Looking Back: Fred Jones aims for 'attractive family resort'
One-year-old Jonathan Rice had enough of Santa while his brother Michael and sister Danyel seemed undisturbed during their visit to Santa Claus in the lobby of the First National Bank in 1984. Their parents are Diane and Robert Rice of Whitefish. (Bart Smith photo)
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
Dec. 19, 1974
The Dec.19, 1974, issue of The Whitefish Pilot set a record. The 20 pages that made up that issue were the most to go into a single edition in the nearly 25 years that the shop foreman, Herb Callies, worked at the Pilot. The largest paper to be produced by the Pilot staff in the past was 16 pages on several occasions, noted editor Dick Adams.
40 Years Ago
Dec. 20, 1984
T.R. Williams was only a freshman and had only wrestled in just three varsity meets but was making a name for himself in the wrestling circles around the western part of the state. At a Ronan tournament, Williams won his third straight championship in the 126-pound class. The freshman wrestler also kept his unbeaten string alive at nine. “He is exciting to watch,” said head wrestling coach Ryan Reed. The Bulldogs finished fourth in the nine-team meet, which was won by Cut Bank, last year's state Class B champion.
30 Years Ago
Dec. 15, 1994
The Forest Service announced a plan to salvage nearly 1,800 acres of timber burned this summer in the Little Wolf Fire. The plan, called a "proposed action,” calls for harvesting more than 14 million board feet of timber, nearly all of which would be burned trees larger than seven inches in diameter. Forester Ken Meckel who was working on the Environmental Assessment for the plan said the goal is to salvage timber without harming soil, water, fisheries or wildlife.
20 Years Ago
Dec. 16, 2004
Board members of Winter Sports Incorporated (WSI), the operator of Big Mountain ski resort, met to begin plans for the resort's future. Fred Jones, chief executive officer of WSI, said that work so far had been on conceptual goals, mainly ways in which WSI could maintain a profitable company while staying true to the spirit of the mountain. Jones said part of this lies in continuing to be “an attractive family resort.” He said this could be achieved, in part, by building more mid-range rentals and expanding beginner’s terrain above Chair 6.
10 Years Ago
Dec. 17, 2014
A crew of construction workers were thanking their lucky stars after a large propane explosion shook Whitefish awake but amazingly left no injuries and minimal damage in its wake. According to Whitefish Fire Chief Joe Page, a malfunction in a propane heater allowed gas to fill up the basement of a new townhouse under construction on Stumptown Loop Road off State Park Road. An electrical extension cord from the heater was connected to a power outlet outside. When crews arrived for work at 7:15 a.m., they plugged in the cord which set off the explosion.