Completion of the Great Northern Railway in 1891 allowed more people to enter the area. The rich natural resources of the land west of Marias Pass attracted enterprising individuals seeking to make homes in this wilderness. Lake McDonald and its environs offered prime locations for homesteading. But settlers originally attracted to the area’s hunting, fishing, and timber resources soon realized the qualities of the area for recreation. They began to respond to tourist needs for overnight accommodations, transportation, and guiding services. Milo Apgar and his wife Diane Jeanette, Charlie Howes and his wife Mamie, and others who homesteaded around Lake McDonald soon discovered the appeal for tourists coming to the area and began catering to their needs. Apgar built rental cabins on his land at the foot of the lake, and Diane provided meals for visitors. Here, the small village of Apgar grew. Howes provided boat and guide services to visitors. He eventually split up his homestead and sold lakefront lots to private individuals who wished to own their own piece of paradise. Other similar home sites grew up around the lake. Some families continued to pursue traditional homestead life in the more remote environs of the North Fork Flathead River basin.  During the winter of 1913-14, John Lewis built the 65-room Lewis Hotel, now Lake McDonald Hotel (purchased by NPS in 1932) near the site of the original Snyder Hotel which he had previously purchased.

Credits and Sources:

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.

Land of Many Stories: The People and History of Glacier National Park, National Park Service, Montana Hisotrical Society, Glacier Naitonal Park Fund, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Foundation, http://www.nps.gov/features/glac/LMSeTour/centennial_eTour.html, Accessed June 10, 2015.