By: Marlene Affeld
The
most visited place in Montana, Glacier National Park is a crown jewel
in America’s National Park System. The park derived its name from the
more than 50 perennial ice fields within its 1600 square miles of
pristine wilderness that spans the Continental Divide. The park has
over 200 alpine lakes, 700 miles of maintained hiking trails and almost
1000 miles of creeks, rivers and waterfalls.
Mystical,
primal forests, rugged majestic mountains and wildflower blanketed
alpine meadows are all part of one of the largest, bio-diverse and
intact ecosystems to be found in the lower 48 states. In 1979, the
United Nations designated Waterton - Glacier International Peace Park
as the world’s first International Biosphere Reserve. Further honors
were bestowed upon the park in 1995 when UNESCO honored the park’s
international significance by designating it a World Heritage Site.
For
over 20,000 years glaciers have crafted and carved this majestic
landscape. A glacier is a slowly moving mass of snow and ice formed
when more snow falls each winter than melts in the following summer.
The heavy snowfall accumulates and the weight creates pressure and
forms the lower layers into solid ice. The bottom layer is flexible,
allowing the glacier to progress. As glaciers move they pick up
boulders, rocks and gravel which sculpts and scrapes the land it
travels across. Over thousands of years, glacial movement forged the
magnificent sharp mountain peaks, deep valleys and lakes that make up
the extraordinary landscape of the park.
The
dense forests of this vast pristine ecosystem are inhabited by more
than 70 species of mammals including grizzly bears, wolves, cougars,
big horn sheep, mountain goats, elk, deer, moose, beavers and
wolverine. More than 260 species of birds ride the winds.
Exquisite
wildflowers flourish in alpine meadows and prairie grasslands; over
1400 species of wildflowers bloom in the park. 28 of these are
varieties that are found nowhere else but within Glacier National Park.
Icy,
sparkling clear, clean water; in Glacier Park there is water
everywhere. Water covers over 2000 acres of the park. Glorious chains
of waterfalls, hundreds of lakes and over 550 creeks and rivers. Sacred
Dancing Cascades is a series of waterfalls that are favorites of all
who visit.
Many
people consider the Going-To-The-Sun Road, a spectacular 52 mile
stretch of tarmac that divides north and south Glacier National Park,
to be one of the most scenic roadways in America. Traversing the park
from east to west, the “Sun Road” is considered an engineering miracle.
The construction of this incredible roadway took over 11 years and tens
of thousands of man hours to complete. The final segment of the
Going-To-The-Sun Road, over Logan Pass, was finished in 1932 and today
is a National Historic Landmark. The road allowed visitors by car to
access the park and enjoy areas that previously had taken several days
of horseback riding to reach.
Glacier
National Park is actually half of the world’s first International Park.
In 1932, to honor the friendly relations and neighborly bond between
the two countries, the United States and Canada named Glacier and
Canada’s adjoining Waterton Lakes National Park the Waterton-Glacier
International Peace Park. The re-naming of the parks also honored the
character of this massive wilderness and the cooperation and shared
stewardship required to protect and maintain the park system.
Prior
to the white man’s invasion of the American West, the Kootenai, Salish
and Blackfeet Indian Tribes lived and hunted in this majestic
wilderness. The entire region holds great spiritual significance for
Native Americans who held its secrets sacred.
When
their freedom was shackled and the tribes were forced onto
reservations, the Kootenai and Salish were relocated southwest of
Glacier. The Blackfeet Reservation adjoins the east side of the park.
On Chief Mountain at the northwest boundary of the park, Plains Indian
Tribes continue to hold prayer ceremonies and vision quests.
In
1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition journeyed within 80 miles of the
area that is now Glacier Park. In 1815, a fur trapper for the Hudson
Bay Company of Canada, Hugh Monroe, (called “Rising Wolf’ by the
Blackfeet Indians), was the first white man to enter the area. Soon
other trappers followed in search of the beaver pelts so much in demand
in Europe.
Fueled
by the discovery of gold, settlement of the west was expanding. When
the Great Northern Railroad completed construction of the railway over
Marias Pass in 1891, homesteaders settled into the lush valleys and
small towns sprang up.
The
United States government, under extreme pressure from settlers and
miners, acquired the mountains east of the Continental Divide from the
Blackfeet Tribe in 1895. The treasure hunter’s dreams were dashed when
they failed to find a bonanza. Although some gold and copper was found,
the mining boom only lasted a few brief years. Abandoned mine shafts
and tailing piles are still found in several locations within the park.
By
the turn of the century, the public started to view and value the land
for its incredible, breathtaking beauty. Rather than just judging the
land for its potential for financial exploitation, many factions moved
to preserve the fragile ecosystem.
Many
people, such as George Bird Grinnell, an early explorer of Montana,
lobbied for the creation of a national park. The area became a Forest
Preserve in 1900, but remained open to homesteading and mining.
Grinnell and other dedicated conservation- ists petitioned for the added
protection a national park would offer. In 1910, George Grinnell was
delighted when all the hard work paid off. President Taft signed
legislation making Glacier the nation’s 10th National Park.
Like
glaciers all over the world, the glaciers of Glacier National Park are
melting. Inch by inch, warming temperatures are consuming the ice
masses. The change is not dramatic unless you compare today's glaciers
with those of 50 years ago. There are almost 100 less glaciers today
than there were five decades ago. Scientists predict that if global
warming is not curtailed, there may not be a single glacier left by
2030. If you haven’t seen Glacier Park go soon and take the
grandchildren, the glaciers of the park may soon be only a memory.
Related Reading
Geology of Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park Photo Gallery
Park Vision - More Awesome Photos Of Glacier National Park
National Parks Service - Glacier
Glacier Park Is A Global Warming Laboratory
Comments