History - Looking Back for August 30, 2023

A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler.

50 Years Ago

Aug. 30, 1973

Dave Morris, posse member and Howard Wood, posse major, are two Whitefish men who have been active in the organization for years. The group, which is strictly a volunteer organization, assists with crowd control at events like the Northwest Montana Fair and Whitefish WInter Carnival. When on duty, each posse member is a full fledged deputy sheriff. The group was instrumental in the security work surrounding the visit of President Nixon to the Flathead in 1971.

40 Years Ago

Sept. 1, 1983

The Neal Wilke family was saddened by the loss of their 5-year-old calico cat, Easy Rider. It was killed by a mountain lion in the yard of their home on Geddes Avenue. Wilke said she saw her cat sitting on a fence post to the south of their home around 9 p.m. Normally, the cat returned home about 10 p.m. to be let in for the night. At 10:30 p.m. however, her neighbor Ivan Polus knocked on the door and she saw her cat lying there “with blood all over.” Polus said he had just turned, heading toward his home when the lion jumped in front of his car. “I had to slam on my brakes,” Polus said. “I thought it was a big dog, then I saw the long tail.”

30 Years Ago

Sept. 2, 1993

Property taxes increased an average of 20% across the Flathead Valley after the latest appraisal. Much of the increase was due to newcomers paying large amounts for housing and driving property values up. The Follett family fought to rein in spiraling property taxes by meeting with Montana Gov. Marc Racicot in Helena. During a press conference where the governor launched a plan to combat rising property tax, Doug Follett, a retired Columbia Falls school teacher and part-time Glacier National Park tour guide and lecturer, added his own story to the conference. “We’ve been impacted by people wanting to come to the Last Best Place,” Follett said. “We just want it to remain the best place.”

20 Years Ago

Aug. 28, 2003

Whitefish took a big step closer to obtaining the National Guard Armory east of the city. The Adjutant General of the Montana National Guard, John Prendergast, who has the power of disposal of the site, flew to Whitefish in a Blackhawk helicopter to present Mayor Andy Feury and city leaders with a formal letter of approval for the sale of the National Guard Armory. “This is wonderful news,” said City Manager Gary Marks. “It is a very significant development.”

10 Years Ago

Aug. 28, 2013

A Wisconsin-based atheist group was appealing a federal judge’s ruling that allowed a statue of Jesus to remain on Big Mountain. The Freedom From Religion Foundation filed notice that it would appeal the U.S. District Court ruling that kept the statue in place on Flathead National Forest land. The organization was challenging the legality of the statue because it is located on a small piece of national forest land above Chair 2 at Whitefish Mountain Resort. The statue had been maintained at the location by the Knights of Columbus for about 60 years and considered a memorial to World War II veterans.