Roes Creek separates Rising Sun Motor Inn from the Rising Sun Campground / Glacier National Park, Montana
Rising Sum Motor Inn
Going-to-the-Sun Road at St. Mary Lake; Glacier National Park, Montana
Glacier National Park was established in 1910, when the first wave of tourists viewed the park via horseback, boat and hiking. Rising Sun Motor Inn was part of the second wave of tourism with the completion of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in 1933. Rising Sun Motor Inn has had several names; Rising Sun Auto Camp, Roes Creek Auto Camp, and East Glacier Auto Camp. All names reference the automobile. The facilities were developed for the auto-borne tourists who could traverse the park using the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The location overlooks Saint Mary Lake, the second largest lake in the park. One of the most popular spots for visitors to Glacier National Park is Rising Sun, an overlook of Goose Island in St. Mary Lake and likely the most photographed spot in the park.
By 1940, under increasing pressure from the NPS for more spartan, inexpensive facilities where tipping, dress codes and lavish furnishings were not required, the Glacier Park Hotel Co. began construction of the Roes Creek Auto Camp, later renamed the East Glacier Auto Camp and finally (1950) the Rising Sun Auto Camp. This facility was designed by Great Northern's Hotel Company and approved by NPS.
Rising Sun facilities included a general store, built in 1941 by the Great Northern's Glacier Park Hotel Company, surrounded by log tourist cabins and laundry house. Located 7 miles from the east entrance to Glacier National Park, Rising Sun grew as wayside area that now includes a National Park Service campground, gift shop, restaurant, motel rooms and boat dock on St. Mary's Lake. The modern era restaurant/lobby building was built in 1965. As of 2014 the guest facilities, exluding the campground and boat dock, are managed by the concessionaire Xanterra Parks & Resorts.
Great Northern Railway affiliate Glacier Park Hotel Company constructed and operated the grand park lodges within Glacier National Park from 1910 to 1961. The lodges were built to serve tourists who arrived via Great Northern's passenger trains. The Oriental Limited was Great Northern's passenger train between Chicago and Seattle (70 hour trip). It was the premiere train on its route until 1929 when the Empire Builder started. With new equipment and fewer stops the Empire Builder made the run in 45 hours. Amtrak has operated the Empire Builder since 1971.
The Glacier Park Lodge was built in 1913 adjacent to the Great Northern Depot in East Glacier Park, Montana. The largest was the Many Glacier Hotel, which opened in 1915. The landmark Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton was completed in 1927, and in 1930 the company was contracted to operate the privately constructed Lake McDonald Hotel. The grand lodges were supplemented by the construction of motel-styled Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and Rising Sun Motor Inn, which were completed in the 1940s to serve Glacie Park's automobile travelers.
With only a 100-day season, and with automobiles reducing the demand for rail travel, Great Northern claims it was losing $500,000 a year on the Glacier hotels. In 1961 Great Northern's Glacier Park Hotel Company sold the Glacier and Waterton concession operations to Don Hummel for $1.4 million. Hummel, a former Tucson mayor and Arizona businessman formed "Glacier Park, Inc." to operate the concessions. GPI received a 20-year concession contract from the National Park Service. Hummel was a Flying Tiger in World War II. As a college student he was a seasonal ranger at Grand Canyon and Lassen Volcanic national parks. He served three terms as mayor of Tucson. In addition to Glacier National Park he had ownership in 2 other national park concession companies - Lassen and Mt. McKinley.
Hummel sold the lodges and motels at the conclusion of its 20 year contract in 1981 to Greyhound Food Management of Phoenix later known as Viad Corporation. Hummel stated "It's been a constant battle attempting to not only pay off the facilities, but to try to upgrade them as well."
In 2013 the Park Service awarded a 16 year concession right for lodging and transportation within Glacier Park to the Xanterra Corporation. Glacier Park Inc., had held the Glacier contract for 32 years since 1981. Xanterra Parks and Resorts took control from Viad Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, the Rising Sun and Swiftcureen Motor Inns, and the Red buses. Viad continues to own and operate facilities outside of Glacier National Park, including - Glacier Park Lodge, St. Mary Lodge, and the Prince of Wales Hotel.
In keeping with the era in which Rising Sun Motor Inn's 72 rooms were built, there are no televisions, air conditioning or in-room telephones. However, there are private bathrooms in all guest rooms.
Note: I worked at Rising Sun Motor Inn during the summers of 1967 and 1968. In 1967 I worked as a dish washer, busboy, gift shop attendant and gas station attendant. In 1968 I worked as a desk clerk and as the relief night auditor. LeRoy Wright was our General Manager for both summers. He was the recently retired general manager at the Paso del Norte Hotel in El Paso, TX. Nora Hullings for our chef. Mr & Mrs. Hal Goerz managed the gift shop. Some of my co-workers were Bill Williams, Tom Quail, Tom Amacker, Louis Kawalski, Barb Low, Neil Gerdes, Joe Peek, Karen Willis, and Luci Malone. On the night of Aug. 12, 1967, (known as Night of the Grizzlies) two glacier park employess were mauled to death by two seperate grizzlies at two different locations - Granite Park Campground and Trout Lake Campground. The official address of Rising Sun Motor Inn is: 500 feet north of Going-to-the-Sun Road at St. Mary Lake; Glacier National Park, Montana.
