The bull will stay at the entrance to J. Neils Memorial Park, but he will be getting some company.

After much discussion last summer, the county commission approved keeping the bull where it currently resides. It will be accompanied by a metal silhouette of a logger painted in copper that should ensure its longevity.

At the Jan. 15 commission meeting, Dave Harman and Ron Adamson presented their plan.

Harman said he got a grant from the LOR Foundation to pay for the new structure.

LOR’s Tabitha Viergutz said the grant was pending the commission approval and the silhouette would become county property. The county will not have to spend any money to have the figure built and installed.

At the Aug. 28, 2024, commission meeting, Harman was tasked with coming up with a plan for the park entrance after dissent was heard regarding removing the bull statue and replacing it with something else.

Harman said research indicated that a bronze statue of a logger would be too costly. 

Previously, when asked why the location of the bull was such an urgent nature, Harman said it had been discussed for many years and that the bull didn’t properly represent the Neils’ legacy.

According to previous reporting in The Western News, following an investigative visit to Libby in 1910, Julius Neils bought out Dawson Lumber Co. and took Libby as his new home.

From Jan. 1, 1919, until 1957, Neils operated sister mills in Klickitat, Washington and Libby. The company outlasted the Great Depression and World War II, when prices on Ponderosa pine wood nearly halved from $27.35 in 1929 to $14.83 in 1932.

Neils died in 1933, but the lumber company he built retained his name until the merger with St. Regis Paper, Co. in 1957. By law of tradition, Paul’s oldest son Art would have been the heir of the J. Neils Lumber. 

After several considerate objections, it was clear Art Neil’s heart was not in succeeding the family’s legacy, according to previous Western News reporting. The best chance to cash out came with the St. Regis Paper, Co., who in turn took the company forward for another 30 years before it was dissolved into the stock market during the 1980s.

Kootenai River Stampede organizer and Libby native Patty Rambo said last summer the bull was not meant to be a reflection of Julius Neils.

“It’s been there 20 years and it’s a landmark, now,” Rambo said. “The bull reflects what happens at the rodeo. I’m proud of my heritage and I take it very personal.

“We don’t want to advertise our mining history because of asbestos and if the bull comes off the pedestal, it becomes a liability.”

Christine Neils Lee, who lives part-time in Libby, said previously the Neils family hates the bull.

“What does the bull have to do with the Neils heritage?” she asked. “Tony Berget said they got a deal on the statue and thought it’d look good.

“The family tried to come up with some money to have something else done at the park, but the family isn’t as wealthy as it used to be.”

At the Aug. 28 commission meeting, the bull was talked about again.

District 1 Commissioner Brent Teske said there was a desire for the park entrance to be inclusive of community interests.

Rambo said in August that 798 people signed a petition in support of bull remaining in its current location.