Articles

Great Northern Railway Historical Society
Reference Sheet No. 217
June 1994

MARKETING OF THE TRAIN
"See America First - Glacier National Park"

Some time shortly after the Oriental was placed in service, the passenger marketing emphasis shifted from travel to the Orient, to selling Glacier National Park as a vacation destination. Passenger traffic was a dominant factor in railroad economies in the twenties and G.N. maintained posh ticket offices in major cities. Pictures of the Chicago ticket office portray stylishly dressed people perusing richly lithographed company literature in a setting of cut flowers and expensively panelled walls. The fresh flowers were furnished by G.N.'s green houses in Monroe, Washington. Glacier National Park was prominently mentioned in timetables, pamphlets, and books promoting the services on the Oriental.

Glacier National Park had been created in 1910. The West was still perceived as a high adventure by the eastern vacationer. G.N. did everything possible to make the park accessible to tourists and to provide accommodations at the Park. G.N. spent $1,000,000 building the Many Glacier and East Glacier Park hotels. To increase passenger traffic on the Oriental, G.N. distributed pamphlets on vacations in the Northwest and Glacier National Park. Travellers going to or from California or Alaska were invited to stop off at Glacier.

G.N. opened an extensive campaign to sell travel to the Northwest, employing national and local newspapers and magazines, informative timetables, folders, booklets, window displays, color slides, lectures, radio and motion pictures. The purpose was to create new business and to direct travel that was already bound to move somewhere for vacation or business, to G.N. Twenty-one station name changes were made in January and February, 1926 in the vicinity of Glacier National Park. Names like Spotted Robe, Bison, Grizzly, Triple Divide, Citadel, etc, replaced the likes of Nyack, Java, Coram, Fielding, and Midvale. Monuments were dedicated by Louis Hill and Ralph Budd through out the West to commemorate its explorers. It is interesting to note that the last lot of sleeper cars, delivered in 1925, had the names changed from cities to founders of the West, a harbinger of the names which would appear on the Empire Builder's equipment.

For another promotional campaign, Louis Hill retained well known painters; Winold Riess, W. L. Kinn and John Fery to portray glories of the west. Their work graced G.N. advertising from playing cards to wall calendars and were distributed through the service area and beyond. Into many such promotional materials were woven images of local Indians colorfully attired. A visual element which evolved was the Rocky Mountain Goat. 'Old Bill' began adorning the G.N. drumheads, tenders and the sides of freight equipment.

Great Northern was also able to make good its advice to "See More of America First" by coupling open top cars to the rear of the Oriental and Glacier Park Limiteds for their spectacular trip through the Montana Rockies. Pictures of these cars appear on page 319 of Wood's Great Northern Railway and pg 180 of HIDY's Great Northern Railway.