A familiar face at the west entrance of Glacier National Park is retiring.
Fred Reese, a ranger at the West Glacier Entrance Station, stepped down this fall after 45 seasons. The 75-year-old Columbia Falls resident began working as a seasonal park ranger at the Rising Sun Campground in 1966. He continued working summers at Glacier until accepting a permanent position at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio for about three years, before returning to seasonal duties at Glacier National Park in 1982. He also worked several winter seasons at Death Valley National Park in California.
From 1990 to 2010, Reese worked as an elementary special education teacher for the Columbia Falls School District. The combination of working for the school district and the park was ideal for Reese, allowing for two careers.
Reese was born in Sulphur, Okla., and nurtured a love for national parks at a young age thanks to nearby Chickasaw National Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service.
Reese traveled to Montana for the first time when he was about 7 years old. He frequently joined his grandfather and uncles on annual fishing trips, including visits to Glacier Park, and he thought that someday he would travel back to Montana and perhaps work at the park.
After serving in the U.S. Army, he began his career at Glacier. Over the years Reese worked as a campground ranger, backcountry ranger, visitor-use assistant, fee collector and entrance station supervisor. He has served at the west entrance since 1990.
Reese says the favorite part of job was the people he worked with and the visitors he met, and being on the many trails in the park.
Park officials say Reese developed an extensive knowledge of the trails, and greatly served the visitors and employees over his tenure at the park.
When asked what he won’t miss about his job, he smiled and said, “long lines at the entrance station.”
Reese was recently recognized for his many years of contributions to Glacier National Park. He lives in Columbia Falls with his wife and son.