School's out at Central School

School's out in more ways than one for Central School in Whitefish. The last students ever to use the oldest portion of the historic brick building wrap up the school year this morning, and this afternoon the public has a chance to pick through the remains and take a piece for posterity.

What a great gesture for the Whitefish School District to open the school one last time to anyone who wants to carve out a piece of history. Fixtures, doors, woodwork and literally anything that can be pried or plucked from the school is there for the taking. The history scavenger hunt continues Saturday through Wednesday.

After a month of asbestos abatement, the majority of the aging school will be torn down to make way for a new one bearing the same design. It's the second part of a three-phase reconstruction. Some classrooms on the lower level will remain in use for another year, but for all practical purposes, Central School as Whitefish has known it since 1912 will be gone.

The institution has served the community well. As longtime art teacher Iola Mason said, "It's been a really great building with a lot of character, but it's time to go."

Whitefish, in the throes of a centennial, has turned another page in its history book.

The end came Monday at Owens & Hurst.

A 30-inch-thick ponderosa pine became the last log to run through the Eureka sawmill, which is closing down because it can't get enough national forest timber to sustain the lumber operation.

The mill's planer plant will stay in operation for a couple of months, but for most intents and purposes, the Eureka mill is history. Most Owens & Hurst workers have already worked their final shift.

The mill's demise also spells the disappearance of 90 jobs and a big part of the north Lincoln County economy.

We wish the former mill workers well as they pursue other employment options.

Do you think we've had enough rain yet?

An interesting sidelight of the recent June monsoons is that you don't hear anyone complaining any more about the dangerously low (or nonexistent) snowpack.

The low snow year has turned out to be a benefit - imagine what the river levels would be like if all this rain was falling on a normal snowpack? Maybe it would not be 1964 revisited, but at least some damaging flooding would no doubt have occurred.

As it is, the 3-plus inches of rain we've endured this month have pushed our yearly precipitation numbers almost to normal levels. And normal precipitation has been an elusive target in recent years.