Looking Back for Feb. 1

A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler.

50 Years Ago

Feb. 1, 1973

Birthday greeting received by wire from President and Mrs. Nixon in Key Biscayne, Florida, and congratulatory letters received from Senator Mike Mansfield and Representative Dick Shoup in Washington, D.C. were read to the more than 100 friends and relatives who gathered at the Whitefish United Presbyterian Church to honor twin brothers Lloyd and Floyd Sissel, Whitefish's oldest citizens, on their 95th birthday. Senator Mansfield wrote, “The community of Whitefish is fortunate to have both of you among its citizens and I am happy to join them in their expressions of appreciation on your birthday.”

40 Years Ago

Feb. 3, 1983

Plans for a $7.5 million Hotel-Motel Convention Center Complex, to be located adjacent to the Whitefish Lake Golf Course in the Grouse Mountain addition, were announced this week. Tim Grattan, who developed the 200-acre Grouse Mountain residential development, plans on asking for Industrial Revenue Bonds for the convention center project. Grattan said he has been working on the project for about eight years and “really hopes the city will sponsor this.”

30 Years Ago

Feb. 4, 1993

The Whitefish City Council voted 3-2 against reconsidering a zone change for the Wood property, a 400-foot deep parcel of land fronting Highway 93 just south of Mountain Mall. The decision reinforces the council’s Nov 2, 1992, move to deny expansion of the commercial depth of the property to 800 feet. Loye Blackburn, representing Buttrey, said Buttrey had decided it will build on the 400-foot parcel that is already zoned commercial, unless the council decided to review its previous decision and “put (the store) where it should be,” rather than “crowding it against the highway.”

20 Years Ago

Jan. 30, 2003

Perfect powder has fallen prey to warming temperatures, then reduced to an ice sheet when revisited by cold days. Variables in conditions have created a decline in local visits to the Big Mountain but reservations for destination visitors have held steady. “There’s an overwhelming sentiment that the snow isn’t good, which is a major misconception,” Big Mountain communications coordinator Dan Virkstis said. “We’ve got the best snow in Montana and maybe the region.”

10 Years Ago

Jan. 30, 2013

Residential sales in Flathead County increased last year to 1,332 units, about 29% more than in 2011, while the median price increased 4.2% to $187,500 after falling for four straight years. “Housing continues to be the most affordable that it has ever been in the last 30 years,” said Flathead Valley appraiser Jim Kelley. “With the current low-interest rates, the affordability level is substantially higher than the median home price.”