REPORT OF THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, GENERAL STATEMENT. The Glacier National Park was established by the act of Congress approved May 11, 1910 (36 Stat., 354), and is located in northwestern Montana. It embraces over 1,400 square miles of the Rocky Mountains and adjacent territory, extending north from the main line of the Great Northern Railway to the Canadian border. The eastern boundary is the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, and the western boundary is formed by the Flathead River. The park, which is irregular in shape, has an area of approximately 915,000 acres. Its greatest length in a northwesterly-southeasterly direction is about 60 miles, with a maximum width approaching 40 miles. Within its borders are attractions for the scientist, nature lover, and tourist unsurpassed in any country in the world, tourists of world-wide experience pronouncing it the Switzerland of America. The elevations in the park range from 3,100 feet to over 10,400 feet. The central portion of the area on the northwestern-southeastern axis is high and rugged and in sharp comparison with the open plains of the east and the valley of the Flathead River on the west. Within its confines are 60 active glaciers, these ice sheets being the sources of beautiful cascades and roaring mountain streams flowing into innumerable, clear, placid lakes for which the park is famed, the most noted of these being Lake McDonald, Lake St. Mary, Lake Louise, Iceberg Lake, Red Eagle Lake, Kintla Lake, Bowman Lake, Waterton Lake, Logging Lake, Quartz Lake, Harrison Lake, and Two Medicine Lake. Lake McDonald, the southern end of which is situated 2 miles from Belton, a station on the main line of the Great Northern Railway, is one of the most beautiful lakes in America. It is about 3,150 feet above sea level, nearly 10 miles long, 2 miles wide, and surrounded by mountains covered with virgin forests of western larch, cedar, white pine, Douglas fir, spruce, and hemlock. Upper Lake St. Mary is on the eastern side of the mountains about 32 miles northwest of Midvale. It is about 10 miles long, with a maximum width of 1 mile, and toward the upper end the mountains rise in rugged walls not far from the water's edge. Its elevation is about 4,470 feet above sea level. The principal glaciers in the park are Blackfoot, Grinnell, Harrison, Pumpelly, Red Eagle, Sperry, Kintla, Agassiz, and Chaney. In most of the lakes of the park there is excellent fishing at certain times of the year, and at others many streams afford fine sport with hook and line. Within the park boundaries there are many varieties of game which are indigenous to this section of the country, such as bear, elk, moose, deer, big-horn sheep, mountain goat, mountain lion, as well as the smaller furred animals of the forest. I assumed charge of the Glacier National Park on December 1, 1912, relieving R. H. Chapman, acting superintendent, who had been detailed by the department from the United States Geological Survey in May, 1912, to take charge of the reservation, filling the vacancy caused by the death of Maj. W. R. Logan, the first superintendent. ROADS. Fish Creek Road.-A contract had been made with L. P. Edge, for $4,695.50, for the clearing of right of way 40 feet wide, and the grading of 1.9 miles of wagon road commencing at station 106 plus 20, on the Belton-Lake McDonald macadamized road, and extending to Fish Creek on the west shore of Lake McDonald, where the Government sawmill is located. The clearing of the right of way had been finished prior to December 1, 1912. The burning of stumps, grading, bridging, construction of drain ditches and culverts were all completed by July 30, 1913. In the construction of this road excellent natural road material was encountered, consequently there is now a very satisfactory road from Belton to Fish Creek. Bids had been called for, plans and specifications having been previously prepared by this office, for the construction of a bridge 240 feet in length across McDonald Creek on the Fish Creek Road. This contract was let to B. B. Gilliland, the lowest bidder, for $840, who finished the bridge on March 15, 1913, when it was inspected and accepted. Divide Creek Road. The contract let to A. Guthrie & Co., St. Paul, in 1912, for the construction of 4.85 miles of wagon road connecting with the wagon road constructed by the Great Northern Railway Co. at the park line, in the vicinity of Divide Creek, was completed on August 26, 1913, in accordance with the specification with the exception of the burning of the stumps along the right of way, which is now progressing. Belton-Lake McDonald Road.-Between the bridge across Flathead River and top of Snyder Hill about 3,000 feet of grade was widened from 10 to 16 feet. Grade of Snyder Hill was reduced from 11 to 7 per cent. For a distance of 14 miles underbrush was cleared away for a space of 50 feet on each side of the road. Flathead River Road.-Repairs were made on 25 miles of road between McGee's meadow and Big Prairie. Cut Bank Road.-Four thousand five hundred feet new road graded, 16 feet wide. Apgar Road.-Six hundred feet right of way cleared and grubbed, approach to Fish Creek Road graded. Glacier Park Highway.