Voice of the Glacier Park Foundation ☐ Spring 2015 ☐ Volume XXX, No. 1 Many Glacier’s Circular Staircase 100Historic Years Icon and at Preservation Conundrum Blueprint of Lake McD the fountain, around which the double- helix staircase wound from the Many Glacier Lobby to the Grill on lake level. (from the Ray Djuff collection) In this issue: • 100 Years at Granite Park and Sperry Chalets • A Harrowing Night on Mt. Allen • Battlefield Promotions at Glacier Park Lodge • Lake McDonald Memories • Eddie’s Cafe • Sliding Down Grinnell Glacier in 1936 • A Glacier Crossword • A Beatles Mystery With Ties to Glacier • Inside News of Glacier Park Many Glacier’s Centennial - and a Preservation Quandry been renovated in an impressive The Circular Staircase stood at the front of the manner. current gift shop. The gift shop is to be moved he next step in the process involves downstairs to the St. Moritz Room. Many Glacier’s lobby. Rooms there will be upgraded, and changes will 2015 is the centennial of Many lobby – a Centennial Hootenanny be made to replicate original décor. Glacier Hotel, the largest of Glacier and a Centennial Serenade. hose Most notably, the Park Service plans National Park’s historic lodges. A programs will commemorate decades to reinstall the Circular Staircase, great community celebration will be of similar performances in the lobby Many Glacier’s iconic feature from held at the hotel. (See p. 32) It will and on the St. Moritz Room stage 1915 until 1957. complete a cycle of centennial cel- downstairs. ebrations for the Park itself (2010), he Circular Staircase stood at the he performances dramatize a quan- for Glacier Park Lodge (2013), for front of the current gift shop. he dary in the historical preservation Lake McDonald Lodge (2014), and gift shop is to be moved downstairs efort at Many Glacier Hotel. he most recently for Granite Park and to the St. Moritz Room. he rein- National Park Service has invested Sperry Chalets. (See pp. 13-14) stallation of the staircase will destroy millions of dollars in the building. the performance space both in the he celebration will feature two he roof, the exterior, the dining lobby and in the St. Moritz. historic musical programs in the room, and the Main wing all have he Glacier Park Foundation’s recent annual meeting produced an intense The reinstallation of the staircase will destroy the debate on the wisdom of replicating the Circular Staircase. he pros and performance space both in the lobby and in the cons are discussed below. (See pp. St. Moritz. 3-7) his is a diicult issue, involv- ing closely-balanced, competing val- Glacier Park Foundation Oficers: ues. But those on all sides of it are P.O. Box 15641 John Hagen, President earnestly committed to preserving Minneapolis, MN 55415 Carol Dahle, Vice President the history of Many Glacier Hotel. www.glacierparkfoundation.org Mac Willemssen, Secretary [email protected] Tessie Bundick, Historian Board of Directors: Jim Lees, Treasurer The Inside Trail takes its name Joe Blair Laura Chihara, Webmaster Mike Buck Rolf Larson, Inside Trail Editor from the famous old trail Tessie Bundick which connected Glacier Laura Chihara Park Lodge with the vanished Janet Eisner Cornish The Glacier Park Foundation was Carol Repulski Dahle formed by Glacier Park employees chalets at Two Medicine, Joyce Daugaard and visitors who have a deep love for Cut Bank, and St. Mary. The this special place. The Foundation is Ray Djuff name thus emphasizes the Emily Trapp Hackthorn commited both to the importance of wilderness preservation and to John Hagen publication’s focus on the the importance of places like Glacier Einar Hanson as classrooms where people can lore and history of Glacier Paul Hoff experience wilderness in intense National Park. We invite Mark Hufstetler meaningful ways, learning not only a submission of historical, Jeff Kuhn love for the land, but also a respect Linda Young Kuhn that nurtures the skills necessary to scientiic, or anecdotal ar- Rolf Larson preserve that land. The Foundation ticles, commentary, poetry, Greg Notess has a special interest in Glacier Park’s John Sauer history, traditions and visitor facilities. or artwork for publication in Rick Taylor future issues. Mac Willemssen 2 ☐ Spring 2015 ☐ The Inside Trail THE CIRCULAR STAIRCASE Icon and Conundrum ((T.J. Hileman photo from the Ray Djuff collection) By Ray Djuf (Prince of Wales 1973- tiful. he hotel lay beside the serene the lobby, soaring four storeys to 75,’78) and John Hagen (Many McDermott (now Swiftcurrent) ceiling skylights. Bulbous Oriental Glacier 1970-80) Lake. Mountains rose thousands lanterns hung at various heights of feet from the lake in every direc- from the ceiling. When tourists arrived