Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-07-12
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK.
Beautiful Reservation Proposed In
Northwestern Montana.

In Northwestern Montana. 'front.'
ing on the Canadian boundary line.
lies a tract of mountainous country
which it Is proposed in bill now be-
fore congress to turn into a national
park.
1t Is not a large tract-from south
to north 1t covers approximately six
ty miles. Yet within it's limits is
comprised the most beautiful portion
of the range Of the Rocky Mountains
, lying within the limits Of the United
States. The range there is narrow.
The great grass-covered northern
prairies sweep up to within twenty
miles Of the continental divide. There
is no intervening mass of foothills to
break in upon and tone down the
abruptness of the approach.
From out on the prairies can be
seen, within easy distance, the pre-
cipitOus crags and the hanging
glaciers Of a typical Alpine region;
and, on the other hand, from the
summit Of Chief Mountain on a clear
morning one may look out on an ocean
of prairie in which the Sweet Grass
Hills. over 100 miles away appear to
| twinkle in the very foreground.
the continent. In its center rises the
Blackfoot Mountain, with the great
Blackfoot Glacier, containing almost
| as much ice as the Corner Glacier at
Zermatt, descending from its east
ern slope. The water from this glacier
forms the st. Mary's River, which,
running northwestward, joins the
Saskatchewan and ultimately finds its
way into Hudson Bay.
Near another slope Of the mountain
rises Cutbank creek. flowing south
the Mississippi, and ultimately the
Gulf of Mexico: while on the western
slope Of the mountain Is found one
Of the sources Of the Flathead. a
tributary Of the Columbia, flowing
westward into the Pacific. The gen.
eral trend Of the Rocky Mountain
range Is northwest and southeast.
It's northermost portion approaches
comparatively near to the Pacific
coast, and the warm, moist winds
from a northern Pacific as they
strike the cold SUBMITS Of these noun
tains deposit their moisture, and have
thus produced a country full OF
glaciers, lakes and in the lower val
leys dense forests.
Clifford Pinchot, who visited the
country a number of years ago, at
once recognized the importance which
its forests and glaciers bear to the
future Of the state Of Montana, rec
commended it for a forest reserve,
and obtained its inclusion in the
Flathead Reserve.
There Is now under way a great
project by which 1t Is planned to
turn the glacier fed waters of the St.
Mary's river into the channel of the
II,
sufficient stream-and thus furnish
the means Of rendering fertile by irri-
cation hundreds of square. miles II
northern Montana.
The proposed park would make
wonderful recreati. \ ground for the
American people. The summer and
autumn climate is cold and bracing
The mountains and glaciers offer the
only change for mountaineering Of
real Alpine character Except that
afforded in the Coast range and
Alaska) to be found within the limits
Of the United States.
The trout Of the cold st. Mary's
waters fight with a vigor that Is sell
dom seen even in the famous streams
of eastern Canada. And the noun
tains still shelter a sufficient number
of our game animals Qncluding our
three most splendid species. the
mountain sheep and goat and the
grizzly bear) to enable the tract to be-
come in time an important game
refuge.
If by the action Of congress the
pending bill becomes a law and the
Glacier National park is established
we shall have added to our system
of national parks one which in many
features Is unlike, and which in its
beauty and opportunities for whole
some pleasure will fitly supplement
those which we already have.-The
Outlook