Lundgrens sell W. Glacier, Apgar holdings to GPI
<p>Visitors cross the road at West Glacier, just outside Glacier National Park. The Lundgren family recently sold their land and businesses in the tourist town.</p>
July 1 marked the end of an era in West Glacier as Glacier Park Inc. purchased the land and business holdings in West Glacier and Apgar Village from the Lundgren family.
Terms were not immediately disclosed but will become public in future corporate filings, Glacier Park, Inc. president Cindy Ognjanov said.
The transaction was confirmed by operating partners Bill Lundgren, Rob Lundgren and Kathy Lundgren. The Lundgrens have owned the business for 68 years.
The company’s 174 employees will retain their jobs, Ognjanov said. She also spoke to the historic preservation of the properties, which has recently become an issue on social media. There is a Facebook campaign to have the properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“They don’t want the look and feel of the town to change, and neither do we,” Ognjanov said.
Included in the sale are 199 acres of land in West Glacier, which includes the West Glacier Motel and Cabins, West Glacier Restaurant and Bar, West Glacier Mercantile, West Glacier Gift Shop and other guest services.
The sale also includes 3.8 acres of inholdings within Glacier National Park in Apgar — the Apgar Village Lodge, Cedar Tree Gift Shop and staff housing units in Apgar and West Glacier.
The sale bookends GPI’s Glacier Park properties and gives the company a significant share of Glacier Park business, despite last year losing the concessions contract to run the lodges inside the Park and the Red Bus fleet to Xanterra Parks and Resorts.
GPI, a subsidiary of publicly traded Viad Corp., owns the St. Mary Lodge and Resort in St. Mary, Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier, Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, Motel Lake McDonald inside the Park, and the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park.
“This addition perfectly complements our existing operations in and around Glacier National Park,” Ognjanov said. “The Lundgren family has a remarkable history in West Glacier, and we look forward to carrying on their traditions in this historic town. GPI has long served as a steward for the preservation of historical properties, including the 101-year-old Glacier Park Lodge and the 87-year-old Prince of Wales Hotel, and our commitment to these treasured places will continue in all aspects of the operation of our company.”
The Lundgrens have deep ties to West Glacier. After World War II, Ev Lundgren, an engineer with aircraft manufacturer Boeing, joined his father Dan Sr., Dan’s brother Conrad and family friend Dave Thompson to purchase the West Glacier business from Henry Hutchings, George Stack, Ed Swetnam and Herbert Chatterton.
Dan Lundgren Jr. was also a principal in the company and purchased his father’s interest in 1955. Thompson’s father-in-law, Douglas Parker, was the coordinating banker for the original purchase.
At the time of the Lundgren purchase, the business was known as the Belton Mercantile. The new partners changed the name to West Glacier Mercantile and the town changed from Belton to West Glacier.
The four ran the business together until 1976, when Dave sold his interest to the other partners.
The founding partners have since died. Ev died in 2102.
An outside independent investment group also apparently showed interest in the Lundgren properties, but a deal was never struck.
In 1987, West Glacier Mercantile Co. was awarded a Special Commendation from the U.S. Department of the Interior for “sheltering and protecting the west entrance of Glacier National Park from inappropriate development” and for maintaining the village’s historic character.
“We have learned that it’s unusual for a family business to survive this long, especially into the third generation,” Bill Lundgren said. “Many members of our extended families participated through the years, and it was a shared experience. In the process, we learned from the work and from our elders. We can’t adequately express how meaningful it has been to work here and be part of West Glacier and Apgar. Glacier National Park, its visitors, our staff members and our neighbors have been very good to us.”