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A TRANSMOUNTAIN ROAD.EVER llnce Glacier park was put upon the map as one of the important pleasure grounds of America the shipping of cars from one side of the park to the other has been a nuisance that has caused the tourist to use millions of cuss words. The road organizations of Montana have been planning and working to get a highway across the . mountains from Glacier park entrance to Belton through Roosevelt pass. This thoroughfare would follow the line of the railroad and would do away with the shipping.Meanwhile the National Park service has been earnestly urging the government to cut the mountains inside the park by a road to connect Lake McDonald on the west aide with Bt. Mary's lake on the east side. This also would make shipping cuss words unnecessary.The plan which was developed last year by the American Automobile association and National Park service to hays the govem-n*nt construct a 560tanfls masterhighway to link together all of the national parks brought out clearly that the only important barrier was this same old problem of getting directly from one side to the other of Olacier park. The matter was explained fully to the congressional appropriations Committee which was entertained in Great Phils last summer and which visited at points all over the state looking into desirable reclamation and highway expenditures. Results appear to be in sight.An appropriation of $l60,000 is provided in the Sundry Civil bill for commencing the construction of a transmountain road across Glacier National park from west to east. This road will connect Lake McDonald and St. Mary's lake. Mr. Goodwin, the engineer and acting superintendent of the park in his statement made to the appropriation committee of the house said:The estimated cost of the one-way road would be approximately $400,000, and for the two-way road $600,000. Those are just round numbers. At this time I would like to say that taking into account the increase in the travel that would result from the construction of this road, which would be one of the most scenic roads in the United States, or the entrance fees due to that increased travel, would establish a sinking fund that would pay for the road in approximately 20 years. This Is based on a very conservative estimate of travel. The increased travel would maintain the road and pay for it. The transcontinental auto m o bi 1 e tourists do not visit Glacier National park at the present time, because there is no way to get across the mountain except by shipping the cars, and very few people in the east realize how easy it Is to ship the cars. This road (The Transmountain Highway) starts at the foot of Lake McDonald on the west, skirts its eastern shore to the head of the lake, then up McDonald creek to Trapper creek to the continental divide at Logan pass, which it crosses at elevation 6,600, then passinig down Reynolds creek to the head of Upper St. Mary's lake, then skirting the north shore of Upper St. Mary's to its eastern terminus on the Black-feet highway at St. Mary's. This road will afford 20 miles of beautiful lake shore drive, and it will cross the mountains on a grade averaging less than 6 per cent, the maximum being 8 per cent. Parties visiting Glacier National park from the east would no doubt, go up to Many Glacier hotel by the Blackfset highway and come back to St. Mary's, from which place they would take the transmountain road, which would be the shortest distance between the east and west sides of the park. That will be the basic road of the park, and without that road it will never be possible to properly develop Glacier National park. People from the east will not go there when they know that they can not get across the mountains in their cars. However, when they know that they can get across the Rockies on one of the most scenic roads in the United States it will bring a greatly increased travel to the park, which will bring up the revenues sufficiently to pay for the road, as I have said, in less than 20 years, if we establish a 4 per cent sinking fund from the increased revenues.Stephen T. Mather, director of National parks has been enthusiastic for this road within Glacier park. Speaking before the committee he said:The transcontinental travel-t ers who want to visit Glacier National park have (p ship their automobiles from one side of the park to the other by railroad. They have to ship their cars from Glacier Park atation to Belton. There has been great Interest taken In the travel from park to park, and the Park to Park National Highway association has been trying to establish a road leading from one park to another, or a system of roads. They made a trip to the parka, the trip being altogether 5,600 miles. They completed the trip in about two and one-half months. Whan they got back to Denver they held a convention, which was attended by some 140 dala$atea from all
Newspaper Details
Great Falls Tribune
Great Falls, Montana, US
Wed, Feb 16, 1921
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
University O.
USA 13 Nov 2024
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