The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-05-30
BY JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN

unenIal DlVlQe over Logan IdSS
now in the third year of construction by the ma
tional park service Already the service is plan
ming for substantial extensions to present accom-
modations for visitors, which will then be neces
sary. Says Stephen T. Mather, director of the
national park service, in his 1923 annual report to
the secretary of the interior:
In common with the majority of the other
tional parks, Glacier experienced her most success
full season. enjoying more patronage than in any
previous year 33.9SS visitors having registered in
the park compared with 23,s35 visitors in 1922
This is only a forerunner of tremendous increase
in travel that is certain to take place on the COM
pletion of the Transmountain Road, now in its
third year of construction Motorists travelling the
northern highways to Glacier never have had
barrier requiring detour OF several hundred miles
TO the south. The Transmountain Road, crossing
the Continental Divide through Logan Pass, WILL
aside from furnishing direct means of traversng
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 palmer by more detailed explana
ton of Glaciers hard luck in the matter of auto
mobile highways. An attendance of only 33,9SS
for frst-class national park like Glacier is a
joke-and bad one But the for this
comparatively small attendance are easily found
few years ago the bulk of the tourist travel
to the national parks by railroad. Now the
bulk of it is by private car The per cent varies
Contrasting examples: Rocky Mountain in 1928
had 51,SO0 private cars lin which probably more
than so per cent of its 21S.000 visitors travelled
Glacier had $500 private cars; not more than 80
per cent of its 3398S visitors arrived by private
car. This tells part of the story. Rocky Noun
tain is of no higher class than Glacier and is only
about one quarter as large-400 square miles in
the one and 500 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
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 are 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 and
runs along the south line of the park, ameliorates
the situation by maintaining daily shipments of
motor cars between the two entrances. Unless
motorists take advantage of this rail shipment
they have to make a wide detour either through
Montana--as far south as Helena-or through
Canada
What the Fall River Road does for Rocky Noun
tain the Transmountain Road will do for Glacier.
Here is what the 1923 reports says of the progress
of the work:
Work on the second section OF the Transmoun-
tain Road on the west side begun and about
six miles extending from the end of the first
ton at the head of Lake Mcdonald. up Mcdonald
Creek to above Avalanche Creek. will be finished