Behind the Scenes of Glacier’s Anniversary Story Book

It all started with a conversation in the carpool to work from Whitefish. We often share stories of our weekend adventures on Monday mornings. We share, we laugh, and recollect old times. I thought to myself, gosh- what a neat idea this would be for the centennial.

Well, the project launched in December 2008 with a call for stories, poems, and photos. Over a four month window we received over 200 stories from individuals located all over the country and from several other countries.

Through the Centennial Program, we pulled together a selection committee and a ‘light-editing’ committee. These folks read as the stories streamed in, keeping in mind the guidelines for submitting a story, our mission: Celebrate the rich history of preservation, Inspire personal connections and partnerships, and Engage future stewards.

We selected 100 stories that captured ‘A View Inside Glacier National Park.’ First time visitors or visitor experiences was the most popular recurring theme. We have stories from land owners and people who grew up beneath these peaks. We selected stories from employees who work here year round and stories from seasonals. And we chose stories that aspired to make a toast to the park’s 100th birthday– all the while helping us move into the second century of Glacier.

Step 4 was to design the layout and cover. Glacier National Park Interpretive Specialist Bill Hayden assisted greatly in this task. We moved files around, saved them centrally, and worked on three separate computers. We hung proofs on the walls of headquarters, we changed colors and leading, and we mounted quotes on a historic backdrop (among a million other things!!!)

The final stretch was working with the printers. Signing off on proofs and learning about the production: matte vs. gloss, 50 lb vs. 80 lb weight paper, stitched vs. perfect binding.

We are anxious to share the book with everyone! We hope you can join the Glacier Association and Glacier National Park at the unveiling reception on December 12, 2009 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at their new office in Columbia Falls, 402 9th Street West.