History - Looking Back for November 8, 2023
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
November 8, 1973
A meeting was held to discuss Whitefish Lake stabilization in the community room of the city hall. The purpose of the meeting was to find an agreeable level and means for lake stabilization. Representatives from the Helena and Kalispell offices of the Soil Conservation Service were present to review their preliminary study and answer questions. The City of Whitefish, the Flathead County Board of Commissioners and the Flathead Soil and Water Conservation district applied to the SCS in April of 1969 for assistance in working up a plan including irrigation water shortage, lake stabilization and flood prevention.
40 Years Ago
November 10, 1983
The City of Whitefish was asked to approve Industrial Revenue Bonds to help fund an $8 million shopping mall with an ice skating rink and theater. The Big Mountain Mall is the proposal of a group of Shelby-based investors who have an option on 22 acres of land inside the Whitefish city limits on Highway 93 south, adjacent to the McDonald’s restaurant. The land was owned by Don Jensen of Whitefish. Gary McDermott, a Shelby accountant, spoke for the partnership and said they would like to construct a 120,000 - 180,000 square-foot shopping mall which would include a theater and indoor ice skating rink. Their long-range plans included a convention center.
30 Years Ago
November 11, 1993
The City of Whitefish officially joined the ranks of 10 Montana communities required to clean up their air. The city was designated as a “nonattainment” area in October, meaning the air in the town failed to meet federal clean air standards, according to their quality bureau of the Montana Department of Health and Environmental Sciences. The city had 18 months to submit an “emission control plan" to the Environmental Protection Agency to identify and control sources of pollution.
20 Years Ago
November 6, 2003
The Whitefish Train Depot received the distinction of being named to the National Register of Historic Places. The honor became official when Stumptown Historical Society board members hung the honorary plaque in the front and back of the depot. The three-story Tudor-style building was completed in 1928 and stands, according to the application for the registry, “as a local symbol of the railroad presence and importance in the community as well as a symbol of the railroad’s faith in the town of Whitefish.”
10 Years Ago
November 6, 2013
There were no yard signs, no election mailers and not a single letter to the editor printed about the slate of council candidates in this year’s city election. Even the Whitefish Chamber’s council candidate debate was canceled due to lack of interest. While the local campaign season was quiet on all fronts, the results signaled a significant shift in the makeup of the Whitefish City Council. Three new councilors, including former mayor Andy Feury, Pam Barberis and Jen Frandsen, will officially take their seats in January.