A Whitefish artist who treasured open space and nature has bequeathed four acres of wooded land off West Seventh Street to the city of Whitefish.

James Bakke died two years ago and specified in his will that his land be donated to the city for use as a “natural park.”

“He didn’t want condos built there,” said Terry Abell, Bakke’s personal representative.

The property is located in a southwest neighborhood of the city that still retains a rural character. Other parcels in that area have been sought after by developers.

Whitefish Parks and Recreation Director Maria Butts said the Park Board is still working on a plan to honor Bakke’s wishes.

“It’s a gorgeous property,” Butts said. “When we accepted the property we had his close friends come to the Park Board and they gave the history. He used to garden there and have beautiful flowers and family get-togethers.

“We’ve tossed around ideas of a community garden or family get-together area,” Butts said. “We haven’t decided where we want to go with it.”

The new park hasn’t been named yet, but the name will honor Bakke, she added.

Bakke moved from a wheat farm near Gildford, Montana, to Whitefish with his family in 1947. His parents, Peter and Serena Bakke, purchased the four acres from T.G. and Mildred Smith for $7,500.

He graduated from Whitefish High School in 1949. Like many of his peers from that era, Bakke went to work for the railroad.

His real passion was painting, drawing inspiration from Glacier National Park, Whitefish and other parts of Montana for his work. Bakke’s first paintings were done in crayon as he grew up on a wheat farm in the open spaces of north-central Montana.

Bakke completed a correspondenceourse through the Famous Artists School of Westport, Connecticut, but otherwise was self-taught. The longtime Whitefish artist always felt a sort of kinship with Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh, creating his own style that included swirled clouds, deliberate brush strokes and vivid hues. His artwork was featured in a 2011 book written and compiled by Donna Shane Hopkins, called “James R. Bakke, Montana Artist.”

Bakke died in June 2013 at age 82.

The city is now inviting sealed bids from anyone who might want to purchase any of a half-dozen buildings on the Bakke property that need to be either moved or salvaged to clear space for the park.

A barn on the property could yield barn wood with some value, and some of the outbuildings have magazine collections dating to the 1950s, according to Whitefish City Manager Chuck Stearns.

Among the buildings to be removed from the property, located at 611 W. Seventh St., are the main house built in 1918, a mobile home, garage, two sheds and the barn.

Sealed bids will be received at the City Clerk’s office until Jan. 21. Bidders can get further information and bid proposal forms and packets by calling 863-2406.

The city of Whitefish got a second bequest of land recently from Emma Sagen, one of Bakke’s neighbors. Sagen, who died in August 2014, donated her property between West Seventh and Eighth streets in Whitefish — a little less than 1 acre — to the city, also for use as a natural park.

Abell, who also served as the personal representative for Sagen, said she and Bakke knew each other and had talked about keeping their land as open space. Sagen loved the deer and other wildlife that frequented her yard and wanted the trees retained and the land kept open for the wildlife.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.