In the 1920s and 1930s, private automobiles replaced railroads as Americans’ primary means of long-distance travel. This meant that, among many other things, Glacier National Park was transformed from a private playground for the relative few who could afford train fare into a true “public pleasure ground.” Thousands of miles of highways had to be built to bring tourists to Montana, but the most spectacular feat of roadbuilding was the construction of Going-to-the-Sun Road, dedicated in 1933. The road crosses the “backbone of the world,” as the region’s original inhabitants, the Blackfeet, called the Continental Divide. The 52-mile-long road—48.7 miles of which have been recognized as a National Historic Landmark road— offers tourists some of the most stunning vistas found anywhere. Designed by highway engineer Frank Kittredge, the route includes a grand loop carved directly into a cliff known as the Garden Wall. It took eight years and $2.5 million to achieve this engineering marvel. Three men died during construction and many more resigned in the face of difficult and vertigo-inducing work. Hauling in supplies and equipment provided its own logistical challenge, often requiring the construction of new trails. Laborers moved mind-boggling quantities of trees, stumps, and rocks while skilled masons used native stone to build bridges, retaining walls, and guardrails that blended into the surrounding environment. The road they built—and that we still enjoy—truly fulfils its purpose: “making available to people the most and best of Nature's creation.”
]]>Montana's dynamic Democratic senator Burton K. Wheeler rose to prominence as a Butte attorney and was one of the leading progressives. He served in the Senate from 1923 to 1947. During his turbulent political career he championed labor unions and freedom of speech, shaped key New Deal legislation, and successfully opposed President Franklin Roosevelt's scheme to expand the Supreme Court. Never one to shy away from controversy, he once boasted: “I've been accused of almost everything except timidity." In 1915, he first visited Lake McDonald with his wife Lulu, an active and influential force in her husband's career. The following year the Wheelers leased land and purchased a cabin in the park. Although Glacier offered a refuge from politics, Wheeler often engaged in working vacations. He authored some of his important bills here, including legislation establishing self rule on Indian reservations and regulating public utilities. Wheeler also took a special interest in the park's welfare and, among other initiatives, was instrumental in securing appropriations for the Going-to-the-Sun Highway. The Wheelers’ cabin burned in 1941. Lulu immediately began to design a replacement, supervising its construction the following year. Her plans for the new cabin captured the spirit of the family's lost landmark while following the signature Rustic Style of the National Park Service. Using local materials, she emphasized the importance of privacy, quality of view, and natural environment to reflect an unpretentious "democratic" life style.
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