West Glacier crafts cool online story map
The community of West Glacier has a story to tell — one of deep history, cultural significance, and ongoing community resilience. A newly launched Story Map, “A Town on the Edge: The past, present, and future of West Glacier,” brings this history to life, providing an interactive experience for residents, visitors, and other gateway communities. To explore the Story Map, visit arcg.is/1W48X10.
“We hope this Story Map serves as a meaningful resource for those who live in and care about West Glacier,” said Mary T. McClelland, one of the project’s creators. “By making this history accessible, we hope other residents will contribute their memories and ideas. Preserving the history also creates an opportunity for the community to help shape the future.”
Many of the visitors scrambling to enter Glacier do not realize that just moments before snapping an obligatory photo at the park entrance sign, they sped through a place with a history and culture as deep and rich as the park itself - the Village of West Glacier.
This is not an uncommon experience of turning onto the Going-to-the-Sun Road; being focused on reaching the park entrance, one barely notices the chocolate and vanilla-trimmed businesses lined up on main street like gingerbread houses. Historic-looking brown buildings.
It’s easy to overlook the rustic main street and easier still to miss the 227 residences tucked away on side streets, each with their own stories and ties to West Glacier, some dating back multiple generations.
Developed in conjunction with the West Glacier Vision Plan and collaboratively created by community members, the Story Map showcases West Glacier’s transformation over time.
It highlights both the challenges and opportunities that come with being a gateway community, offering a deeper understanding of the efforts to preserve its unique character and identity while adapting to increased tourism pressures and environmental changes.
The West Glacier Story Map serves as a resource not only for those who call West Glacier home, but also for other gateway communities navigating similar challenges, creators say.
The Story Map provides a benchmark for understanding how communities evolve alongside increased tourism pressure and highlights the efforts of residents who have worked to maintain West Glacier’s unique identity, offering a case study in balancing preservation with change.
The map is full of stories and photos from years gone by and is an interesting read, starting from the Blackfeet using the landscape to the corporate ownership of many structures today.
The Story Map is a living document, and still in progress, with more information and history to be added. Community members and interested visitors are encouraged to contribute. If you have historical photos, personal stories, or additional insights to share, you can submit them via the online contribution form link found at the very end of the Story Map at the bottom of the web page.