A look back at past Pilot articles by Julie Engler 

50 Years Ago 

Jan.16, 1975

The scarlet coat and golden robe of the Whitefish Winter Carnival Prime Minister settled around his shoulders of Charlie Kuehner, Whitefish sporting goods dealer, at the climax of a merry maker Production sponsored by past Prime Ministers for the purpose of presenting the first of the new 1975 carnival royalty. The new Prime Minister was born near Sweetgrass, Montana, and was a graduate of Harvard High School.  

40 Years Ago 

Jan.17, 1985 

After 47 years of working in education, 42 of them in Whitefish, Muldown Elementary Principal Orva Steffarud decided to retire. “I'm going to miss it,” said Steffarud, who will be leaving in June after nearly half a century in education. She said she is tired of the paperwork and meetings her position requires, which takes her away from the parts of education she really enjoys, working with students and teachers. “The kids, they are the most important thing,” she said. 

30 Years Ago 

Jan.12, 1995 

The developer of a proposed outlet mall was still planning for a summer opening of the first phase of the project, even though the anchor tenant pulled out of the deal. Stan Carson of Del Mar, California, said he prepared for just such an occurrence. “It's not a worry to us at all,” Carson said in a telephone interview. “We've been aware of something like this and it hasn't stopped plans.” A spokesperson for Ralph Lauren Polo confirmed that the store, which was to be the anchor tenant, would not be part of the mall, citing a new evaluation method in the company's outlet mall future. 

20 Years Ago 

Jan.13, 2005 

A rash of burglaries focused on area retailers hit the Flathead. Five businesses reported burglaries since Wednesday, Dec. 29 in Whitefish. Cowgirl Coffee and the Whitefish Yoga Center were hit on Dec. 29, and Hot Beans Espresso was burgled the next day. Windows were broken at all three locations and cash and other items were missing. Similar crimes were reported at Buzz and Bagels on Montana Hwy. 35 and Big Fork Espresso on Thursday night. 

10 Years Ago 

Jan.14, 2015 

The city Planning and Building Department issued 98 new construction permits last year. That number exceeded the total for every year since 2006 when 145 permits were issued. “Our new construction market is healthy and certainly back on pace with the period before the Great Recession,” said Whitefish Planning Director Dave Taylor. “I expect it to keep trending upward.” Seventy-three new single-family homes were built in the city last year, just below 75 in 2013.