Whitefish:
Whitefish (Salish: epɫx̣ʷy̓u, "has whitefish"[5]) is a city in Flathead County, Montana, United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, there were 7,751 people in the city.[6]
History
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Archaeological records indicate that native American tribes shared hunting grounds in the area, most notably the Kootenai, the Pend d'Oreilles, and the Bitterroot Salish.[7] The Kootenai lived in the area for more than 14,000 years, inhabiting the mountainous terrain west of the Continental Divide, and traveled east of the divide for occasional buffalo hunts.[8] Though trappers, traders, and waves of westward immigrants passed through the area during the second half of the century, it wasn't until 1883 that the first permanent settler, John Morton built a cabin on the shore of Whitefish Lake, just west of the mouth of the Whitefish River. Morton was joined by the local logging industry forefathers—including the Baker and Hutchinson brothers—in the early 1890s. Logging crews "boomed-up" their logs behind a dam built at the river mouth by the Boston & Montana Commercial Company, which, when opened, created a rush of water that helped float the logs down the river to Kalispell.[8]
Whitefish Depot
The Great Northern Railway originally built its line south of Whitefish. When GN rerouted in 1904 to avoid the steep Haskell Pass, preferring a longer but more shallow route via Eureka, the development of what is now Whitefish was sparked. The town incorporated in 1905.[9] The area was originally known as Stumptown due to the abundant amount of timber that had to be cleared to build the town and railroad and because tree stumps were left in the streets throughout downtown.[10] Early residents of the town worked in nearby logging industries and for the railroad.[11] Some of the town's railroad workers were injured and two died in the 1966 Great Northern Buelow collision, an accident that affected many in the area.[12] In 2006, over 68,000 passengers embarked and disembarked through the historic Whitefish Depot, a stop on Amtrak's Empire Builder line,[13] with some percentage of those headed to the ski resort on Big Mountain.
Skiing has been part of the Whitefish area for more than 50 years. In 1937, the Whitefish Lake Ski Club obtained a special permit from the U.S. Forest Service enabling them to build cabins and trails in the Hell Roaring Creek region. Great Falls businessmen Ed Schenck and George Prentice recognized the area's potential and, after World War II, began efforts to develop a full-fledged ski resort on the mountain with local people donating labor, preparing the slopes, even giving up free time to help push through an all-weather mountain road. On December 14, 1947, Schenck, Prentice, and a thousand townsfolk stood on the newly christened ski resort's slopes to watch the brand new T-Bar lift bring their community vision to life.[14] The Whitefish Mountain Resort, built with community effort, attracted visitors.[15] In 2019, a scandivian styled sky chalet, The Nooq was opened near the resort for the tourists.[16]
The town started a curfew siren in 1919 that they called the "ding-dong ordinance". The historic siren was restored to the new city hall.
Geography
The town is located on the western side of the continental divide, near Glacier National Park. Whitefish Lake is a 5.2 square miles (13 km2) natural lake with maximum length 5.8 miles (9.3 km) and width 1.4 miles (2.3 km) and is 233 feet (71 m) at its deepest. The Whitefish River bisects the town of Whitefish as it courses south by southeast to briefly join the Stillwater River before its flows enter the Flathead River.[18]
The historic district of Whitefish is a neighborhood called "The Avenues".[19] This neighborhood is bordered by East 2nd Street to the north, Kalispell Avenue to the west, East 7th Street to the south, and Pine Avenue to the east. It is next to downtown, with many of its houses on the historic registry.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Whitefish has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. Large seasonal temperature differences typify this climatic region, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters.
Kalispell:
Kalispell (/ˈkæləˌspɛl, ˌkæləˈspɛl/, Montana Salish: Ql̓ispé, Kutenai language: Kqayaqawakⱡuʔnam[4]) is a city in Montana and the county seat of Flathead County, Montana, United States.[5] The 2020 census put Kalispell's population at 24,558.[6] In Montana's northwest region, it is the largest city and the commercial center of the Kalispell Micropolitan Statistical Area.[3] The name Kalispell is a Salish word meaning "flat land above the lake".
History
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Main Street, Kalispell
Aerial view of Kalispell, 1925
The first European settler to explore the Flathead Valley was likely surveyor Peter Fidler of the Hudson’s Bay Company in the 18th century. From 1870, permanent settlement and the introduction of livestock brought permanent changes, as did the near-eradication of local bison populations.[7]
In 1884, a short-lived town called Ashley was founded where Kalispell is today. Three years later nearby Demersville was founded. Demersville quickly grew to be the largest town in the area, but when the Great Northern Railroad bypassed the town it was abandoned just as quickly, with people moving the short distance to the new town of Kalispell.[8][9]
As the Great Northern Railroad built its continent-spanning railroad line in the 19th century, a need for a Divisional point in the Flathead Valley was identified. Using his own capital, Charles Edward Conrad, a businessman and banker from Fort Benton, Montana, formed the Kalispell Townsite Company with three other men, all from Great Northern board of directors.[10] The town took its name from the local native tribe, adding an extra "L" for good measure. "Kalispell" is a Salish word meaning "flat land above the lake".[7]
The townsite was quickly platted, and lots began selling by the spring of 1891. Kalispell was officially incorporated as a city in 1892,[11] and Conrad built a large mansion there in 1895.[12] Since that time, the city has continued to grow in population, reaching 19,927 in 2010. This growth persisted despite the railroad being rerouted from its original route over Haskell Pass, via Kalispell and Marion, Montana, to a more circuitous but flatter route via Whitefish and Eureka already in 1904.
As the largest city in northwest Montana, Kalispell serves as the county seat and commercial center of Flathead County. The city is considered a secondary trade center with a trade area of approximately 130,000. The city is home to Logan Health Medical Center, which has a 150-bed hospital facility.[13] The railroad history through Kalispell ended in 2018 when the city purchased and tore up the long abandoned track through the city.[14] The city of Kalispell removed the remaining downtown trackage, relocating the railroad to Glacier Rail Park, a new industrial park[15] just north of town; abandoning 2.4 miles of the original route.[16]
Nestled in the Flathead valley, Kalispell is 31 miles (50 km) from Glacier National Park and 22 miles (35 km) from Hungry Horse Dam. Skiers have access to Whitefish Mountain Resort on Big Mountain and Blacktail Mountain Ski Area, each 17 miles (27 km) away. Flathead Lake, the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi river, is 7 miles (11 km) away.[17] Buffalo Hill Golf Club, designed by Robert Muir Graves,[18] serves golfers in the region.
The tribal schools nearby offer classes in the Kalispel–Spokane–Flathead language, a language nest, and intensive language training for adults.[19] There is a Salish language school and training center in nearby Arlee, Montana.[20]
In 2023, Kalispell became nationally known for its violent actions against the homeless population in the town. The city government has previously begun passing ordinances in 2022 that punished anyone that helped homeless people in Kalispell, such as giving out food, supplies, or money. They also shut off water and electricity in the local park so it couldn't be utilized by homeless in the area. The county commissioners also released an open letter calling on residents to actively unite against the homeless, which resulted in groups of younger people violently assaulting homeless in the town. The New York Times published an article in January 2024 about the homeless population of Kalispell, noting that many were residents who had recently undergone financial trouble that led to them losing their homes, such as having a divorce.[21]
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