290701 - Topic: Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park

The Great Northern Railway brought the first season of Empire Builders to a close with the 26^th broadcast of the year (including the dedication of the Cascade Tunnel on January 12^th). These programs were carried over the Red Network of the National Broadcasting Company. At a later time, I will attempt to describe the basic differences of NBC’s Red and Blue networks, and why they existed. With relevance to the Empire Builders, I will confirm which programs aired over which networks.

The primary focus of the July 1, 1929, broadcast was evidently the Prince of Wales Hotel, located north of the international border in Canada. Great Northern trains did not travel there. The railroad already operated a significant number of hotels and chalets in and around Glacier National Park before Prince of Wales was constructed in Canada’s Waterton Lakes National Park and opened for business in the summer of 1927. Sure, the scenery was just as spectacular at the Alberta town of Waterton (where Prince of Wales was built) as it was throughout Glacier National Park, but why cross into another country to build another lodging facility? The answer to such questions usually resides somewhere in the realm of money, politics, religion, or some frailty of mankind. This story is no exception.

Cover of Great Northern's house organ, the Goat, heralding the opening of the Prince of Wales Hotel.  Author's collection

You might suspect it was simply a financial matter, that the railroad just determined there was money to be made and they were darned well going to exploit the opportunity. Few good money-making opportunities escaped the notice of those who operated the GN, and in this case, you’d be at least partly correct. It certainly wasn’t because they believed going into this venture that it was bound to lose them money.

Maybe it was another of those ubiquitous invaders of the soul, rooted somewhere in the murky realm of love or lust … could it be there’s a salacious love-triangle story at the root of it all? Umm… no. At least none that I’m aware of. Sorry.

Actually, it was a little less dramatic, but nonetheless entwined with another vice – alcohol. More than any other reason, it was U.S. prohibition of alcohol that provided the GN with the motivation to build and operate the Prince of Wales Hotel in Canada. Oh, sure, they also wanted another nice place for patrons to put up for the night at the end of one of their strings of horse camps and chalets, but it was legal access to alcohol that drew many tourists with a hankering to wet their whistles. It was the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution that put Prohibition in place in 1920, and it was the Twenty-first Amendment that repealed it in 1933. The Prince of Wales Hotel was opened in July of 1927, so it was natural that the GN wanted to continue to call attention to it at the outset of the summer season just two years later.

A press release for the July 1 program alerts faithful listeners that this will be the final broadcast of the series until returning to the air on September 30, 1929. The final show of the season was dedicated to Glacier National Park and featured an Indian legend. The presser stated “the Blackfeet Indians whose reservation is adjacent to the park are rich in their lore built around the mountains, lakes and glaciers of the Rocky Mountains.” The featured Indian legend was to be told by the “Old Pioneer.”

GN Press Release picturing the Old Timer (Harvey Hays) and the female lead on most of the first season's broadcasts, actress Virginia Gardiner.  MHS, GN Ry archives

I’ll make an effort to continue weekly postings (or something close to that) over the summer. In the meantime, here’s a fare-thee-well salutation from the staff at the GN (seems to be attributed to O.J. McGillis, the GN’s publicity man at the time):

 

CLOSING ANNOUNCEMENT

“This evening’s program is the last of the present Empire Builder series which has been broadcast during the past six months under the auspices of the Great Northern Railway.

The Great Northern Railway at this time wishes to thank its radio listeners for the great interest they have shown in the weekly stories of the Old Pioneer. During the twenty-six weeks these programs have been on the air we have received thousands of complimentary letters from you and we wish to assure you that we will endeavor to make the next series of Empire Builder programs even better than the series we have just completed. This second series of programs will be broadcast over the Blue Network of National Broadcasting Company beginning on Monday, September 30^th.

We take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy summer and to assure you that we look forward to being with you again in the autumn.”