Great Northern History
The main line of the Great Northern Railway stretched from St. Paul, Minnesota to Seattle, Washington. It was the sixty-mile stretch of rail from east of the Rockies through Montana’s Marias Pass and along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River – bordering the grandeur and breathtaking scenery of what would become Glacier National Park – that lured people from all over the world to the conductor’s call for “all aboard.” Glacier National Park and the Great Northern Railway became synonymous in the early twentieth century. All Aboard! For Glacier, C.W. Guthrie
As part of the The Great Northern Railway's See America First campaign, several chalets were built throughout Glacier National Park by GNR and James J. Hill. Today, there are still two standing and in operation, the Granite Park Chalet and the famed Sperry Chalet, built in 1913, transporting guests back to simpler times during their overnight stays in these traditional backcountry accommodations. The original Sperry Chalet dormitory building burned down in the Sprague Fire of 2017 and has been rebuilt in nearly an identical design and layout with some minor modifications to meet current building codes.