compiled by Dick Johnson, June 2018
Roes Creek separates Rising Sun Motor Inn from the Rising Sun Campground / Glacier National Park, Montana
Rising Sum Motor Inn
Going-to-the-Sun Road at St. Mary Lake; Glacier National Park, Montana
Glacier National Park was established in 1910, when the first wave of tourists viewed the park via horseback, boat and hiking. Rising Sun Motor Inn was part of the second wave of tourism with the completion of the Going-to-the-Sun Road in 1933. Rising Sun Motor Inn has had several names; Rising Sun Auto Camp, Roes Creek Auto Camp, and East Glacier Auto Camp. All names reference the automobile. The facilities were developed for the auto-borne tourists who could traverse the park using the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The location overlooks Saint Mary Lake, the second largest lake in the park. One of the most popular spots for visitors to Glacier National Park is Rising Sun, an overlook of Goose Island in St. Mary Lake and likely the most photographed spot in the park.
By 1940, under increasing pressure from the NPS for more spartan, inexpensive facilities where tipping, dress codes and lavish furnishings were not required, the Glacier Park Hotel Co. began construction of the Roes Creek Auto Camp, later renamed the East Glacier Auto Camp and finally (1950) the Rising Sun Auto Camp. This facility was designed by Great Northern's Hotel Company and approved by NPS.
Rising Sun facilities included a general store, built in 1941 by the Great Northern's Glacier Park Hotel Company, surrounded by log tourist cabins and laundry house. Located 7 miles from the east entrance to Glacier National Park, Rising Sun grew as wayside area that now includes a National Park Service campground, gift shop, restaurant, motel rooms and boat dock on St. Mary's Lake. The modern era restaurant/lobby building was built in 1965. As of 2014 the guest facilities, exluding the campground and boat dock, are managed by the concessionaire Xanterra Parks & Resorts.
Great Northern Railway affiliate Glacier Park Hotel Company constructed and operated the grand park lodges within Glacier National Park from 1910 to 1961. The lodges were built to serve tourists who arrived via Great Northern's passenger trains. The Oriental Limited was Great Northern's passenger train between Chicago and Seattle (70 hour trip). It was the premiere train on its route until 1929 when the Empire Builder started. With new equipment and fewer stops the Empire Builder made the run in 45 hours. Amtrak has operated the Empire Builder since 1971.
The Glacier Park Lodge was built in 1913 adjacent to the Great Northern Depot in East Glacier Park, Montana. The largest was the Many Glacier Hotel, which opened in 1915. The landmark Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton was completed in 1927, and in 1930 the company was contracted to operate the privately constructed Lake McDonald Hotel. The grand lodges were supplemented by the construction of motel-styled Swiftcurrent Motor Inn and Rising Sun Motor Inn, which were completed in the 1940s to serve Glacie Park's automobile travelers.
With only a 100-day season, and with automobiles reducing the demand for rail travel, Great Northern claims it was losing $500,000 a year on the Glacier hotels. In 1961 Great Northern's Glacier Park Hotel Company sold the Glacier and Waterton concession operations to Don Hummel for $1.4 million. Hummel, a former Tucson mayor and Arizona businessman formed "Glacier Park, Inc." to operate the concessions. GPI received a 20-year concession contract from the National Park Service. Hummel was a Flying Tiger in World War II. As a college student he was a seasonal ranger at Grand Canyon and Lassen Volcanic national parks. He served three terms as mayor of Tucson. In addition to Glacier National Park he had ownership in 2 other national park concession companies - Lassen and Mt. McKinley.
Hummel sold the lodges and motels at the conclusion of its 20 year contract in 1981 to Greyhound Food Management of Phoenix later known as Viad Corporation. Hummel stated "It's been a constant battle attempting to not only pay off the facilities, but to try to upgrade them as well."
In 2013 the Park Service awarded a 16 year concession right for lodging and transportation within Glacier Park to the Xanterra Corporation. Glacier Park Inc., had held the Glacier contract for 32 years since 1981. Xanterra Parks and Resorts took control from Viad Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, the Rising Sun and Swiftcureen Motor Inns, and the Red buses. Viad continues to own and operate facilities outside of Glacier National Park, including - Glacier Park Lodge, St. Mary Lodge, and the Prince of Wales Hotel.
In keeping with the era in which Rising Sun Motor Inn's 72 rooms were built, there are no televisions, air conditioning or in-room telephones. However, there are private bathrooms in all guest rooms.
Note: I worked at Rising Sun Motor Inn during the summers of 1967 and 1968. In 1967 I worked as a dish washer, busboy, gift shop attendant and gas station attendant. In 1968 I worked as a desk clerk and as the relief night auditor. LeRoy Wright was our General Manager for both summers. He was the recently retired general manager at the Paso del Norte Hotel in El Paso, TX. Nora Hullings for our chef. Mr & Mrs. Hal Goerz managed the gift shop. Some of my co-workers were Bill Williams, Tom Quail, Tom Amacker, Louis Kawalski, Barb Low, Neil Gerdes, Joe Peek, Karen Willis, and Luci Malone. On the night of Aug. 12, 1967, (known as Night of the Grizzlies) two glacier park employess were mauled to death by two seperate grizzlies at two different locations - Granite Park Campground and Trout Lake Campground. The official address of Rising Sun Motor Inn is: 500 feet north of Going-to-the-Sun Road at St. Mary Lake; Glacier National Park, Montana.
compiled by Dick Johnson, June 2018