Whitefish Jesus Statue Hearing on Feb. 3

The now famous Jesus statue on the top of Big Mountain in Whitefish will be the subject of an upcoming legislative hearing. The House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands will discuss a proposed land exchange between the Whitefish Mountain Resort and the Federal Government. The land exchange involves a 25 foot by 25 foot plot of ground that surrounds the Jesus statue.

The land at issue, is currently being leased from the Forest Service.  The Jesus statue became a source of controversy after an atheist organization from Wisconsin opposed the renewal of the lease and threatened a lawsuit. If the land swap occurs, it will keep the Jesus statue in private hands and firmly planted on the mountain.

The statue was originally placed as a World War Two memorial by the Knights of Columbus and veterans of the 10th Mountain Division. There is an ongoing attempt to get the statue listed as an historical landmark.