Glacier National Park-from hunting ground to wilderness paradise
The area around Glacier National Park has a long and colorful history. Recent archeological surveys have found evidence of human habitation going back more than 10,000 years. These people were probably the ancestors of the tribes that live there today, which include the Blackfeet, the Salish, and the Kootenai. In the early 1800s, French, English, and Spanish trappers came in search of beaver pelts. In 1806, the Lewis and Clark expedition came within 50 miles of the area. A railroad over Marias Pass was completed in 1891, which brought more people to the area. Miners came searching for copper and gold in the futile hope of striking it rich.

Around the beginning of the 20th century, people started to view the land differently. Rather than just seeing minerals to mine or land to settle, they started to recognize the value of its spectacular beauty. Tourist facilities started to appear. No roads existed in the mountains, but a number of lakes allowed boat travel into the wilderness.

Soon people were pushing for the creation of a national park. Their efforts were rewarded in 1910, when President William Howard Taft signed the bill that established Glacier as the country's 10th national park.

The world's first peace park
Just across the border from Glacier is Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta, Canada. In 1931, the Rotary Clubs of Alberta and Montana suggested joining the two parks as a symbol of the peace and friendship between the two countries. In 1932, both governments designated the parks as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park-the world's first such designation. Crossing inside the park from Canada to the United States was easy to do. Park rangers were authorized to permit visitors to enter the U.S. at Goat Haunt.

That peace and friendship was strained on September 11, 2001, when the Goat Haunt border crossing was closed in an effort to keep possible terrorists from entering the U.S. from Canada. Unfortunately, this also kept legitimate visitors from entering the park.

Glacier National Park caused great concern for U.S. authorities who wanted this place of beauty to remain accessible to the public, but who also knew they needed to do more to ensure border security in the area. In July 2002, in an effort to reopen the Goat Haunt crossing, park rangers were given additional responsibilities and "deputized" as Customs inspectors. In May 2003, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the National Park Service announced that the park rangers at Goat Haunt would start processing applications for admission into the United States for Canadian citizens and legal permanent residents of the United States.

Today
Each year 37,000 tourists visit the Goat Haunt region, and some 7,000 of them remain in the area to hike or backpack south further into Glacier Park. As an expression of the friendship between the U.S. and Canada, Glacier National Park is again easy to reach from Canada thanks to the agreement between CBP and the National Park Service. And no matter where visitors come from, a visit to Glacier National Park and Goat Haunt ranger station is still a great adventure.