That Memorable Year,
1910
By
Jill Evans, Administrator of the Stumptown Historical
Society
By 1910,
after five years as an incorporated town, Whitefish had
1479 people, a business district primarily along Central
Avenue and Second Street, a water system, a light and
power plant, telephones, some wooden sidewalks and a
couple of crosswalks, some graded streets, some filled
gullies. Sewers were under discussion, though
not yet approved.
The parking problem on Central Avenue
had been discussed. “How can hitching of horses on
Central Avenue be discourages?” Progress, improvement,
beautification were the style, for the first time
citizens were sure that their town had a future, and
they were in the mood to build for permanency. By March,
1911, the council would have adopted a resolution making
Whitefish “a city of the third class,” i.e. over 1,000
population.
The year 1910 is worth special attention. In that year
Whitefish, in a sense, became “modern,” or at least
established the directions in which future development
and a glorious future, and a willingness to work for
what lay ahead. Lawns were planted and trees brought in
from the woods and from “outside.” H.T. Mayfield became
mayor and a very active mayor he was. Because
this is, then, a critical year, week-by-week notes from
the files of the Whitefish Pilot seem in order. They
give both the major events of the year and the “flavor”
of the period.
A non-advertiser known to have been in operation at this
time was the Club Bo9wling Alleys, Deeringer and Coffey,
proprietors. The Whitefish Steam Laundry, George
Midzutani proprietor, was about to start operation, but
had not yet opened.
Headlines, items, and stories from the Whitefish Pilots
of 1910 follow, together with further information on
such stories as the forest fires of 1910, Carrie
Nation’s visit to Whitefish, and the general interest in
Halley’s comet.
January 13-Headlines:
“lst National Bank to Erect New Building-Stability of
Town Firmly Established-Biggest Roost Whitefish Ever
Had-Substantial 2-storey Brick ‘Building-Architect Riffo
of Kalispell.”
January 20:
The Somers Lumber Company lets contracts for 8 to 9
million feet of logs before spring.
There is a complete new heating plant for the
roundhouse.
Two companies are making plans for electric railway
lines. One is the Whitefish and Polson Electric Railway
Company. (For over two years, this company proceeded to
survey, plan, finance, even hire workers for an
interurban service between Polson and Whitefish. There
was considerable excitement about it, as it was
considered a big step forward for Whitefish to be the
north terminal of such a line. But the reader knows what
happened nationwide to electric interurbans! The second
company never got very far even with its plans.)
J.H. McCabe prominent businessman and long-time citizen
of Whitefish moved to Spokane. He had already sold his
store to Jaqueth and Johns.
January 27:
Enginemen will no longer have seniority rights outside
their own divisions.
Destructive land and snow slides owing to warm weather
and rains are occurring along the Great Northern. There
is much resulting loss of property and demoralized
traffic over the entire system. Two slides at Highgate
(near the Summit) resulted in deaths. In the first, four
men are buried in the snow, and only two get out alive.
The second slide kills a third man. There are also
serious slides at Paola and Highland.
Whitefish loses both its popular band director, A.P.
Sheridan, and its fine violinist, Dennis Kelley. Both
move away.
E.M. Hutchinson, Whitefish representative in the last
legislature in Helena, is to run for the Senate.
At the Chamber of Commerce meeting, urgent need for
sewers tables the lesser need for a library.
Mrs. Jemima Duncan announces that she plans to build a
new brick building on Second Street.
February 3:
Conductor Ollie Fisher is “blown from his train at
Midvale.” He is in the hospital, but is doing all right.
Brakeman McKenzie has to jump from a coal chute during
the blizzard at Browning. He was pulling some cars on
the chute. He was bruised badly, but fortunately not
killed.
L.W. Hill, GN President, announces plans for
establishing experimental farms.
See more of their story in the
Whitefish museum, located in the Train Depot.
Note: The quoted
material is taken from
Stump Town to Ski Town, by Betty Schafer and
Mable Engelter, written in 1972 and reprinted by the
Stumptown Historical Society in 2003. It is available
for sale in the Whitefish Museum located in the Train
Depot.
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