Geotourism at the Forefront of New Venture

WEST GLACIER – The Crown of the Continent is the majestic and awe-inspiring landscape of the Rocky Mountains where Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia connect for one of the wildest and diverse ecosystems in the world.

The crown jewel of this area is the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park spanning the border between Montana and Canada with pristine wilderness that calls to more than 2 million visitors each year.

It’s also a place with deep human history, dating back to ancient peoples whose practices echoed into recent history and modern times. The presence of animals and their patterns are also important aspects in the Crown.

All of these subjects, including the basic science of how this region came to look the way it does, are covered in fascinating, interactive, family-friendly ways at the new Crown of the Continent Discovery Center, located in what was formerly the Rawhide Trading Post.

Swan Mountain Outfitters, known for their backcountry animal-packing trips in Glacier and the surrounding wilderness, purchased the building and property in 2013, having sent out trail rides from a corral there since 2009.

The new owners liquidated everything in the building, starting from scratch. Now, the store is a one-stop shop for all things geotourism, a term for tourism that “sustains or enhances the distinctive character of a place – its environment, heritage, aesthetics, culture, and well-being of its residents,” according to National Geographic.

It’s an idea the folks at SMO have been behind for a while now, according to Aubrie Lorona, whose family owns and operates SMO and who spearheaded the Discovery Center project.

“We always had this idea that we wanted to be aligned with the Crown of the Continent geotourism,” she said.

Those visitors who choose to vacation here because they want a true Montana experience – one that doesn’t just mean flying in, snapping pictures, and leaving, but instead learning about and having an authentic experience in a place – are the people SMO had in mind when creating the center.

“That’s who we want to focus on and cater to,” she said.

Building all the educational interactive displays – there are at least 10 throughout the building, including in Bubba Luke’s ice cream shop, named after the 3-year-old Loronas’ son – didn’t come cheap, and SMO received a $185,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce to help fund it.

On June 16, the Discovery Center will team up with Glacier Guides and Montana Raft Company, along with the Columbia Falls and Whitefish chambers of commerce, to celebrate the opening of the new geotourism hotspot with food, beverages, and plenty of enthusiastic supporters. The party takes place from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Discovery Center is also a retail shop, with more than 225 Montana retailers represented on the shelves and in the beverage coolers. Buying the property also meant keeping its liquor license, so the Center can sell Montana microbrews in growlers, six-packs, or at the bar, which is stocked only with Montana-made liquors, wines, and beers.

Lorona said she wanted to set up the geotourism kiosks as a way to have something for everyone. They’re separated into three categories: Enjoy, meaning how we interact, recreate, volunteer, and buy land here; Explore, for investigating the ecology, geology, and life here; and Engage, providing information on what people and organizations are doing to preserve and protect the Crown.

It could be a heavy topic if not handled as deftly as at the Discovery Center, where the interactive displays transmit this information in fun and quick ways that still leave an impact. For example, a look at the map showing how native people’s trading routes overlap with our modern highways gives the viewer a sense of time and place without a long history lesson.

Audio displays tell the histories of logging, ranching, outfitting, mining and homesteading, and a physical as well as a virtual pin board will act as a global guestbook for all visitors.

And though SMO doesn’t run it, they lease kitchen space in the building to La Casita, featuring homemade Mexican food.

Outside the Discovery Center, donkeys, pigs, sheep, and a llama will delight visitors in a small petting zoo, while the horses in the corral out back are still ready for trail rides, which visitors can schedule there.

All the gear sold there is either tested or used by SMO outfitting staff, Lorona said, giving it a more authentic feel as well.

Overall, the idea is to build a foundation on which visitors can build an experience that leaves them caring about what happens to the ecosystems and people here, she said.

“We hope we are going to make people want to not only come back, but give back as well,” Lorona said.

For more information about the Crown of the Continent Discovery Center, visit www.crowndiscoverycenter.com or call 406-387-4405. The Discovery Center also has a Facebook page.