at Many tion, and between them three valleys Glacier Hotel following its opening On each column was a bison skull converged, all meeting at the base of in July 1915, they found a building and below it an Oriental lantern that Mount Grinnell, immediately across bigger and grander than anything would throw an eerie light on the the lake from Many Glacier Hotel. else they’d seen so far on their jour- skull in the evenings. On the wood- ney through Glacier National Park. Inside the hotel, guests walked into en balcony railings were animal skins he chalet colonies were welcome a lobby as grand as, though smaller representing many of the major spe- sights, ofering a host of big city than, the lobby at Glacier Park Ho- cies in Glacier Park, dominated by features in the midst of the wilder- tel. It was a scene of confusing and the stufed head of a moose looking ness, and Glacier Park Hotel (now conlicting elements. Huge Douglas down from the second loor balcony Lodge) in Midvale (now East Glacier ir logs, stripped of their bark, cre- on the south end of the lobby. Park) was impressive. But they paled ated a structural colonnade around he two most striking features, other in comparison to than the tree-trunk the newly opened The double-helix staircase was the irst feature columns, were a Many Glacier, the circular staircase pride of the Great hotel guests and visitors saw when walking into with a fountain at Northern Railway. the lobby.... The circular opening featured two its center, and an Outside, the site sets of stairs that spiraled around the central open “campire” was sublimely beau- fountain to the lake level of the hotel. under a copper The Inside Trail ☐ Spring 2015 ☐ 3 The double-helix staircase remained a feature of Many Glacier Hotel’s lobby for 42 years. (T.J. Hileman photo from the Ray Djuff collection) canopy and lue pipe suspended a pool at the base of the fountain. Cutter was also known to Hill and from the ceiling. While the camp- In the pool were trout captured live other railway oicials overseeing the ire immediately drew appreciative from Swiftcurrent Lake. Great Northern’s developments in travellers on cold days, the staircase Glacier for his submission of a plan Along the railing around the open- and fountain were the architectural for the initial Belton Chalet. ing for the staircases were more marvels. potted plants, creating a refreshing McMahon and Cutter visited the he Staircase and Fountain oasis of greenery in the middle of Many Glacier valley in the spring he double-helix staircase was the the lobby’s brightly painted orange of 1914. Cutter is reported to have irst feature hotel guests and visitors loor. Visitors and hotel guests were submitted two sets of pencil sketch saw when walking into the lobby, amazed by the sight, which would plans and blueprints for a hotel on as it was almost immediately inside have pleased railway boss Louis Hill Swiftcurrent Lake. Cutter’s efort the front doors. he circular open- Sr., who had overseen every detail of did not impress Louis Hill. Hill ing featured two sets of stairs that the hotel’s design. wrote: “We have not the plans per- spiraled around the central fountain fected yet and will not do anything It’s believed the double helix staircase to the lake level (basement) of the on this building this year.” and fountain were the handiwork hotel. he railing around the open- of homas McMahon, an architect By fall, Hill decided to turn the ing and down the stairs matched the on staf with the Great Northern project over to McMahon, who gingerbread style used for the balco- Railway. However, McMahon was had done the design work for the nies above. not the only architect to have taken railway’s Glacier Park Lodge at East At the center of the two staircases a crack at designing the hotel. Glacier Park. We don’t know wheth- was the cone-shaped stone and er the double-helix lobby staircase Spokane, Washington architect mortar fountain, a mass of greenery, originated with Cutter and was Kirtland Cutter was also asked to featuring ferns and lowers tucked adapted by McMahon from Cutter’s submit drawings. Cutter had just in niches along its height, which ran drawings, or was McMahon’s handi- come of the successful construc- from the basement (lake level) up work. tion in 1913-14 of his plan for the to a summit about ive feet above Hotel Glacier (now Lake McDonald he double-helix staircase remained the lobby loor. Water trickled from Lodge), a private venture that the a feature of Many Glacier Hotel’s the top, down among the plants, to Great Northern would later acquire. lobby for 42 years. While admired, 4 ☐ Spring 2015 ☐ The Inside Trail While admired, it was also seen as a problem. Where the stairs landed ..