Employee Dormitories and Mess Hall
The first park dormitory and mess hall were completed in 1927. The second dorm was built by Civilian Conservation Corps Crews in1933-34. The Civilian Conservation Corps was active from 1933-1942 and was comprised of young men who were out of work because of The Great Depression. They were employed by the government and put to work to construct and improve facilities on public lands. The CCC crews improved many of the trails while they worked here in Glacier, and constructed the fire hose tower and maintenance garages that you will see later on the tour. These two dorms and mess hall were constructed to house the influx of seasonal workers needed to help maintain the park’s services since Glacier Park was becoming a destination and more visitors were arriving every year. Traditionally, before the dorms were built, most of the seasonal workers camped in tents. The building on your left was the Mess Hall. It was used for its original purpose as a dining hall until the late 1970‟s. The original floor plan of the mess hall had a storage area, cooks‟ bedrooms and baths, a kitchen and a large dining room. Since 1970, it has served as the park's main archives building. The archives keep old visitor record books, newspapers from the past, and are a major help in keeping the park‟s history documented.
