In 1885, George Bird Grinnell, popularly known as the father of the movement to establish Glacier National Park, first came to the area. Grinnell returned to the area in 1887, this time traveling up the Swiftcurrent valley to what is now known as Swiftcurrent Lake. While encamped in this valley, he discovered the glaciers at the heads of Swiftcurrent and Grinnell Valleys. Accompanied by Lt. Beacon and James Willard Schultz, he climbed to the glacier that now bears his name to explore and photograph it. In 1895, although prospecting was carried on quite feverishly through the mountains, the area east of the Continental Divide was Indian Reservation and as such was legally closed to all entry for prospecting purposes. By the time George Bird Grinnell first visited the area, increasing pressure from white interests in exploiting the area’s natural resources threatened Blackfeet Reservation lands along the Continental Divide. By the mid-1890s, the area became a destination for tourists wishing to explore the area’s natural beauty. This combined interest led to the formation of a government commission charged with negotiating the purchase of lands from the Blackfeet. Grinnell, William C. Pollock, and Walter M. Clements served as the commissioners.

In 1895 William C. Pollock, George Bird Grinnell and Walter M. Clements were appointed as a commission of three to negotiate with the Blackfeet for the purchase of the strip of land lying between the Continental Divide and the prairies, from Canada south some fifty or sixty miles. After long negotiations, they finally agreed on a purchase price of $1,500,000, which they recommended to Congress. The Indians retained the right to hunt, fish and cut timber on this area, soon to be known as the "Ceded Strip," unless the State of Montana should at some time deem it unlawful. The area of the strip included the eastern part of what is now Glacier National Park and portions of the Lewis and Clark National Forest immediately south of the park. That portion now included within Glacier National Park was withdrawn from hunting and timber cutting provisions of the treaty with the establishment of the park in 1910.  In 1901, George Bird Grinnell’s article “The Crown of the Continent” was published in The Century Magazine. The article, which details his experiences in the area and its scenic beauty, raised interest in the area leading to its establishment as a national park.

Credits and Sources:

George Bird Grinnell, “The Crown of the Continent” The Century Magazine,http://www.unz.org/Pub/Century-1901sep-00660, Accessed June 10, 2015.

Donald H. Robinson, Through the Years in Glacier National Park: an Administrative History,Glacier Natural History Association, Inc. In cooperation with the National Park Service, May 1960.