The Colorado statesman., 1924-05-31

In the third year of construction by the
tional park service. Already the service is plan
ming for substantial extensions to present accom-
modatons for visitors, which will then be neces-
sury. Says Stephen T. Mather, director of the
national park service, in his 1923 annual report to
the secretary of the interior:
In common the majority of the other a
tonal parks, Glacier experienced her most success
previous year ss 9ss visitors having registered in
Tho mark as comnared with % g35 Visitors in 1922
This Is only forerunner of tremendous increase
in travel that is certain to take place the com
pletion OF the Transmountaln Road, in Its
third year of construction. Motorists travelling the
northern highways to Glacier never have had
direct route across the Continental Divide. this
barrier requiring detour of several hundred miles
the south. The TransmountaIn Road. crossing
the Continental Divide through Logan Pass, Will,
aside from furnishing direct means of traversins
the mountains attract thousands of motorists by
Its unsurpassed scenic qualities.
This is good as far as it goes, but the situation
may be made plainer by more detailed explana-
tion of Glaciers hard luck in the matter of auto
mobile highways. An attendance of only 33,9SS
for irstclass national park like Glacier is
joke-and a bad one But the reasons for this
comparatively small attendance are easily found
A few years ago the bulk of the tourist travel
TO the national parks by railroad. Now the
bulk of 1t is by private car. The per cent varies
Contrasting examples: Rocky Mountain, in 1929
had 5l,S0O private cars in which probably more
than so per cent of its 21S000 visitors Travelled.
Glacier had $500 private cars; not more than 80
per cent of its 33,9SS visitors arrived by private
This tells part of the story. Rocky Noun
tain is of higher class than Glacier and is only
about quarter large-400 square miles in
the one and 1889 in the other-but Rocky Noun
tain is the most easily accessible by automobile
from the geographical and population center of
the country of all the 10 national parks.
Another factor In the attendance comparison be-
tween Rocky Mountain and Glacier is this: Each
park has an independent east and west entrance
on either side of the Continental Divide, each en-
trance taking care of separate and distinct lines of
automobile tourist travel In Rocky Mountain the
east and west entrances are Estes Park and Grand
Lake In Glacier they Glacier Park and Bel
ton In Rocky Mountain the Fall River Road
crosses the Continental Divide, connects Estes
Park and Grand Lake and makes possible through
traffic which otherwise would be impossible. In
Glacier automobile tourist travel from both the
east and west halts at the Continental Divide
The Great Northern, which serves Glacier ana
runs along the south line of the park, ameliorates
the situation by maintaining daily shipments or
motor cars betweel the two entrances unless
motorists take advantage of this rail shipment
they have to make wide detour either through
Nontana-as far south Helena-or through
Canada.
What the Fall River Road does for Rocky Noun
,.,n the Transmountaln Road will do for Glacier.
Here "a what the 1923 reports says of the progress
of the work:
Work on the second section of the Transmoun-
,,,n poad on the side was begun and about
s1 r1iIs. extending from the end OF the hrst sec
ZION at the head OF Lake McDohaio. up HicDonaa
Creek to above Avalanche Creek, Will be nnished