The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-09-09
WOODRUFF ONE OF DISCOVERIES OF GLACIER PARK WONDERS;
HIS MAMIE SHOULD BE PERPETUATED BY "A MONUMENT THERE

question of who found the glacier il
Montana"
Writing to the River Press in Sep
TENDER, 1883, Lieutenant Van Ors'
dale, with soldierly modesty, mini
mics the Importance of his and
Lieutenant Woodruff's discovery, in
sisting that credit be given to Pro
fessor Pumpelly. But the fact re-
mains that these two officers did
make the discovery and the first re-
port, not only of the glacier, but of
the whole of Glacier national park.
Not one stream, pass, glacier or
mountain has been named after
either of them, and this letter is
written in the hope that a proper
monument be erected to these gal
liant men.
In this connection, it is also well
to enter a protest against the chang
ing of Marias pass to Roosevelt pass,
as proposed by the Roosevelt High
way association. If Theodore Roose-
welt we're alive today he would be
among the first to protest against
the relegation of the name long as
ISOLATED with this great pass. There
could be no objection, of course, to
the trail Roosevelt trail or
Roosevelt highway, but the name of
the pass should not be changed. A
description of Marias pass appeared
in the River Press of December s.,
1888, and is as follows:
Marias Pass
1.-THE pass through the main ridge
of the Rocky mountains at the head
of the Flathead river on the
west and the Marias on the east has
been explored this summer by Pro-
Pumpelly in the interest of
the northern transcontinental sur
yey. He left the Flathead about 80
above the lake and entered the
gorge walled in by rugged precipices
of feet high and terminal
.ng in sharp ridges and pointed
zones. This led up to the summit
If the pass, where three main can
come together and from which
nay be seen a dozen high and rocky
)eaks. About Is miles to the west
vas observed a mass of snow-covered
on whose side is a living
about a mile in width and
Iome 500 feet of perpendicular
and from beneath which
lows a milky-white stream of gla-
Ter water. In the grand canyon in
which this glacier lies were observed
falls and cascades over 500 feet
n height and innumerable smaller
mes. On the eastern side, in de-
cending the Marias, the canyon is
by the most lofty and
ugged p~recipices. The pass is 1890
.et above the level of the sea, and
he scenery is declared to be supe-
ior to that of the famous Yellow
On August %, 1886, the River
published the following, evil
emily copied from the Helena Her
Id, under the head Of "a New At
raction':
'"The news seems to be %authenti-
that Professor Pumpelly's
arty has discovered a veritable gla-
Ter in the vicinity of the upper Mar
as pass, about $50 miles north of
1issoula. The glacier is a mile in
,idth and has a height of 500 feet.
t is in a region full of wild scenery,
recipices, chasms and cascades pro- |
ounced by those who have seen
9th to be superior in it's attractions
} the Yosemite. 1t will be a nice
ummer resort before long to make I
camp on Flathead lake, varying
he sports of fishing and sailing with !
n excursion to the shadows of the /
laciers and the deep gorges whose s
listy vale the sun tr%ansfuses but S