Ledger Looking Back 25 Years: 6/18/1997

June 18, 1997

Whitehall small business owner Bill Baycroft and Whitehall resident Chad Murphy - a warden for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks - were appointed and sworn in as new town council members during the regular Whitehall Town Council meeting on June 16.

The Jefferson County Economic Task Force planned to expand, become more aggressive, and looked at the potential of modifying its organizational structure. The Task Force, created in 1995, was funded through a metal mines tax and was designed to find approaches to improve Jefferson County’s economic climate. One reason for the renewed efforts toward an expanded economic base was the realization that Jefferson County’s two large hard rock mines - Golden Sunlight and Montana Tunnels - both had a limited life. Another reason was the increasing population in Jefferson County. During 1990-1996, Jefferson County was the second fastest-growing county in the state.

A storm that dumped several inches of hail northwest of Whitehall on Sunday, June 15, also produced lightning that struck at least two structures in Whitehall. The home of Mike and Joni Hibbard at 110 N. Main and the Whitetail Creek RV Park at 513 E. Legion both suffered lightning damage at about 6:00 PM Sunday night.

The first organizational meeting of the Whitehall Parent Teacher Student Association was held on May 20, 1997. The organization set off to an enthusiastic and positive start by electing officers, accepting charter membership forms, and setting up the meeting agenda. Officers nominated and accepting positions were: Tab Sulzdorf - Chairperson, Charlene Dillon - Vice-president, Valerie McCollum - Secretary, and Jim Griffin - Treasurer.

Mike Hibbard - the owner of Jefferson River Auto Repair located at 107 E. Legion - focused on three main types of auto repair: glass repair/replacement, collision repair, and exhaust system replacement. Hibbard celebrated seven years as a Whitehall small business owner and credited his success to the principles of quality service and a personal touch.

Bill Barringer left his position as Whitehall school superintendent to enter the realm of retirement after a decade of being the guiding force in Whitehall’s education system.

Whitehall Volunteers of the Week were Michelle Tebay and Lisa Schmidt. Lisa and Michelle created the “One Good Cow” Program to help ranchers in the Dakotas and eastern Montana. The two Whitehall women have led what has become a national effort of ranchers to volunteer “one good cow” to replace some of the over 500,000 cattle killed in winter blizzards and spring floods. Lisa and Michelle have also worked with Pfizer to donate vaccines and wormer for livestock in the program.