Cultural Landscape Inventory: Going-to-the-Sun Road

Hufstetler, Mark; Renewable Technologies, Inc.

Glacier National Park, Montana, is home to one of the most spectacular and significant linear cultural resources in the United States: the Going-to-the-Sun Road. The road (referred to in this document as the "Sun Road" or GTSR) has been open to the public since 1933, and is the primary park attraction for most Glacier visitors. As the only vehicular route to directly enter the park's renowned alpine landscapes, the Sun Road provides access to exceptional scenery, but the route is equally famous for its torturous, spectacular alignment. The road's narrow routing hugs lakeshores, mountain streams, and massive cliffs, and its design reflects a strong sensitivity to these dramatic natural features. The roadway adapts to the scenery and reflects its values, rather than attempting to change its surroundings. The historic and engineering significance of the Sun Road is well-recognized by the federal government: the road is a National Historic Landmark and a National Civil Engineering Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These designations require that maintenance and repair projects on the road be undertaken only after consideration of the road's unique cultural values. Since the historic walls and other engineering features along the route strongly contribute to the road's overall significance, it is important that these resources be identified and evaluated as part of the process of planning for the future of the road. It is equally important that future work projects protect and preserve these historic features. This document–the first comprehensive map-based inventory of the Sun Road's historic engineering features–is intended to assist in that effort. This volume identifies and locates all historic walls, bridges and other structures that existed on the road during the summer of 2000, and provides basic descriptive and evaluative information for major resources. The data displays a contemporary "baseline" picture of the road's historic infrastructure, and provides the identifying information needed for park managers and planners to help plan for its preservation.

Cultural Landscape Inventory: Going-to-the-Sun Road

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