The Crown of the Continent

A look at some photographs made in and around Glacier National Park.

National Park Service Director Horace Albright standing on Grinnell Glacier. Lantern Slide, taken somewhere between 1916 - 1933

I just returned home from a week out West taking photos and hanging out with fellow photography friends. While I could wax poetic about the benefits of surrounding yourself with good company in beautiful settings, I’ll refrain…for now.

Here are a few photos I made from my time in and around Glacier National Park.

Outside Butte, MT

Glacier National Park

Going-to-the-Sun Road

While driving through the park, we wondered how the renowned road that cuts through the southern part of the park, “Going-to-the-Sun Road”, was built. Its truly an engineering feat and driving on the road is a mind blowing experience.

We were simultaneously in awe of nature and humans.

One of my companions, Bryan Birks, found this detailed description of how the road was constructed via the National Park Service website. Here’s a snippet from the report:

Frank A. Kittredge of the Bureau of Public Roads directed the survey of 1924. The project, which mapped out 21 miles over the Continental Divide, started in September, and Kittredge raced to finish the survey before winter closed in. Kittredge and his team of 32 men often climbed 3000 feet each morning to get to survey sites. The crew walked along narrow ledges and hung over cliffs by ropes to take many of the measurements. The work was too challenging for some, and Kittredge’s crew suffered from a 300 percent labor turnover in the three months of the survey.

Gnarly.

Additionally, I found photographs and documents detailing the arduous process of building the road.

Looking west from Sta. 30. Line denotes future route of Going-to-the-Sun Road. October, 1924

Construction worker, October 1925

Page from ‘Final Construction Report for Transmountain Highway, West Side Project #287’

Bears foraging around camp #4, station #268, October 1927

Sta. 55 ahead showing use of cars and tracks for hauling by station crew, August 1927

Engineering party coming down from Logan Pass with instruments and equipment preparatory to moving out, October 5th, 1925

Sta. 381 ahead. Showing large rocks fallen from half tunnel or under cut section. June 1926

Sta. 45 back toward summit, showing hand methods of handling snow. June 22nd, 1927

Crowd at Logan Pass singing “America” during the Going-to-the-Sun Road dedication, July 15th, 1933.

Glacier was an all-timer.

Talk soon.

Logan