On January 21, 1984 on the southern end of Glacier National Park on US Hwy 2, a tragic bus accident occurred. The Whitefish High School Bulldogs wrestling team were returning home from a dual in Browning. A blizzard was beginning to form through the mountains and the roads became slippery with white snow.
The team made the decision to slowly cross over the pass, eagerly looking forward to the rest of their Saturday night and sleeping in their own beds. The wrestling team, five cheerleaders, head coach Jim Withrow, Assistant coach Wayde Davis and his wife and two children, and driver were on the bus.
An empty gasoline tanker was traveling east on the highway when the rig slid out of control and jack-knifed on the two-lane highway. The truck collided with the west-bound bus and the front of the bus instantly burst into flames.
The wrestlers on board quickly jumped into action, assisting each other and pulling students from the wreckage. The students trekked a quarter mile on the road to a nearby diner, Denny’s. This became their triage center and the location where news of the accident spread to their family and friends.
Nine people lost their life and 18 others were injured…
This story remains fresh in the minds of many from the small town of Whitefish, MT. The Whitefish High School Class of 1985 has since made an effort to memorialize the lives of these people. The picture plaque below is displayed near the school’s cafeteria as a daily reminder to those who walk the halls.
