Looking Back for April 26
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler.
50 Years Ago
April 26, 1973
Having amassed 22 years of memories of preschool children in Whitefish, Louise Wilhelm was reading to her last class of Kindergartners in the classroom in her home on Second Street in Whitefish. Soon the kindergarten will open in the Christian Church building under the tutelage of Mrs. Marilyn Wilhelm, Louise’s daughter-in-law. Louise noted that kindergarten means “garden for children.” She said, “My family is very tolerant when I practically draw pictures for them but my 17-year-old daughter quite often says, ‘Mother, you’re not talking to the kindergarten class now!’”
40 Years Ago
April 28, 1983
Winter Sports, Inc. asked the public how they would like to see The Big Mountain Ski Area develop in the next 25 years. Preliminary plans were unveiled for expansion on 1,814 additional leased acres of public land, with up to six new lifts, opening up the north side of Big Mountain and farther west into Hellroaring Basin. The number of skiers which the area could handle could triple under some alternative of the plan, over the next 25-30 years.
30 Years Ago
April 29, 1993
The first step in construction of The Big Mountain Development Corporation’s Sunrise Ridge development was taken last week when a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the first single-family residence. Houses priced in the $400,000 to $500,00 range eventually will fill the subdivision, said Matt Adams, General Manager for Westmark Group, the Whitefish company building the house. Townhouses selling from $170,000 to $275,000 will be built in the Wood Run subdivision.
20 Years Ago
April 24, 2003
Whitefish Community Aquatic and Health Center supporters hoped to have a price pinned down within the next few days for four acres of county land eyed for a $5 million health center. Health center project director Kan Weinberg said he’s optimistic the group can get the property for a reasonable price. The property is appraised at $204,500. “The land has always been the stumbling block. We wanted a piece of land that was close to town so kids could get there on their bikes,” Weinberg said.
10 Years Ago
April 24, 2013
Crews at Whitefish Mountain Resort began clearing timber on the north side of the ski area this summer, preparing to install a new chairlift to Flower Point. The $1.4 million Flower Point project will add about 200 acres of lift-serviced skiing, including 32 acres of cleared runs, additional gladed areas and a fixed-grip triple chairlift. The project was constructed in two phases and was completed for the 2014-2015 winter season. The early-season rate for a season pass for the 2014-2015 season was $595, a $15 increase from the previous year.