Looking Back: Railroad trestle fire likely caused by spark
Smoke billows in the air as flames engulf the Burlington Northern trestle which spans the Whitefish River. The fire attracted many residents in July, 1984, and one of the best vantage points was the old city dock. It took firemen two and a half hours to bring the blaze under control. (Photo by Hugh Conklin)
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
July 3, 1974
No bids were received for the construction of the Birch Point sewer project. Upon recommendation from Dennis Carver, engineer for the city, the council decided to re-advertise the specifications. Benjanson and Black Construction Company of Helena withdrew their bid for the downtown store storm sewer project. The bid was then awarded to Lyford Plumbing and Heating of Kalispell. In other news, Emil Ferkovich, owner of the Happy Hunky, requested the council reevaluate the wine license fee it established at the last meeting.
40 Years Ago
July 5, 1984
The exact cause of a trestle fire was not known but fire officials were sure it started accidentally. "I can think of 100 reasons why it started but none of them is arson," said Whitefish Volunteer Fire Department Chief Dave Sipe. “I do believe it was an accident.” Sipe said a spark from an engine or a hot break on a railroad car were two of the possibilities. Many switch engines were working around the trestle shortly before the fire broke out. The blaze, which took about two and a half hours for firemen to get under control, was the largest in Whitefish since the high school burned in 1977.
30 Years Ago
June 30, 1994
County Commissioners approved the recommended $65 per residential unit per year fee, about $5 per month for refuse collection. This was more than double the then current $30.50. However Solid Waste director Gary Stempin said this is still well below the state average of $150. The Solid Waste Board budget process began in January and the proposal was presented numerous times to the public through board meetings and commissioner’s meetings. According to Stempin, the last rate hike was about four years ago. The money raised from refuse collection fees went exclusively to the solid waste department.
20 Years Ago
July 1, 2004
A proposal to move the historic Mountain Trail Saddle Club log building out of Mountain Trails Park to make room for ice arena parking was being criticized by long-time Saddle Club members who say their original intentions for the five-acre Park have fallen by the wayside. At a public hearing, the Whitefish City Council considered several proposed revisions to the master plan for Mountain Trails Park. The city wanted to add 55 more parking spaces on the Southeast corner of the park. Parks director Dan Keyes noted the relocation of the historic building has not been decided yet and the purpose of the hearing was to get public input.
10 Years Ago
July 2, 2014
Reconstruction work on U.S. 93 West was set to get underway. A $10.28 million contract for phase 2 of the Montana Department of Transportation project was awarded to Schellinger Construction. The phase began at Karrow Avenue and ended at Mountainside Drive near Michael's auto repair shop. “It's going to improve the look on the west side of town," said Bob Vosen, district construction engineer for the Missoula District.