Kalispell, MT

One of the many offices Jack engineered for Nortel was Kalispell, but he said the town was much smaller then, and he was there in the middle of winter, so doesn't recall exploring the area.   We were camped about 35 miles from Glacier National Park and a revisit to the park was our main priority.

We got up at 5 a.m. And after breakfast headed for the park.   Our goal was to arrive early enough to gain a parking space at Logan Pass.   We had tried twice on an earlier trip and were never able to park and enjoy that area.   We drove about 30 miles up the Going-to-the-sun road and arrived at the Pass at 7:45.   The lot was only half full at that time, but by 8:30 people were cruising the lot looking for a spot to park.   We enjoyed the Hidden Lake trail which has a profusion of wild flowers and in some areas still had snow.   The Visitor's Center is small for the size of the crowd it handles.   WE discovered the reason for the parking problem is the hikers!!   They park early in the morning and are usually gone 3-6 hours,depending on their energy and the length of their hike.   WE took many pictures and I will share some on the blog at a later date.

WE also toured the Museum at Central School which had been built as a school in 1895.   WE especially enjoyed the Native American Culture artifacts.   Displays told the stories of the buffalo in Indian culture, native religious societies and ceremonial pipes.   The Frank Bird Lindeman exhibit was also very interesting.   He authored 20 books, many about the Native American Tribes.  

We toured the home of Charles Conrad, the founder of the city.   It was plotted in 1891 by Charles Contrad for James J. Hill, owner of the the Great Northern Raailway to serve as a division point for a rail route being constructed from St. Paul, MN to Seattle, WA.   His home contains 93% of his belongings, as the house was always inhabited by his family.   In 1974 his youngest daughter, Alicia Conrad McCutcheon Campbell donated the home and its contents to the city of Kalispell in honor of her parents.  

The next day we took Hwy 2 toward Spokane, WA.