Ledger Looking Back 25 Years: 11/5/1997

November 5, 1997

Dale Davis won two of three wards and was elected mayor of Whitehall on November 4th in an election that saw a 72 percent voter turnout and a mixed message from voters. Davis clearly won the mayoral race, beating second-place finisher Bill Baycroft 217-174.

In another stunning development in the Whitehall water improvement project, the Montana Attorney General issued an opinion that largely sided with the project opponents, suggesting Whitehall residents should have been awarded a public vote on the project and concluded the District Court ruling should be reversed. The Attorney General’s opinion - a 48-page document filed with the Supreme Court - was the second straight surprise announcement involving the case. The first surprise was the Supreme Court’s order requesting an oral argument.

Whitehall’s Erv Hedegaard was nominated to serve as the Rotary District Governor for a year beginning on July 1, 1999. Hedegaard was twice named president of the Whitehall Rotary Club (1977-78 and 1996-97) and has been an active member of the club since 1975.

Brimstone Gold started its underground drilling program at the Mayflower Mine and arranged an initial shipment of stockpiled reserves. The Mayflower Mine was historically operated as a high-grade underground gold/silver shaft mine located in the northern Tobacco Root Mountains southwest of Whitehall near the Jefferson River. Brimstone reported that two underground drills were mobilized at the Mayflower Mine to begin underground exploration and definition drilling of potential reserves.

The Montana Conservation Corps placed about 75 new road signs along county roads. The signs represented the final step of County Ordinance 97-01, which set speed limits on Jefferson County roads. The commission opted to set a “safe and prudent” speed limit on unsigned roads, and in the final weeks of October, erected numerical signs on designated roads.

WHS Student of the Week was sophomore Mitch Tamietti, nominated by Mr. Breitenfeldt for his “improvement, hard work, extra credit work, and good attitude” in Environmental Biology. Mitch is the son of Georgia Cunningham and Don Tamietti.

Freshman Tyson Stratton was Whitehall Athlete of the Week. Tyson was nominated by Coach Dolan for his “extra effort put forth in running cross country this year.” Tyson is the son of Frank and LaFay Stratton and enjoys helping out on the ranch. Tyson’s future plans include going to a trade school to become a welder or contractor.