-Between eastern boundary of park and Many Glaciers camp, 6 miles located and surveyed, 1 mile graded, work being done by Reclamation Service. Frame pavilion at Bromide Springs with storeroom attached. In good, serviceable condition. Two frame pavilions at the Pavilion group of springs. The larger in very bad condition; needs either to be repaired and repainted or to be replaced. The smaller needs to be repainted; otherwise in fairly good condition. Pavilion at Hillside Spring, conglomerate rock columns with pagoda roof and cement floor. In good condition. Pavilion at Black Sulphur Spring, frame. In good condition, but needs to be repainted. Pavilion at Sulphur-Bromide Spring, frame. In good condition, but should be repainted. Pavilion at Wilson Spring, frame. In bad condition and should be rebuilt. Pavilion at artificial spring near old Vendome, frame. Serviceable, but needs repainting or to be torn down. Ten new rest houses, in excellent condition. Frame. Nine old rest houses, in fair repair. Frame structures. All located as indicated on map herewith. Four small horse barns, all frame, old and dilapidated. Located near the residences in the park. One new frame barn, with hay loft and buggy shed (the buggy shed with cement floor). In excellent condition. Several old frame henhouses at locations near the residences in the park. Old and dilapidated. ROADS AND TRAILS. All of the roads and trails throughout the park have been thoroughly maintained during the past year, some of them requiring only to be properly kept up, others requiring extensive repairs. In some few places it was necessary to change the alignment of the old roads entirely in order to make a thoroughly satisfactory piece of work. This was the case along the Brookside trail between the third and fourth crossings of Travertine Creek, past Pebble Falls and the Cold Spring. These two crossings were badly worn, and the fourth one (near Cold Spring) especially had never been satisfactory, so I considered it advisable to change this section of this trail to the other side of the creek, thus doing away with the necessity of keeping these two crossings in repair. The newly constructed section of road between the two crossings comprises 1,525 linear feet of wellbuilt macadam road, with six concrete culverts built at intervals to take care of the surface drainage and prevent washing of the road. Including this last piece of road-construction work there are now within the boundaries of this park 10,337 linear feet of thoroughly maintained macadam road. In addition to this there are 25,062 linear feet of road, the greater part of which has been graded to a surface and which is now in good condition. Numerous culverts are built along these roads at places where it was necessary to provide for the surface drainage. These culverts are nearly all substantially built of cement or rock and concrete. A few are merely box drains. In all (exclusive of the 6 new culverts on the new road to the Cold Spring) there are 7 cement culverts, 10 of rock, 2 of rock with board tops, 1 of rock with cement top, and 3 box drains. During the past year there was built in the vicinity of the Bromide Springs a cement sidewalk which has an area of 3,108 square feet. This increases the total cement walks now within the park to 7,573.57 square feet. The 48 cement steps along the mountain side to reach Cliffside Trail, which were built during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1912, are still in good condition, and no repairs have been required during the year just ended, but the iron chain which is strung through the banister posts on the outer edge of these steps should be occasionally painted with a good iron graphite paint to prevent rusting. There are approximately 7,825 linear feet of foot trails, which are known as the Riverside and Cliffside Trails. These trails are in fairly good condition at present, the worn places having been frequently repaired by the park force during the past year, and about 200 feet of the Cliffside Trail along dangerous places, near Robber's Roost, having been safeguarded by the erection of wovenwire fence on the outer edge. These trails should be carefully maintained and further improved, as visitors seem inclined to favor these routes to the Bromide and Medicine Springs from the city. IMPROVEMENT OF SPRINGS. The repairs previously made to springs in the park generally frequented by visitors have proven to be somewhat of a permanent nature, as few improvements or repairs have been essential during the year just ended. One spring which had never been previously confined was inclosed by sinking an 18-inch tile pipe around its outlet onto which a small iron pipe was cemented for an outlet. A board platform about 5 feet square was then built around the spring, because of the fact that it is located low on the bank of the Travertine Creek, and the flood waters of the creek would otherwise make the spring inaccessible. The water obtained from this spring is clear and cold, and apparently devoid of mineral qualities, hence it has been named "Cold Spring." REPAIRS TO BRIDGES. Owing to the thorough repairs made to the bridges in the park during the year ended June 30, 1912, no repairs have been required during the fiscal year just ended. All bridges are in excellent condition, and it is not likely, without some unforeseen disaster, that any repairs will be necessary during the coming year, except that the ironwork on the Washington Bridge should be given an occasional coat of paint to preserve it from rust. PROPOSED SEWER SYSTEM. In the Indian appropriation bill approved August 24, 1912, provision was made, among other things, for a sanitary sewer system in Platt National Park, as follows: For the construction of a sanitary sewer system in Platt National Park, Okla., to be expended under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior, $17,500: Provided, That the said sum shall be available whenever a like amount is appropriated and made available by the town of Sulphur, Okla., for the same purpose: Provided further, That whenever said appropriation is made by the town of Sulphur, Okla., the entire amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary, of the total appropriation made by this act and the town of Sulphur, Okla., shall be expended under the direction of the Secretary of the Interior. The town of Sulphur having paid into the Treasury of the United States its pro rata share of the estimated cost of the construction of the sewer in accordance with the terms of the above-mentioned act, |