Looking Back: Celebrity parade marshal; Haskill Creek in peril
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
February 7, 1974
Richard Lenz, who portrayed Police Chief Oliver B. Stamp in the TV series “Hec Ramsey” was the celebrity guest and parade marshal for the Winter Carnival. Lenz and his wife, actress Jessica Raines, rode in the Winter Carnival parade. Lenz’s first acting job came with a Broadway role in “the Making Dance” in 1965. He appeared in the Broadway version of “Cactus Flower” in 19689 and repeated his role in the motion picture adaptation.
40 Years Ago
February 9, 1984
Warm, sunny weather, described as the “nicest in the history of the Winter Carnival,” contributed to a tremendous turnout in Whitefish. Police officials estimated that as many as 8,000 people crowded into Whitefish, which could have been twice what the number was last year. The crowd was not only large, but it was well-behaved. Police Chief Howard Sellers reported only 10 arrests over the weekend, calling it “the mildest Winter carnival on record.” The year before, there had been 38 arrests and in 1982, there were 84 arrests.
30 Years Ago
February 3, 1994
The past month went down in the record books as the third warmest January in recorded history in the Flathead Valley and the warmest January in more than 40 years, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures during January 1994, averaged 32 degrees, 11.5 degrees above the historic norm of 20.5 degrees for the month, according to Butch Roberts, a meteorologist at the NWS at Glacier Park International Airport. Only the Januarys of 1953 and 1934 were warmer.
20 Years Ago
February 5, 2004
Two segments of Haskill Creek were significantly impaired and the entire stream was at risk if current use continued unchanged, a report stated. Haskill Creek is an 11-mile long stream that provides drinking water to Whitefish, supports agriculture on the lower reaches, supplies Big Mountain’s snow-making ponds and is home to one of the few remaining genetically pure westslope cutthroat populations in Montana. The major pollutant is sediment, although nutrients, fecal coliform and suspended solids were also pinpointed in the study commissioned by the Haskill Creek Watershed Coalition and completed by River Design Group Inc. of Whitefish.
10 Years Ago
February 5, 2014
Whitefish posted strong results in 2013 for new home construction and residential sales, with both numbers increasing to their highest totals in eight years. The city of Whitefish recorded 75 building permits for single-family homes, while a report released by Kelley Appraisal shows an increase to 198 home sales within city limits. “The economy seems to be recovering and Whitefish is a desirable place to be,” Whitefish Planning Director Dave Taylor said.