Ledger Looking Back 25 Years: 7/16/1997

July 16, 1997

The Whitehall Town Council approved spending an additional $9,300 on the water improvement project to replace two old water lines that broke on July 7 and July 9. The two old cast iron water lines, one behind the Town Hall and the other at Legion Avenue and Railroad Street, ruptured when the new water tank began to fill and increased pressure throughout the town’s water distribution system.

The Bureau of Land Management was working on a habitat project in the Toll Mountain area about 13 miles west of Whitehall. Most of the small trees on these units were to be slashed during summer to help achieve burning objectives for the fall of 1997 and spring of 1998.

Fishing access sites in southwest Montana sustained significant damage during flooding. Some sites remained closed, including the Cardwell access site on the Jefferson River, because of continued high water or safety hazards, according to Jerry Walker, FWP Regional Parks Manager.

Seven Whitehall area high school and college students worked in the 1997 Golden Sunlight Mine (GSM) Summer Student Worker Program and performed duties from top to bottom at the mine site. GSM human resource superintendent, Sam Graham, said that 11 total students were employed under the summer work program and another four were working as summer interns.

Wally Madsen, president of the Whitehall Business Association, was honored as the Whitehall Volunteer of the Week. Wally, a tireless Whitehall booster, donated substantial time to civic efforts and, together with the Whitehall Business Association officers, developed a wonderful Frontier Days schedule. Wally owns Madsen Cabinets.