Nature is, of course, the primary force that shaped Glacier National Park. However, two entities—the National Park Service and the Great Northern Railway—played essential roles in designing the built environment that contributes so greatly to the park experience. Five diverse sites comprise Glacier’s Great Northern Railway Buildings National Historic Landmark. Together they exemplify the essential role the Great Northern played in building and promoting “America’s Alps.” Four of the sites are within the boundaries of the park: majestic Many Glacier Hotel overlooking Swift Current Lake; the more modest, log Two Medicine General Store on the shores of Two Medicine Lake; and Granite Park and Sperry Chalets, both hiking/trail-riding destinations in the spectacular backcountry. The fifth site, Belton Chalet, is located adjacent to the park in the small community of West Glacier. All were completed within five years of the park’s establishment to provide visitors with amenities rustic enough to match the surroundings but posh enough to meet the expectations of well-heeled travelers. To encourage Americans to “See America First” (and, not incidentally, increase railroad profits), Great Northern president and promotional mastermind Louis W. Hill chose a Swiss chalet style architecture that featured prominent gable ends, wide eaves supported by dominant corbels, numerous balconies, and fretwork. To remind patrons that their experience was uniquely American, designers enhanced the interior spaces with rustic Western elements and American Indian motifs. By successfully appealing to both a long-held regard for things European and a burgeoning national pride, Hill fully realized “the enormous potential for using architecture as a marketing strategy,” enriching the Glacier experience for generations of visitors in the process.
]]>Sacred to the Kootenai Indians whose traditional homeland encompasses the west side of Glacier National Park, Lake McDonald began attracting tourists as soon as the railroad reached the region in 1891. Recognizing the value of his property as an overnight destination, homesteader George Snyder constructed a two-story, frame hotel on the shores of the lake in 1895. In 1906, Columbia Falls businessman John E. Lewis purchased Snyder’s holdings, adding cabins to the operation. Congress declared the region a national park in 1910 and, four years later, Lewis replaced Snyder’s original structure with a much more imposing facility dubbed the Lewis Glacier Hotel. The Spokane, Washington, architectural firm of Kirtland, Cutter and Malmgram designed the three-story, Swiss style chalet to match other park structures built by the Great Northern Railway. Lewis’s lodge featured massive unpeeled logs supporting the balcony-lined grand lobby. An oversized inglenook-type fireplace on one end warmed chilled guests while spectacular lake views on the other side encouraged visitors to relax on the wide front porch or on upper-story balconies. Since there was no road to the site, construction materials had to be skidded over the frozen lake in winter and carried by boat in the spring. Likewise, guests arrived by boat until 1921 when the lower portion of Going-to-the-Sun Road was completed from Belton (now West Glacier) to the hotel. Lewis sold his hotel complex to the Great Northern in 1930, and two years later the National Park Service acquired the property from the railroad. Following name changes to Lake McDonald Hotel in 1930 and Lake McDonald Lodge in 1958, the building was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
]]>Great Northern Railway chairman of the board Louis Hill dubbed the rugged mountains of Glacier National Park “America’s Alps.” Between 1909 and 1913, the Great Northern Railway constructed the Belton Chalet complex under Hill’s direction. It was the first of the Great Northern Railway’s sprawling hotels to serve Glacier National Park, created in 1910, and marks the beginning of tourism in the park. Hill drew upon the Chalet and American Rustic styles for his hotels to create harmony with Glacier’s natural landscape and help define visitors’ perceptions of the “controlled wilderness.” He costumed employees accordingly throughout Glacier Park. Waitresses in alpine dress, cowboy guides, and local Blackfeet Indians created a true theme park preceding Walt Disney. Belton Chalet is the most traditional, purely Swiss of Glacier’s hotels. Stylistic elements include front-facing gable ends, wide eaves with heavy braces, balconies, and ornamental fretwork. Inside, taxidermy, American Indian motifs, and a large oil landscape of Glacier Park by artist John Fery complement the rustic wood timbers. Guest rooms at the Belton Chalet featured rustic rockers, porcelain washbasins, Arts and Crafts style dressers, Hudson’s Bay style blankets, metal bedsteads, and Swiss style curtains. After being closed for many years and then completely restored under private ownership, Belton Chalet is one of six original park hotels. The buildings as a group, designated a National Historic Landmark, remain unaltered as a unique example of a Swiss theme park in America’s Alps.
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