This painting of Lake McDonald by John Fery is one of 21 historic paintings donated to Glacier National Park by concessionaire Glacier Park, Inc./NPS.
A collection of historic fine art paintings, owned or commissioned by the Great Northern Railway that helped see the establishment of Glacier National Park, has been donated to the park by Glacier Park, Inc.
Among the 21 paintings, originally created for the hotels, motels and lodges in the park, are works by John Fery, Frank Stick, R.H. Palenske, and Charles Defeo. Many depict iconic scenes in and around the national park. All of the paintings are estimated to have originated between 1909 and 1915, and have been on display at Lake McDonald Lodge, Many Glacier Hotel, Rising Sun Motor Inn and the Two Medicine Campstore in the park.
The majority of the pieces are oil on canvas paintings. They range in size from 2.5 feet x 1.5 feet, to almost 6 feet x 12 feet. Some are by unknown artists. A plaque commemorating the donation will be placed by each painting.
A condition of the donation was that the paintings remain in the hotels, motels and lodges for which they were created.
"Man on Horseback" by R.H. Palenske, 1913/NPS
'We greatly appreciate the willingness of the National Park Service to ensure that the original paintings be displayed in the lodges and properties within Glacier National Park, as they were intended when the Hill Family of the Great Northern Railway commissioned the paintings in the early 1900s. We are pleased that these beautiful images of the park's history will continue to be enjoyed by many more generations,' said Glacier Park, Inc. Vice President and General Manager Ron Cadrette.
'We are thrilled to receive this wonderful gift from Glacier Park, Inc.,' said Glacier Superintendent Jeff Mow. 'These paintings help tell the story of the early tourist accommodations in the park and the connection the railroad had in promoting this area to the nation.'
Xanterra Parks & Resorts, Inc.- Glacier National Park Lodges will be responsible for the care and maintenance of the paintings through their concessions contract with the park.
Glacier Park, Inc., also known as GPI and a subsidiary of Viad Corp, is currently the owner and operator of two properties within the park: Motel Lake McDonald and Apgar Village Lodge. They also own and operate five other lodging properties in the local vicinity of Glacier-Waterton International Peace Park. Glacier Park, Inc. operated many of the park lodges and hotels as the primary concessioner in the park until 2014.
Comments
I see that Xanterra is involved here in some way. How long will it be before Xanterra tries to copyright or trademark the paintings?
I see that your cynicism is alive and well this morning, Lee! And yes, I have always thought that these paintings WERE owned by the Park Service, having stayed with the hotels when the Great Northern Railway passed them on. The point is that now the issue is clear. Xanterra will have to conserve and maintain the paintings on the public's behalf. That is no small expense with older paintings like these, which, when last I saw them, were in need of some tender loving care.
The issue is whether Xanterra is the "proper" manager. Now that everyone has taken credit for this "donation," the real work of protection begins. Will there be a curator and/or an art historian? Will these paintings be scheduled for proper cleaning, storage, and maintenance?
It is a reminder that the big work of conservation is always behind the scenes. Enduring history is not easily produced, nor are great places and artifacts easily conserved. As 2016 approaches, everyone is lining up to cut the blue ribbon again, including a smorgasbord of new parks and "donations." In these paintings, we see a test case of our true willingness to take care of what we already have. I hope in this instance that we do. These paintings are indeed a treasure.
Xanterra is already responsible for 4 other paintings at the Lake McDonald Lodge.
https://web.archive.org/web/20130216143523/http://concessions.nps.gov/do...
Two documents addressing historic artwork(including 2005 conservation assessment) were in the Prospectus for the Glacier Contract:
https://web.archive.org/web/20130216165840/http://concessions.nps.gov/do...
https://web.archive.org/web/20130216165844/http://concessions.nps.gov/do...
Sara, you are absolutely GREAT! Thank you for all the good information you find for us.
Dr. Runte, cynical or realistic?
Realistic? LOL - I would put the odds of Xanterra trying to trademark these paintings at zero.
This was in the draft contract:
"(5) Historic Personal Property Provided by the Concessioner. The Concessioner will use in operations under this Contract, in a manner approved by the Director, certain existing property of historic or other significance as described in Exhibit K (“Historic Personal Property”). The Concessioner shall be responsible for maintaining this Historic Personal Property as necessary to keep it in service, available to the public, and in good and operable condition. At the expiration or other termination of this Contract, the Concessioner must transfer title to and possession of the Historic Personal Property to successor without compensation. The Concessioner will not otherwise transfer or encumber the Historic Personal Property."
Exhibit K is a list of those 21 paintings donated by Glacier Park, Inc.
In other words, Exhibit K is exactly what one would expect from the National Park Service 100 percent of the time. So yes, EC is right. The chance of Xanterra "trademarking" these paintings remains at zero, but only because--and exactly because--the Park Service did its job in Glacier. As I surmised, the paintings were identified as part and parcel of the hotel properties, as the Great Northern Railway itself intended. At the end of the contract, THEY STAY WITH THE BUILDINGS, there to become the responsibility of the next concessionaire. As do the historical NAMES, which otherwise cannot be transferred or encumbered, i.e., ransomed for personal gain.
Yes, thank you, Sara. I had not seen the documents you linked us to in many years. I am enjoying them again now. Art historians often have a thankless task of tracking all of this information down.