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Looking Back for May 3

| May 3, 2023 1:00 AM

A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler.

50 Years Ago

May 3, 1973

An old, red retired caboose, has come to its final rest in the yard of the Burton Schooley family in Ramsey Addition, otherwise known as “engineer’s row.” Burt Schooley, a railroad man for 15 years, was born and raised in Whitefish and his father before him was a railroader. For a number of years, Burt had a desire to own his own caboose. After Schooley was injured in a train accident, Burlington Northern located a retired car in a yard, attached it to a freight and dropped it off in Whitefish.

40 Years Ago

May 5, 1983

The Montana Legislature may have given its approval to the acquisition of the Les Mason Memorial Park, but it would be at least two years before the park was officially open to the public. “We are assuming it will not be open for the next two years,” said Ron Holliday, a representative of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the agency responsible for overseeing all state parks. “A place like that will be extremely popular and without facilities, it is foolish to open it up to the public.”

30 Years Ago

May 6, 1993

The Flathead Valley experienced the second wettest April ever recorded in the month of April 1993. At least 2.20 inches of rain was collected at weather observation centers over the month. The average rainfall for the month is 1.10 inches. The wettest April was recorded in 1978 when 2.37 inches saturated the ground. More of the same was forecasted for the month of May.

20 Years Ago

May 1, 2003

Whitefish City officials and the Flathead County commissioners signed a buy-sell agreement for the site on Baker Avenue where the Whitefish Community Aquatic and Health Center would be built. If approved, the city would pay the full appraised value of the land, $204,500. “It is our belief that the location offered to you (at the proposed new hospital site at Montana 40 and U.S. 93) would better serve the youth, citizens of Whitefish and especially Columbia Falls residents,” the commissioners wrote.

10 Years Ago

May 1, 2013

North Valley Food Bank volunteers and board members staged a groundbreaking ceremony for a new facility located off Baker Avenue near the Whitefish Emergency Services Center. Fundraising was still underway for a $1.5 million goal that included $1 million for the building and the remainder for an endowment fund to financially sustain the operation. In 2012, the food bank supported an average of 150 households a week and provided more than 343,000 pounds of food during the year.