300616 Topic: Glacier Park season opening

Route map of the Great Northern Railway, from a vintage magic lantern slide, circa 1929. Despite the apparently extensive rail network depicted in this image, the Empire Builder train was limited to the main line route from Chicago through St. Paul to Spokane, with a split of trains there: one to Seattle, the other southwest to Portland.
From the collection of Bill Lundgren

As I alluded to a few blog posts back, some of the final broadcasts of the second season of Empire Builders appear to have been shuffled about somewhat. This one seems to be one of those that may not have been on the air quite as advertised. I do not have a continuity for this program – at least not for a broadcast that I am certain aired on June 16, 1930. As you will see next week, the program that aired on June 23 seems more like what this show was advertised to be: a trumpeting of the opening of the summer tourist season at Glacier National Park. Then again, it may well be this program aired much as advertised, and then for whatever reason the June 23rd program was substituted at the last minute with a filler program.

Here is the short synopsis that was published in one of the GN’s Empire Builders program flyers for June 16:

JUNE 16.   The Honorable R.L. Wilbur, Secretary of the Interior, will be heard in the third June program, which will announce the opening of Glacier National Park for its 21^st season. The story is the work of E.H. Bierstadt.

Ray Lyman Wilbur (1875-1949), Secretary of the Department of the Interior for the years 1929-33.
photo posted on Wikipedia; attributed as a family photo

The final show of the season, which aired on June 23^rd, was advertised to be a railway drama written by Harold M. Sims. However, I do possess a continuity for that broadcast, and it more closely matches a presentation about Glacier Park.

Cover of one of a series of yearly booklets put out by the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service to inform tourists of the scenic wonders - and tourist accommodations - to be found in the national parks. This edition is for the 1930 summer season.    Author's collection

Glacier National Park was established on May 11, 1910, by act of congress. The Great Northern Railway, whose mainline skirted and actually served as the southern boundary of the new national park, wasted no time building lodging facilities and other accommodations for the tourist trade. The National Park Service, which was established in 1916 and fell under the administration of the U.S. Department of Interior, had and still has a mission to both provide access to these national treasures and preserve them for future generations.

THE MISSION OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

The National Park Service preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

It is a challenging mandate, to utilize a natural resource almost as though it were a consumable commodity, and yet ensure that it is not so harmed that its future as such is threatened. Early in its history, the National Park Service stewardship of Glacier National Park engaged in a long-term symbiotic relationship with the Great Northern Railway to provide the necessary tourist access and accommodations to fulfill that element of its mission. It was a relationship that relied on cooperation and collaboration, yet was often in a state of conflict as opposing interests sometimes clashed. Still, the management of the Great Northern Railway knew this was a business relationship they had to nurture and cultivate for the long haul. In 1914, the railroad created a subsidiary called the Glacier Park Hotel Company (a name shortened in 1943 to “Glacier Park Company”) to oversee and provide managerial leadership to the establishment and ongoing operation of facilities in and near the park.

 

Rare snapshot taken by a very early tourist to Glacier National Park, circa 1912 or 1913. This image shows the Glacier Park Hotel prior to construction of the adjoining annex and breezeway in the winter of 1913-14.    Author's collection

The seminal hostelry built by the GN and operated under a concessionaire contract by the Glacier Park Hotel Company was the Glacier Park Lodge, built in 1912. It initially boasted 61 rooms. An annex was constructed over the winter of 1913-14 and was connected to the main structure of the hotel by a wide indoor breezeway.

 

Vintage magic lantern slide view of Glacier Park Hotel with completed Annex, as viewed through the iconic pergola built of logs left over from the construction of the hotel. The pergola was destroyed in a strong wind storm circa 1920. 
Photo by Fred Kiser. From the collection of Bill Lundgren

Modern view of breezeway between
annex and main hotel. GPI photo

The annex added 111 more rooms, to make a total of 172 guest rooms at the hotel. Guests with rooms in the annex might stroll into the breezeway to linger over a game of chess, or to read a book or magazine in a comfortable rocking chair. Proceeding on into the main hotel building, they could then partake of a wide range of amenities, including a massive fire kept burning with four-foot logs, or take in a meal in the large dining room. In the early years of the hotel, there was a plunge pool for guests in the basement of the building. The hotel also maintained a modest gift shop. One the most remarkable things about this structure is that even now, over one hundred years later, guests of Glacier Park Lodge are treated to virtually all of those same amenities.

WINTER IN AUGUST

This unaccredited photo has a handwritten note on the back of it that says "August 29, 1930." It is not at all uncommon for this area just east of the Rockies to get this kind of snowfall as early as late August. However, as stated in a previous caption above, the snow-frosted pergola in this image was destroyed sometime around 1920. Perhaps the date on the photo was meant to say "August 29, 1920."
Author's collection

In addition to the aforementioned flyer put out by the GN to advertise the Empire Builders broadcasts, the GN also alerted ticket agents and others to the upcoming programs via the GN’s house organ, the Goat magazine. In the June issue of the Great Northern Goat, the following uncommon statements were added:

During the month of June, readers of the “Goat” who chance to be in New York City can visit the National Broadcasting Company’s studios during the broadcasting of the Empire Builder programs, through introduction cards, which are obtainable at any Great Northern travel bureau.

               With the closing number of this series, the second that the Great Northern has sponsored over a coast-to-coast radio chain, the Great Northern Railway would appreciate a brief statement from those who have heard these programs, telling their reactions to the present series and giving any suggestions for improvement.

Ed Flynn was a publicity man for the Great Northern Railway for many years. He used his forum as a commentator in the Goat magazine to draw attention to the success of the Empire Builders radio programs, and to the first anniversary of service of the railroad's flagship passenger train, the Empire Builder.

It was not uncommon for listeners to write to the Great Northern and request permission to attend the live radio broadcasts in New York. On one such occasion, a woman named Ruth Barber, of Maplewood, New Jersey, wrote directly to GN President Ralph Budd (it’s possible they were acquainted) and asked for just such permission.

Portion of a hand-written letter from Mrs. Barber of New Jersey to GN president Ralph Budd.

Budd wrote back to Mrs. Barber and referred her to his man in New York, Mike Hubbert. The GN’s General Eastern Passenger Agent provided Mrs. Barber with four complimentary passes to view the radio broadcast in studio.

As previously mentioned, I do have an abbreviated continuity (containing a large number of musical interludes) for next week’s blog entry.

So until then, keep those dials tuned to Empire Builders!