Glacier National Park History
The Blackfeet people of the northern plains dominated "The Backbone of the World" long before any European explorer confronted the area now known as the Rocky Mountains. The Blackfeet were aggressive and protected their east-slope buffalo hunting grounds from incursion by western tribes of Kalispel and Kootenai, or tribes from the south such as the Crow, Sioux, and Assiniboine.
As the mountains of Glacier and Waterton were thought to be home to spirits, members of many area tribes would journey there on vision quests. Chief Mountain, in the northeast corner of Glacier, was widely revered as the home of powerful medicine.
In 1889, an explorer for the Great Northern Railway named John F. Stevens located the vital Marias Pass. Marias was important because it was the lowest mountain pass between Canada and Mexico, so its low altitude and easy grade made it perfect for trains to cross the Continental Divide.
The railroad line crossed the mountains in 1891, spawning a number of work camps. Two of them eventually became the towns of Belton (West Glacier) and Midvale (East Glacier).
Around the turn of the century, people began to explore Montana for it's spectacular beauty. In the late 1890's, visitors arriving at Belton (West Glacier) could get off the train, take a stagecoach to Lake McDonald, and then board a boat for an eight mile trip to the Snyder Hotel. No roads existed in the mountains, but the lakes allowed boat travel into the wilderness.
Soon people, including George Bird Grinnell, pushed for the creation of a national park. Grinnell was an early explorer to this part of Montana and spent years working to get the park established. The area was made a Forest Preserve in 1900, but was open to mining and homesteading. Grinnell and others sought the added protection a national park would provide. Grinnell saw his efforts rewarded in 1910 when President Taft signed the bill establishing Glacier as the country's 10th national park.
After the creation of Glacier National Park, the staff of park rangers needed housing and offices to help protect the new park. The increasing number of park visitors made the need for roads, trails, and hotels urgent. The Great Northern Railway built a series of hotels and small backcountry lodges, called chalets, throughout the park. A typical visit to Glacier involved a train ride to the park, followed by a multi-day journey on horseback. Each day after a long ride in the mountains, guests would stay at a different hotel or chalet. The lack of roads meant that, to see the interior of the park, visitors had to hike or ride a horse. Eventually, the demand for a road across the mountains led to the building of the Going-to-the-Sun Road.
The construction of the Going-to-the-Sun Road was a huge undertaking. Even today, visitors to the park marvel at how such a road could have been built. The final section of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, over Logan Pass, was completed in 1932 after 11 years of work. The road is considered an engineering feat and is a National Historic Landmark. It is one of the most scenic roads in North America. The construction of the road forever changed the way visitors would experience Glacier National Park. Future visitors would drive over sections of the park that previously had taken days of horseback riding to see.
It is still possible to relive some of Glacier’s early history. You can take a horseback ride like an early visitor. Miles of hiking trails follow routes first used by trappers in the early 1800's. Several hotels and chalets, built by the Great Northern Railway in the early 1900's, house summer guests to the park.
You can find additional Glacier National Park information by clicking on the links below. Enjoy all that Glacier has to offer!
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