What Grinnell wrote

The September 1901 issue of The Century Magazine featured a story titled “The Crown of the Continent.” That story is credited by most historians as being the highly effective kick-start to setting aside a vast area of the Northern Rockies as a national park. Quotes from the article are widely used in the following years of campaigning for that goal. Grinnell’s words are still cited in books, magazines, papers, and broadcasts dealing with the formation of our magnificent Glacier National Park.

It has occurred to me, few people have a transcript of that cited article or have ever read it; therefore, it is right that I share a sample from my precious copy.

The author, George Bird Grinnell, started the article thusly:

“Far away in northwestern Montana, hidden from view by clustering mountain-peaks, lies an unmapped corner – the Crown of the Continent. The water from the crusted snow drift which caps the peak of a lofty mountain there trickles into tiny rills, which hurry along north, south, east, and west, growing into rivers, at last pour their contents into three seas.

“If one turns his back upon the prairie and looks west and south, the view is barred by a confused series of unknown mountains. Here are canons (canyons) deeper and narrower than those of Yelllowstone, mountains higher than those of Yosemite…Many are patched with snow and the highest wear their white covering from year’s end to year’s end. Along their verdureless slopes slow-moving ice rivers still plow their deliberate way, relics of mightier glaciers, the stiffened streams of which in a past age fashioned the majestic scenery of today.”

Grinnell’s compelling description of wonders he viewed covered much of the future park’s eastern ramparts for The Century Magazine and also dealt with the fishing, hunting, and geology. The article is 13 pages of very small print, but those opening paragraphs should give readers a good feel for the emotions Grinnell felt, emotions which enabled him to lead a frustrating nine year battle to get the “Glacier Park bill” through Congress.

Grinnell was also deeply interested in the Blackfeet Indian culture and interviewed members. He retold an interesting tribal legend about their creator, Old Man.

“Old Man soon after he was born made the people. Instead of giving them long fingers, he made their hands like those of the bear, and they dug roots and ate berries for food.

“In those days the buffalo used to eat people. It was a long time before Old Man found this out, but one day he came along and found the feasting on a woman they had killed. Old Man felt very badly and sat down on a rock and cried, and tore out his hair, and tried to think of what he could do to save the people. … ‘Hai-Yah’ he cried…at last he went to where there were people and he split their hands so they had long fingers instead of short claws. Then he made some bows and arrows, and knives, and he taught them how to use them.

“Now people you will survive…kill plenty of buffalo…the meat is good and the robes will make you warm clothing. By and by …the buffalo came again and the people did as Old Man had told them.”

In spite of great admiration for the Blackfeet, it came to pass that Grinnell had to weigh his options in the battles over formation of the Park because it involved persuading the Indians to give up land and certain rights in order for the Park to be established. It is an accepted fact that problems pressured him into some hurtful choices in making the final settlement.

It is this writer’s belief, Grinnell greatly disliked his role in convincing the tribe to concede to a deal which they thought was unfair; however, he did so with the knowledge that solution would be less damaging to the Blackfeet than other possible scenarios.

As Larry Wilson would say, “What do you think?”

G. George Ostrom is a national award-winning Hungry Horse News columnist. He lives in Kalispell.