Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1914-03-20

ing Alighting at the village of Belton we have
delicious meal in the Great Northern's pretty
Swiss chalet hotel and climb aboard stage coach
for the ride to Lake Mcdonald For an hour we
travel boulevard cut through dense forest OF
pine, spruce and balsam, and then, where group
of cottages are clustered on its shore, the lake
opens out before US This 11-mile stretch of water
is so beautiful in setting and color, that no words
are adequate to describe it. Lake Mcdonald was
a popular resort long before the national park
was established, and there are several hotels and
camps about it's northern end. To one of these,
the Glacier hotel we are taken by launch to be
greeted cordially by it's proprietor, j. E. Lewis
who for years has been taking of fishermen
and other folk who wanted to spend week
summer in the open. So near that it seems but
moments walk from the shore, the mountains of
the park tower to the Skies casting their jagged
reflections in the still waters of the lake. ten
mile ride through the forest that clothes their
lower slopes brings us to Avalanche lake. Pea
green in color rejecting the spruce and pine and
hemlock that crowd to Is very edge, it lies like
precious gem in deep basin that is veritable
mountain garden. At end the rock wall rises
almost perpendicularly for 5000 feet and over it's
edge ard down it's face dash four torrents dis
charged from Sperry glacier, two miles away.
Not very easy of access, but wonderfully impress
sive when you get to it after some five hours of
climbing is Sperry glacier Just great field of
ice and snow, about three miles in extent and of
unknown depth, 1t lies glittering and sparkling
under the midsummer CrevaSSeS cross it's
expanse here and there and the tourist must be
exceedingly careful if he ventures out on it's sur
face. Indeed the authorities do not permit this
unless with guides and ropes, any of the gla-
ciers in the park. The wind is always high up
there and snow and rock slides are frequent.
The mountains and glaciers and lakes and
passes we have only few of the wonders
of this wonderful park-only few indeed Of
that part that is open to ordinary sight-seers
10
known to few except forest rangers, guides Indi-
ans and some scientists Doubtless before many
years the whole region will be opened up and the
remarkably satisfactory system of camps estab-
lished by the Great Northern Railway company
will be extended to the Canadian border. Within
the last year these accommodations have been en-
larged greatly to meet the demands of the rapidly
increasing stream of visitors. a
One thing must be said for Glacier Ma
tional Park: It is pleasure grou..d for the peo-
ple not for the millionaire No fine clothes no
expensive Injuries there All charges are regu
lated by the government, and it is the ambition
of Louis HILL chairman of the board of directors Of
the Great Northern to keep the necessary ex-
penses of visitors down to the minimum Glacier
park is his hobby and his pride, and he is al
familiar with its trails and passes as are the
guides and the Indians. OF course tourist travel
to the park helps his railway and at some time in
the far future the company may begin to break
even its lavish expenditure of money to make
things comfortable for those who go all the wav
to Montana to the Switzerland Of America
haven't yet devised better name for it.