Ledger Looking Back 25 years: 2/18/1997

FEBRUARY 18, 1997

Plagued by low gold prices and expansion permit uncertainty, Golden Sunlight Mine (GSM) instituted a series of steps designed to reduce costs throughout the mine’s operation. GSM was directed by its parent company in Vancouver, Placer Dome North America, to cut costs. All three Placer Dome mines in the U.S. received a similar directive to reduce costs. The price of gold was hovering around $300 an ounce, which was well below the price GSM needed to be profitable.

After over a year of mine site preparation and months of exploratory drilling, the operators of the Mayflower Mine remained optimistic about the chances of developing the mine and expected to make a final decision on full mine production later in the spring. Brimstone Mining’s president and general manager, Allan Kirk of Bozeman, said the exploratory drilling conducted had only increased his confidence in the gold and silver deposits at the site. The mine site crew had grown to 20 at the underground mine, the mineshaft was fully dewatered, and the exploratory drilling program was half completed.

Ralph Shipley, a county worker, and Whitehall resident, bladed about a two-mile section of Piedmont Road on February 12 in one of the early road improvement projects scheduled for the Whitehall area in 1998. Piedmont Road was bladed, built up about a foot with new gravel, and a filter cloth was inserted to improve drainage. Improvement projects were slated for Yellowstone Trail and the Pipestone Road for summer, as was the re-paving of a stretch on the Interstate west of town.

The uncertainty surrounding the appointment of a Whitehall Town Attorney would not be cleared up quickly, and possibly not at all, by an opinion from the Montana Attorney General. Guidelines for requesting and formulating an Attorney General opinion called for a lengthy process in which the town attorney would do the vast majority of legal research, and since the appointment of Whitehall Town Attorney Jack Morris was the appointment in question, Morris researching his own legal status seemed to create a conflict of interest. Since only the mayor can nominate a town attorney and only the council can confirm an appointment, the dispute between the council and mayor produced uncertainty about whether or not Morris was still the town attorney.

Whitehall Student of the Week was Kari Hanson. She was nominated by Terry Kelly for excelling in History and Problems of American Democracy class. Kari was a senior and the daughter of Sandi Salvagni and Byron Hanson. Kari had also written four pieces that were published that year.

Whitehall Athlete of the Week was WHS wrestler Karl Andersen. He was State Champion in the 160 lb. division and the first champion wrestler since 1995.