History - Looking Back for Dec. 28

A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler

50 Years Ago

Dec. 28, 1972

The Rocky Mountain Casket Corporation opened their doors in Tallman’s old location across from the Viking Lodge and began production of one of the most unique products ever to come from Whitefish. The casket corporation was making pine caskets that are designed for utilitarian purposes until needed as a casket. Tasteful and skillfully crafted of three quarter inch knotty pine and fir, the caskets came hand-sanded and ready to be stained, painted or varnished.

40 Years Ago

Dec. 30, 1982

The Big Mountain was headed to breaking last year’s record of 4,621 skiers on one day. Phones in motels, the Chamber of Commerce and on Big Mountain were ringing off the wall with requests for reservations. Mary Anne Miles from Big Mountain’s Reservation Department said there wasn’t a place left to stay in Whitefish, Kalispell or Columbia Falls. She placed the count at 5,000 available pillows in the valley and those may all had been full.

30 Years Ago

Dec. 31, 1992

The Whitefish Bike Path Committee met to discuss the continued planning for a bike path in Whitefish. After receiving 89 responses to a survey, the committee is encouraged that there seems to be a high level of interest in a bike path system in Whitefish, said committee member Doreen Marcial. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they would use the path system for recreation, 32% said they would use the path for safety reasons and 25% said they would use it to commute to work.

20 Years Ago

Dec. 26, 2002

The lack of snow was keeping local skiers and snowboarders from getting enthused enough to head for the ski hill. The number of people using the slopes is down sharply, according to WSI spokesman Brian Schott. So far, about 22,000 skiers and snowboarders have come to Big Mountain, compared to 37,000 at this time last year. That’s a 41% reduction. “The biggest decrease is in our local and regional skiers,” he said.

10 Years Ago

Dec. 26, 2012

A new study on climate change revealed a bleak outlook for U.S. towns that rely on winter tourism. Shorter winters equal fewer skiers on the slopes which equals fewer people patronizing the restaurants, hotels, grocery stores and other businesses that depend on a steady stream of visitors each ski season. December 2011 to February 2012 was the fourth warmest winter on record in the U.S. since 1896, with the third lowest snow cover since 1966, research from an independent study shows.