Page 60 - Flathead Beacon // 8.13.14

60 | AUGUST 13, 2014
OUTDOORS
A CENTURY LATER, GLACIER’S BACKCOUNTRY OASES ENDURE
GJustin Franz [email protected]
RANITE PARK – Hiking along the Highline Trail, while taking in the stunning views of the Livingston Range
and Heaven’s Peak, it is easy to see why Louis Warren Hill, the “godfather of Glacier National Park,” selected this spot to build the Granite Park Chalet, one of a dozen hotels, chalets and lodges constructed in and around the park between 1910 and 1914.
Nestled on a rocky ridge just below Swiftcurrent Pass, the Granite Park Chalet has welcomed hikers and visitors for a century. Today, it is one of two surviving backcountry chalets in the park operated by Belton Chalets,
Inc.“Our key role is to preserve the past and prepare for the future,” said Granite Park con- cessioner Kathie Larson Aasheim. “The reason we’re all here is because we have a passion for the wilderness and a passion for this place.”
Shortly after Glacier National Park was cre- ated in 1910, Great Northern Railway president Louis Warren Hill commissioned the construc- tion of nine chalets. Hill’s motives in developing the park were dually purposed. While he appre- ciated the park’s natural beauty, Hill also real- ized having a national park along his railroad would be a boon for its passenger service.
Granite Park was built just west of the Continental Divide at a location personally selected by Hill. The spot was picked because of its scenery and because it was a half-day’s ride from the Many Glacier Valley.
The Great Northern obtained a permit to build the chalet in 1913 and began construction
FLATHEADBEACON.COM
Granite Park and Sperry chalets offer remote shelter and service a century after they were built inside Glacier National Park
Granite Park Chalet in Glacier National Park.
GREG LINDSTROM FLATHEAD BEACON
YEAR ESTABLISHED: ELEVATION
6,693 FT. GREAT NORTHERN RAILWAY
1914
BUILT BY:
BACK TO SCHOOL
AROFF CONDITIONING SERVICE
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www.eisingermotors.com
20WILD
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406-755-5555
Hwy 93 N & Reserve, Kalispell
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Mon - Fri 7am to 6pm Sat. 8am to 5pm
EXPIRES 8.31.14