It’s free. Full of photos. But the news is rather musty. Heck, some dates back over a century.
Pitched as the “best, worst, and just plain mundane,” Stumptown Historical Society’s 48-page summer newspaper just hit the streets. Laden with trivia spanning 100 plus years, the journal is a trek through Whitefish via the historical walking tour.
The publication–a joint partnership between the historical society and Christine Hensleigh, owner of Power of the Pen—is in its third incarnation. While walking tour sites remain the same, photos and stories accompanying each stop are different along with snippets of news stories from the Whitefish Pilot. “We have over 5,000 photos in our archives,” explains Jill Evans, administrator for Stumptown Historical Society, “and we’re lucky the Whitefish Pilot dates back 100 years.”
Beginning and ending at Depot Street, the walking tour combines 28 stops. Many stops cluster along Central Avenue where you can see the oldest building in town—Casey’s Bar. Once known as the Sprague Saloon, the bar built in 1903 was a favorite haunt for railroad workers and loggers.
Even without setting foot to pavement for the historical walking tour, the newspaper is a good browse. Two bunches of carrots for five cents? Mouse races at the Palace Bar? A bowling alley turns into a toy store?
Grab a copy of the Stumptown Old Timer at the Stumptown Museum in the Depot. You’ll also find it stacked in stores and restaurants around town. Evans adds, “It’s just a gift we like to give to Whitefish and our visitors.”