Historical Walking Tour of Whitefish, Montana

Built by the Great Northern Railway in 1927, the Whitefish Depot is not only a local landmark but is recognized fondly by hundred of thousands of people who have passed through Whitefish by train over the years. The building’s chalet-style architecture and gardens that surround it create a distinctive Whitefish “trademark.”

The railroad’s decision to construct a 36-by-150-foot building, to replace a much smaller depot at the north end of Central Avenue, occasioned a banner headline in the Whitefish Pilot in August, 1927. The three-story structure – one story for the depot and two for offices – would cost about $60,000. Butler Construction Co. of Seattle won the contract.

In the late 1980’s, Whitefish almost lost its famous depot when the railroad, by then the Burlington Northern, decided to scrap it. But the Stumptown Historical Society, a group formed by local folks to preserve the town’s history, refused to let it go. The Society bought the building for $1 and then raised $800,000 to renovate it, much of the work done by Whitefish volunteers. The Society uses rental fees from the Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Amtrak and a few office tenants to maintain the depot. In 2002, the Society had the building repainted in historically correct colors, a project that cost three-fourth as much as the entire 1927 construction cost.

More than 50,000 people pass through the depot each year.

[Photo caption:] Two views, taken in 1927, showing the original depot north of the new building under construction.

Sponsored by the Stumptown Historical Society and the Whitefish Community Foundation.

Marker is at the intersection of Depot Street and Spokane Street on Depot Street.

Courtesy hmdb.org

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