Looking back: Elementary school named after Lloyd Muldown
In this March 22, 1984 file photo, a cyclist zips along Wisconsin Avenue toward the finish line of the Bash for Cash, which drew 21 teams and eight solo entries. Participants started on the slopes of Big Mountain, switched to cross-country skis, to running shoes and finally bikes in the event which paid out over $1,500 in prizes. (Bart Smith/Whitefish Pilot FILE)
A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler
50 Years Ago
March 21, 1974
The Seventh Street Elementary school officially became known as the Lloyd A. Muldown school. The District 44 school board voted to name the school after the retired superintendent of schools who spearheaded its planning and construction. Muldown was a high school teacher for many years before being named superintendent. He retired in 1971 and continued to live in Whitefish.
40 Years Ago
March 22, 1984
A Whitefish man was trapped in his wrecked pickup truck for 31 hours before he was found by relatives who were looking for him, the Montana Highway Patrol reported. Wayne Dale Torkelson, 33, who drove off Highway 93 west of Whitefish was reported in stable condition and was recovering from injuries at Kalispell Regional Hospital. According to the patrol, Torkelson was trapped in his vehicle from 5 a.m. Thursday until noon Friday. There were no skid marks to draw attention to the accident, and officials believe Torkelson fell asleep at the wheel as he headed north from Whitefish.
30 Years Ago
March 17, 1994
The Federal Highway Administration issued an official document giving the go-ahead to expanding Big mountain Road using the route preferred by the Flathead County Commissioners. The alternative, called A-1, involved rebuilding and improving much of the existing road and adding a larger curve to the east of the road to eliminate the two switchbacks at Ptarmigan Village and at Eagle’s Nest. Option B-1 would run along the existing roadway then turn east near the power substation and loop up the Haskill Creek drainage to connect near The Big Mountain Ski and Summer Resort. A third alternative involved improving the existing road only.
20 Years Ago
March 18, 2004
North Valley Hospital cleared another hurdle on its way toward construction of a new hospital when the Whitefish City council gave a green light to the project. The council approved a master-plan amendment that would change the zoning from agricultural to public facilities and secondary business uses on 45 acres near the wooded corner of Montana 40 and U.S. 93. Not all council members were sure they favored changing the Whitefish master plan to accommodate the hospital project.
10 Years Ago
February 19, 2014
The Whitefish school District moved forward with plans to build a state-of-the-art performing arts and technology wing at the new high school after receiving more than $1 million in anonymous donations. The $2.6 million facility focused on music, media arts and technology and theater goes beyond the original scope of the building project. It is being touted as a world-class anchor to the high school that will attract new students and teachers to the district.