Page 10 - Flathead Beacon // 6.17.15

NEWS
Glacier Park Welcomes 100 Millionth Visitor NPS celebrates milestone same day iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road opens on west side
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
WEST GLACIER – On the morning of June 11, Becky Janssen loaded up her two kids in the family car in Whitefish and headed to Glacier National Park. Little did she know that her family was about to make history.
Janssen, of Bakersfield, California – along with her children Pierce and Gretchen – became the 100 mil- lionth visitor to Glacier in the park’s 105-year history. The family was honored with a small ceremony at the Apgar Transit Center before boarding a Red Bus for a free ride to Logan Pass on the opening day of the iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road.
The Janssen family is spending the summer in White- fish and on Thursday morning, with news that the west side of the Sun Road was open, decided to check out the park for the first time. The family first came to the Flat- head Valley earlier this year.
“Our first time in this area was over spring break and we just fell in love with it so we’re spending the summer here,” Janssen said. “(Today) we were just going to go for a drive and maybe hike around a little bit.”
But the Janssens’ plan changed when Superinten- dent Jeff Mow walked up to their car shortly after 10
Becky Janssen is the 100 millionth visitor to the park in its 105-year history.
JUSTIN FRANZ | FLATHEAD BEACON
a.m. as they were in line at the west entrance station. Mow informed Janssen that she was the 100 millionth visitor to the park and asked if the family would like to partake in a short celebration. After the family entered the park, they headed to the Apgar Transit Center where
they were presented with a gift bag from the park and its partners, including Xanterra Parks and Resorts, the Glacier Conservancy, the Glacier Institute and the Gla- cier National Park Volunteer Associates. During the cer- emony, Mow noted the importance of sharing the park with young people like Pierce, 14, and Gretchen, 10.
“We need to ensure the next generation are stewards and advocates of our National Parks,” Mow said. “The National Park Service is in the forever business and we have to make sure we’re here for future generations.”
This year is already turning into a banner one for the park that annually attracts more than 2 million people. Visitation for 2015 is already up 29 percent over last year’s record, when 2.3 million people came through the gates.
Park officials said it is hard to pinpoint which visitor is indeed the 100 millionth, but said Janssen is represen- tative of that mark, which should come sometime this month.
The 100 millionth visitor comes exactly 80 years after the park hit the 1 million mark when Dr. C. Simpkins, a professor of anatomy at the University of Tennessee, visited with his wife in September 1935.
[email protected]
Chambers Team Up to Open Visitor Center in West Glacier New visitor center in West Glacier depot will promote Flathead Valley
ABOUT THE DEPOT:
• Although people call it the West Glacier depot, the station actually says
Belton on the side, which is what the railroad calls that location. The name comes from an early settler named Bell who ran the depot, hotel, saloon and post office.
• The first train station at that location was actually two old boxcars.
• The depot was built in the early 1900s to serve the people getting off Great
Northern Railway trains to visit Glacier National Park.
• Burlington Northern Railroad (now BNSF Railway) donated the building
to the conservancy’s predecessor in 1991.
• Amtrak’s Empire Builder stops at the station twice every day.
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
The Whitefish, Columbia Falls and Bigfork cham- bers of commerce are teaming up to open a visitor center in West Glacier in hopes of promoting the Flathead Val- ley to the millions of people who visit the region’s biggest attraction.
Whitefish Chamber of Commerce Director Kevin Gartland said the kiosk would be at the Glacier National Park Conservancy’s bookstore inside the West Glacier depot. The visitor center will be manned every day by chamber employees from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is expected
to open July 1.
“Two million people go to Glacier National Park every
year and not all of them go to Whitefish, Columbia Falls or Bigfork,” Gartland said. “We want to tap into that market.”
Gartland said that chamber groups in Kalispell, Lake- side, Evergreen and Havre have also expressed interest in getting involved with the depot kiosk. The visitor cen- ter will take up one corner of the conservancy’s book- store and will have maps, brochures and guides.
The visitor center will be open through Labor Day.
[email protected]
“Thank you Bigfork Chamber members,
for a great Sundowners Networking Social!” | We are proud to be Bigfork Chamber Members and a part of the Bigfork Community
2 2 2 2 5 5 C C O L O V E V R E D R D E L E L L L R O R O A A D D | | B I B G I G F O F O R K R , K M, M O O N N T A T A N N A A , 5 , 9 5 9 9 1 9 1 1 1 | | 4 0 4 6 0 - 6 8 - 3 8 7 3 - 7 2 - 6 2 9 6 8 9 8 | | W W W W W W . R . I R S I I S N I N G G M M O O U U N N T A T A I N I N S . S C . O C O M M
10
JUNE 17, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM