Ledger Looking Back 25 Years: 6/25/1997

June 25, 1997

The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) and Montana Rail Link (MRL) were discussing possible arrangements that would lead to MRL operating freight trains over the trackage west of Whitehall over Homestake Pass. Both BNSF and MRL officials confirmed that negotiations were taking place, but it remained unclear if the negotiations would produce a sale of the track from BNSF to MRL, a lease agreement, or any agreement at all.

A Pasco, Washington resident was fined for damaging a rock formation at Lewis & Clark Caverns. The man snapped off about a nine-inch stalactite on June 11, and meant to keep it as a souvenir. However, he was confronted, confessed, and was arrested by Whitehall Town Marshal Topper Giono. For the first time, Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (DFWP) officials planned to attempt to repair the stalactite. According to Lewis & Clark Caverns assistant manager Jim Domino, department officials hoped to obtain surgical screws or pins to rejoin the broken rock formation. DFWP then planned to locate a portion of a stalactite that fell - naturally - from a cavern rock formation, grind part of the rock into a powder, and use the powder to make a substance to, in essence, camouflage the crack where the two rock formations joined.

Remi Monforton, broker and owner of Management West Real Estate in Whitehall, specialized in larger ranches, commercial property, and recreational properties. Monforton, a Bozeman native who moved to Whitehall in 1989, was a Jefferson Valley Habitat for Humanity board member and had been active on the three “Habitat homes” in Whitehall. Monforton was also a member of the Whitehall Planning Board.

A small parcel of land north of the A&W (located on W. Legion St.) in Whitehall had been conveyed to the Town of Whitehall and was in the process of being transferred into a town park. The land parcel, about an acre in size, would also function as a catch basin for the water that runs off the hill near Meadow View Lane north of A&W.

Whitehall Volunteer of the Week was Cheryl Hopkins, the president of the Whitehall Little League. Cheryl was also the parade organizer for Frontier Days and helped with wrestling tournaments. Cheryl lived in Whitehall for four years and was the owner of Office, Etc. She also was the manager of Horizon Air in Butte. Cheryl has two children, Jan, 14, and Chelsea, 11.