Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1938-08-25
GLACIER PARK

Editor Democrat: As we neared
Glacier park the mountain peaks
rose sharp and clear. Blackfeet In
dians were herding their sheep, and
offering their merchandise at the
wayside A gorgeous flower garden
surrounded the hotel, where we ate
our dinner in sight of the noun
tains Without doubt, it is the finest
mountain scenery in America. The
park lies in northwestern Montana,
close to the Canada border, and it is
in fact now, part of an interna-
tional pleasure ground. Everything
scenic and beautiful is here massed
together. It has 20 glaciers, $50
lakes, scores of cascades and water
falls, cold, clear streams and snow
clad peaks. Bear grass with its
snow-white plumes adds the finish
ing touch to nature, at its widest
and best Larger than Rhode Is
land, it has plenty Of good roads
and bride paths to reach it's beauty
spots.
Launches take us across st.
Mary's Lake, and at the shore our
grips are loaded and drawn on sleds
to the chalets Chalets are built in
Swiss pattern and We're erected by
imported Swiss labor. The roofs are
held down by heavy stones, s,-"hun-
dred pound nails 1t is as beauti-
full as if in Switzerland itself. From
our spacious veranda We could see
the cottage of j. j. Hill on an island
in the lake, half mile away. A
sheer mile above the lake rises sew
Ell commanding peaks cutting the
sky with supremely wild and beau
tiful contour. We see citadels,
pyramids. parapets and towers.
Down ragged, Jagged sleeps ripple
triokling streams Four distinct
bands are seen in the side of the
precipice, light blue, pale green,
red turning to purple and grey turn
ing to buff Each band represents
the ocean work of a million years
One black ribbon runs everywhere
at a certain height, diorite in
trusion. When these layers We're
far below sea level. a weak place
was in the crust, black volcanic lava
found it and poured out into the
sea. The diorite covered the floor TO
a depth of 40 feet.
The park is due to the Lewis
Overthrust. (Meriwether Lewis eX-
plored the country here in 1S04)
When the mountains arose fault
occurred, here. The west edge slip
ped over the east edge. A gigantic
miracle was performed. The range
slipped over ten to twelve miles and
rested intact on the top of the east
side. Scientific guessers think it
took a million years, slipping at the
rate OF an inch or so year. What
movie picture that would be,
mountains on the move, not crumb-
ling or rolling, but just sliding
along. At one place the oldest layer
lies on the youngest.
Proceeding on our way, snow
patches CLEAN in the sun like glass.
At one point, the face of Sour Spirit.
an Indian divinity appears. like a
Grecian Apollo, outlined in the snow.
year after year. Arriving at Many
Glacier Hotel, other peaks surround
us with their clean escarpments.
They rise above Swift Current Lake
like pyramids against the sky. The
terribly blue water laps the shore,
furnishing music all night long. 1t
is thought by some that Josephine
and Grinnell Lakes are the most
beautiful in the United States.
These we reach by launches, and as
evening comes, we climb nearby
mountain and get an entrancing
view of all the scenes below.
In the morning we eat near the
window, and looking out, take a
long affectionate leave of each sep
arate mountain, calling them all by
name, in the most intimate and per-
sonal way, most regertful parting.
They have endeared themselves to
us, will we ever see SO much beauty
again? Girls from ST Louis have
hiked SIS miles with knapsacks on
their backs, and are ready to hike
SO more Men and women are
mounting horses to take the trails
as we enter our cars, regretfuliy
We pass for a hundred miles through
burnt pine section, sorry sight,
cross Snokomish river, and at last,
enter Skykomish town, mellifuous
names of Indian origin.-Howard II.
Scott.