Winter Carnival: Return of the Goats
- Shane Johnson
- Jan 30
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Winter Carnival descended on Whitefish again this month. With it came the royalty, frivolity, and sense of community that made it famous. This year, we also celebrate the 2025 return of a long-lost Carnival group: the Goats!
It’s that time of year again when the cloudy skies and biting winds of winter begin to chill not only our bones, but also our spirits and our hearts. While we might be enjoying a relatively mild winter so far (knock on wood), Christmas and New Year’s are now vague memories, and many begin to long for more temperate climates. Subtropical paradises and beach resorts begin to dominate the thoughts of normal people, but in the weird wacky town of Whitefish we have a different solution. Instead of escaping winter, we instead glory and revel in an event that brings warmth to our heart and gives us a reason to enjoy winter: The Winter Carnival.
In 2024, we featured an article titled Stories of Yetis, Klowns, & Carnival Mysteries where we explored some of the costumed groups that have been pivotal in the Carnival’s history. Among these groups was the Great Northern Goats. While their role in the mythology of the parade has always been supportive and not primary, like the Yetis, The Great Northern Goats have still had an important role in the festivities. Today, we’re going to look at the origin of our white-haired friends and their presence in the Carnival throughout the years.
A Railroad Origin Story
While the Carnival’s founding dates to the 1960’s, Rocky the Goat, the inspiration for the Great Northern Goats, predates it by about 30 years. Rocky the Goat was the mascot of the Great Northern Railway until the company was first absorbed by Burlington Northern and later Santa Fe to form BNSF.
Rocky was born out of the mind of William P. Kenney, the seventh president of the company. The mascot was based on both the majestic mountain goats that clung to the mountainsides near Glacier Park, but also on a billy goat Kenney had used for newspaper delivery as a young man in Minneapolis. The Whitefish Pilot tells the story of Kenny setting up one of the first newspaper stands in South Minneapolis. His business was so successful that he could no longer carry all of the papers himself. So he had the bright idea of buying a billy goat to pull a small cart for newspaper delivery. However, the neighbors so firmly objected that he thought it was best to get rid of the goat. He chose to sell the goat to a breeder in Midvale, Montana (later annexed by Eureka), and this breeder had a zany plan to breed domesticated goats with mountain goats.
Several years later, Kenney, now a Vice President of Great Northern Railway, was visiting Glacier Park and saw a “magnificent specimen of a Rocky Mountain goat surveying the scene”. Kenney remarked, “That must be the great-great-grandson of the old goat that hauled my papers.” Out of this interaction came Rocky the Goat and one of the Carnival’s oldest friends.
As the railroad was vital to the economy and tourism of Whitefish, it is only natural that Rocky would be included in the Carnival’s festivities from the beginning. However, Rocky was more than just free advertising for the railroad; he was a vital member of the cast of colorful characters.
Carnival Tomfoolery
The Klumsy Klowns and the G.N. Goats were often linked together and were once described as “carnival tomfoolery”, and they seemed to live up to it with their zany dancing antics. The goats and clowns were a key piece of entertainment in the early festivities and were known for doing regular skits throughout the years. The Inter Lake describes one such event as, “...a skit marked with the zany goings on that have become a characteristic of the bearded cousins of the G.N.’s famous Rocky.” The Whitefish Pilot also made mention in 1963 that, “The Great Northern Goats will unveil a new member of their group in a skit of their own and then both the clowns and goats will make a fast whirl through history in a specially-prepared dance routine.” Zany and educational? Only history knows at this point.
Among the other cast of characters, the goats were also used as bearded salesmen for the Carnival. They could often be found roving the streets of Kalispell in the weeks before the Carnival to drum up button sales. In the winter of 1966, The Daily Inter Lake reported that, “The Whitefish Winter Carnival costumed groups will be out in full force this weekend selling Winter Carnival buttons in the surrounding area. Costume groups include the Penguins, Great Northern Goats, Fish, Clowns, Bunnies, Raggedy Anns, Yhettis, Swamp Creekers, Loki and his Viking.”
Perhaps we should bring this practice back not just for sales but to also spread a little of the weirdness to the rest of the Flathead. A wild pack of yetis, vikings, goats, and clowns roving Hutton Ranch Plaza would be sure to garner the attention of Kalispell’s bustling population. It might also bring a few sorely needed smiles to the hubbub of that commercial center.
The Years Roll On
Over the decades, countless individuals have worn various iterations of the goat outfits–many of these were Great Northern Railway employees. While it would be nearly impossible to compile a list of those people, it would not be beyond reason to assume that several of the ‘Dirty Dozen’, the founders of the Whitefish Carnival, also donned the masks and lederhausen at one time or another. In her obituary, Vivian Hull is credited with sewing the first goat costumes for the Winter Carnival. We also know that one Don Jensen, of Jensen’s Building Center, is mentioned in the Inter Lake as being awarded “Rocky Rockette” and “formerly ‘taken into the fold and given browsing rights, and all the goat nip he wants.’” We’re not sure what the goat nip entailed, but we can assume it was strong enough to keep the goats warm on the cold carnival nights.
As time went on, it seems that the G.N. Goats were slowly left behind. You can still find occasional mention of their antics and skits in the newspapers as “dancing goats”, but by the mid-90’s they seem to disappear from public mention. Did they climb up to higher mountain peaks to find better grazing? Did they get lost somewhere in Essex after boarding the wrong train? Did the Yhetis grow envious and banish them to The Great White North?
No one really knows their fate or why they disappeared for so long, but in 2025, the goats seemed to have found their way home as we were once again beguiled by their whimsical presence. As we look forward to the future, we hope that the goats will continue to be part of the parade. Maybe last year’s warm reception will inspire a resurgence of some of the other misfit characters of bygone years.
Thank you for reading this Stumptown Story about the Whitefish Winter Carnival, the Great Northern Goats, and the tales they helped create!
-The team at the Stumptown Historical Society