>A harvested of potatoes off of Columbia Falls Stage Road on Thursday afternoon, September 22, east of Kalispell. Farmer Steve Streich said the ground was only able to produce a good crop of potatoes once every three years. The ground will be used to grow other crops for the next two years. (Brenda Ahearn/Daily Inter Lake)</p>

October 2, 2016

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Creston farmers are last seed potato growers in the Flathead
October 2, 2016 6 a.m.

Creston farmers are last seed potato growers in the Flathead

Seed potato farming in the Flathead started in the early 1920s. It thrived for decades, led by some of the area’s most well-known farm families — the Smalls, Koenigs, Logans, Van Akens and others — but one by one the farms disappeared. Some farmers retired with no family members available or willing to carry on the operation.