Chalet no longer in path of Chair 2 project
By RICHARD HANNERS
Whitefish Pilot
It's a question of cause and effect — did recognition of the Rocky Mountain Chalet's historical significance by the Forest Service have a bearing on Winter Sports Inc.'s decision to change its plans to re-align Chair 2 this summer?
The people involved are keeping tight-lipped on that question, but a general rule for developers who encounter places with natural or historical significance is to avoid them.
WSI planned to re-align Chair 2 so it could serve a new skier plaza, with terminals for Chair 1, Chair 2 and Chair 6 in close proximity. Equipment removed from Chair 1 during its upgrade this summer will be used on Chair 2, so WSI wanted to do both projects together.
The Rocky Mountain Chalet, however, which was constructed by Ebb and Paula Schuele in 1949, lay directly in the path of the new alignment for Chair 2. Local residents grew concerned about the fate of the chalet and the popular Hellroaring Saloon inside.
The historical review of the chalet took a turn after Whitefish resident Tim Salt responded to a request for comment on the Chair 2 project by the Tally Lake Ranger District.
Salt said he wanted to be sure the historical significance of the chalet was properly reviewed, and he was directed to Flathead National Forest archaeologist Tim Light.
"I've always thought the chalet was a neat historic building that represents the heritage of the mountain and the unique relationship between the mountain and the people of Whitefish," Salt said. "The chalet is all that is left of those early years of the resort."
The Chair 2 re-alignment project will take place on Forest Service lands, but Light told Salt that he hadn't yet determined a "connection" between the chalet and the Chair 2 project. He then directed Salt to talk to the State Historical Preservation Office, in Helena.
Sometime later, Light got a call from Josef Warhank, a SHPO compliance officer. After discussing the points, Light said, he and Warhank agreed that the chalet should be considered an "effect" within the Chair 2 project review.
According to Light, there were two issues to address — was the chalet's removal connected to the Chair 2 re-alignment project and was the chalet historically significant?
WSI's response to the first question was that talk about removing the chalet from the Big Mountain village had been going on for more than a decade. The chalet was originally built with insufficient insulation and doesn't lend itself well to lodging or office space.
But despite all the talk, WSI never tore the chalet down, Light said. On the other hand, once plans came to light about re-aligning Chair 2, then WSI initiated serious plans to remove the chalet. That demonstrated a "connection."
Historical significance is determined by criteria established by the National Historic Preservation Act, Light said. The chalet cleared the first hurdle — it was built more than 50 years ago. The chalet also has historical importance as it was one of the ski resort's first buildings, and the ski resort is important to Flathead Valley history, Light said.
"I referred to Jean Arthur's book, 'Hellroaring, Fifty Years On The Big Mountain,' and I spoke to some Big Mountain employees who knew a lot of history about the chalet," he said.
The third question involves the integrity of the building itself.
"Mostly we're looking at the exterior of the chalet, not the interior," Light said. "The Hellroaring Saloon probably retains much of the original interior, but the bar itself is not that old."
Numerous changes have been made over the years to the exterior, he said — the chimney, new windows, a shed-roof addition at the entryway and the deck. But Light and Warhank agreed that when people looked at the building, they recognized the Rocky Mountain Chalet.
"But now that Big Mountain has changed their plans and the chalet is no longer in the way, it's no longer an 'effect,'" Light said.
In fact, there's no guarantee that the chalet will not be torn down at a later time.
The new re-alignment will also address some slope issues the Forest Service was concerned about. Tally Lake Ranger District project officer Bryan Donner said the new route avoids some wet areas above the water tank on Lower Mully's Run, where WSI had proposed removing some trees.
The Forest Service will direct how trees are removed, Donner said, but it will not get involved in sale of the resulting timber. WSI will pay a settlement price for trees that are removed and may do whatever it wants with the resulting wood product.
Donner said ski areas in the past pulled stumps out of the ground and then filled in the holes. Today, trees are cut flush with the ground.