History - Looking Back for May 31, 2023
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
May 31, 1973
The Whitefish girls easily outran all competition; the closest team to the State Champs was Lewiston and they were a distant 37 points behind. The local girls successfully defended their title in Missoula. The Whitefish girls raced to eight firsts out of twelve events and set five new Class A state records. Outstanding performances were by Kim Erekson who set three new records in her four events. Terii Wheeler set a record in her specialty, the 110 meter hurdles, with a time of 14.4.
40 Years Ago
June 2, 1983
Diana Vasquez and Dawn Silliker reached the goal they had been striving for all season long, when they each won an event at the state track meet in BIllings. Vasquez ran the 400 meter sprint in a time of 59.62 to break Janet Kuchenbrod’s mark. Silliker broke her own record in the shot put with a toss of 37-7 and a quarter. Overall, the Whitefish girls finished in a tie for second with Livingston, each scoring 29 points. Butte Central won the team competition with 42 points.
30 Years Ago
June 3, 1993
After 17 weeks as a teacher, Whitefish Police Officer Mike Ferda has gone back to being a beat cop. Ferda and his students completed Whitefish’s debut semester under the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program last week and Ferda, a former D.A.R.E. skeptic, gave the program high marks. “It actually went without a hitch from the interaction with the school district… to being accepted in the classroom,” he said.
20 Years Ago
May 29, 2003
The Whitefish train depot and historic locomotive engine, the pride and joy of volunteers and railroad lovers in Whitefish, was the site of weekend criminal mischief. Over the weekend, thieves broke a window and stole the mannequin of an engineer out of the engine. A sign at the back of the station was also stolen. Replacement cost for the mannequin was estimated at $1,500. “It’s heartbreaking to have this happen,” said Jill Evans, director of the Historical Society, which owns the building.
10 Years Ago
May 29, 2013
Efforts to keep aquatic invasive species out of Whitefish Lake and other area water bodies increased. The Whitefish City Council approved spending $40,000 for several programs that deal with management and prevention efforts for AIS. “The strength and durability of the Whitefish economy is closely linked to the health of the local environment,” said Mike Koopal with the Whitefish Lake Institute.