Building a Miracle: The Construction of the Going-to-the-Sun Road

Going to the Sun Road

November 17, 2024

In early Montana when glaciers formed on both sides of the Continental Divide, one of the glaciers eventually carved, chiseled and sculpted its way eastward down the St. Mary Valley and the other westward down the McDonald Valley. They also tore out the ridge between them and became one giant glacier. When the ice melted, the vast landscape that would become Glacier National Park was created.

Along about 1911, just after the formation of Glacier Park, Superintendent William Logan initiated plans for a road across the park. Prior to then there was just a dirt road traveled by horse or wagon or on foot. The name “Going-to-the-Sun” derives from Native Americans who considered the sun sacred and the path to the closest point also sacred.

When automobiles became the favored mode of transportation, the public clamored to construct a road that automobiles could use. Another pressure came from the surge of settlers brought by the Great Northern Railway to the borders of the Park. Bob Marshall, chief topographer of the U.S. Geographical Survey, recommended a road system to connect all the scenic points in the Park. (We have to acknowledge the loss of much natural beauty and sacredness in the interest of access.).

It took about 20 years and a lot of engineering to build the road connecting the east to the west sides. Some men quit when they saw the icy heights they’d have to climb.

These photos show steps in the arduous process. The Going-to-the-Sun Road was designated as a National Historic Landmark and a National Civil Engineering Landmark

In July, 1933, a big rendezvous was held at Logan Pass to officially open the road to the public. Blackfeet, Kootenai, Flathead, and Salish natives joined the officials in the celebration. Logan Pass on the Continental Divide is 6,646 feet high — and has thrilled (even frightened) many visitors. Anyone in a car or bus could cross the Park in a couple of hours with stops along the way for assorted wonders.

Since then the road has been traveled by millions of visitors. It has endured long cruel winters, heavy snows, and the destructive forces of avalanches, mud and rock slides. It is in constant need of repairs to keep it open and safe. While the road’s original builders have long passed on, now the challenge is to preserve this monumental legacy.

Fast Facts

Road length: 50 miles from West Glacier to St. Mary.

Road width: 22 feet, except for 10 miles along the Garden Wall, which are narrower.

Eight bridges at Belton, Snyder Creek, Avalanche Creek, Logan Creek, Haystack Creek, Baring Creek, St. Mary River, and Siyeh Creek.

30,000 linear feet of pipe and boxed drainage culverts faced with native stone.

Retaining walls of native stone, most notably the Triple Arches and the Golden Stairs.

40,000 feet of historic native stone guard rails.

Road opens 6-21-13. For updates, see FAQ at www.nps.gov/glac/planyourvisit/

Take and Early Tour: http://www.nps.gov/features/glac/eHikes/gttsrhistory/gttsrhistory_final.htm

Sources

Glacier National Park, Legends and Lore,
Along the Going-to-the-Sun Road
by C.W. Guthrie,
Farcountry Press, Helena, 2002.

Going-to-the-Sun Road,
Glacier National Park’s Highway to the Sky
by C.W. Guthrie,
Farcountry Press, Helena, 2006.

Tag(s)

Building

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My Grandfather Ralph Proctor was a park ranger at Two Medicine Lake in the early 19 teens. He had a string of horses and pack mules and took visitors up to the high country. My mother sent a bunch of things that were his from when he lived and worked there to be placed in the future museum. We hope to go back and visit again some day. My family loves Glacier Park so much!

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You might investigate our museum or at least our website to see what we have already accomplished related to the park. We also have 3 pre 1952 vehicles pre-owned by the park we keep operational, and possibly 2 more earlier ones.

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I realized I did not include the name of our museum in the above comments. We have a website and a U Tube channel with over 50 short videos, some of which view part of our Glacier Park collection. Go to www.miracleofamericamuseum.org. We are located on Memory Lane, the frontage road of US Hwy 93 on the south edge of Polson. We became a non-profit 501 C3 museum in 1981 and been in the present location since 1985. For our annual Winter Fest, always the 2nd Saturday in January we operate at least 2 of the pre 1952 snow vehicles pre-owned by Glacier Park.

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I remember in the mid 1970s traveling this road in our homemade camper RV. GNP was a mystery to me as a little girl. How in the world could the ambient temperature be 80° and there be snow on the ground?! We hiked back to Hidden Lake and enjoyed such beauty. I want to return some day!

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My father Earl Keller was one if the crew bosses which built the rock wall that lines the famous Going to the Sun Highway. At that time He was a registered land survivor. He work on it for 3 years in the early 1930's. In the summer of 1964 my parents and I moved to Whitefish, Montana. We spent a lot if time in the park and I can remember him taking me to the cabin he lived in. When I saw the one room cabin located at the bottom of the pass it wasn't being used, I wonder if it is still there.

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My grandfather was the one or the first ranger to work in Glacier Park. My grandfather and grandmother both had a string of pack horses they took over the pass. At that point my grandmother was going blind from glaucoma. I was told as a child the road had Italian workers that helped build the road. She had wonderful stories about their experiences. Mamie and Bill Burns.

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