Books fill the shelves for Glacier's centennial

Glacier National Park can quite simply be an inspirational place.

Many photographers, authors and painters have found their muse in the mountains, trees and lakes of the park. Even the people, including a few of the early pioneers and colorful characters in the park's history, have sparked book projects.

The list of recent creative works that coincide with Glacier's centennial is a long one, but here's a sampling of some of those works. Most of the books are available at Bookworks in downtown Whitefish. Some are available at Glacier Park lodges and area gift shops.

* "A View Inside Glacier National Park - 100 years, 100 stories" -- To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the park, the stories and experiences of 100 people have been gathered and preserved in one book. The rich history of the Park is told in personal recollections and photographs. The book is separated into five parts: The Backbone of the World, View from The Backyard, Charismatic Megafauna, Showplace of the Rockies and Heaven Speak.

* "Glacier Classics" by Bret Bouda -- This is a classic collection of stunning black-and-white photographs.

* "Glacier Park Wide" by Bret Bouda -- A full-color collection of wide panoramic photographs that's a visual memoir of awe-inspiring places in Glacier Park.

* "Connecting Us to the Sun" Volumes I-IV by Sharon Midkiff Randolph -- This series explores the historical story that connects travelers on their journey as they build two states, small communities and a national park. The books follow the development of communities throughout the Northern Rockies, the creation of Glacier National Park and the region up to the end of World War II.

* "Fate is a Mountain" by Mark. W. Parratt -- Mark, Monty and Smitty Parratt grew up with Glacier National Park as their backyard in the 1950s and 1960s. The boys' father, the late Lloyd Parratt, and his wife Grace brought the family to the shores of St. Mary Lake every summer Lloyd worked as a seasonal ranger naturalist. Stories include Mark and Monty's adventures as young fisherman along with their climbing and hiking adventures. Later Mark works as a fire guard in the Belly River country, working under legendary ranger Joe Heimes. He also recalls his summers working out of the Blister Rust Camp near Oldman Lake. The centerpiece of the book is Smitty's account as a 10-year-old boy of being badly mauled by a grizzly bear along the Otokomi Lake Trail.

* "Glacier Album: Historic Photographs of Glacier National Park" by Michael Ober -- A seasonal park ranger and Flathead Valley Community College Library's director, Michael Ober assembled into one book hundreds of black and white photos of Glacier's earliest years. Largely taken by ordinary park visitors, the collection captures images of the first 40 years of the park. Most of the photos have never been seen or published before. They're compiled from archives at Glacier Park, the Minnesota Historical Society, the University of Montana Mansfield Library and the Montana Historical Society. Ober combined them with captions and a narrative to produce the photo-documentary.

* "Glacier's First 100 Years" by C.W. Guthrie -- This book is an in-depth survey of the history of Glacier National Park. Featuring black-and-white and full-color photographs, this book tells the park's fascinating history through photos and text. The author explains the geological process that created the park, looks into the lives of the Native Americans who called Glacier home before it was a national park, takes readers on the Great Northern Railway's trains to the park, along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, to the park's designation as an International Peace Park and finally to Glacier Park's Centennial.

* "Glacier at a Gallop" -- This book celebrates the photographers of the Hungry Horse News who have logged thousands of miles in Glacier National Park capturing award-winning photographs. The book begins with the work of Mel Ruder, who founded the newspaper and began running large photos of Glacier each week. Brian Kennedy purchased the paper in 1978 and later Chris Peterson took the reins as editor of the paper -- both continued the tradition of stunning photography. This book includes some favorites, a few outtakes and some never before published treasures.

* "100 Straight Days in Glacier: A photographic journey celebrating the Park's first century" by Chris

 Peterson -- Hungry Horse New photographer and Glacier Park Magazine editor Chris Peterson spent 100 continuous days photographing the park in the spring and summer of 2009. In Glacier Park Magazine, his journey is showcased with stunning photographs from all regions of the park. Peterson used cameras that spanned the time period, from a 1909 Kodak Pocket Vest camera to a Speed Graflex of the same model Hungry Horse News founder Mel Ruder would have used, to a modern Nikon digital camera. The photos are published as a special edition of Glacier Park Magazine, available at area news stands.

* "Wild River Pioneers" by John Fraley -- This book transports readers back to before Glacier National Park was formed. It reconstructs the lives and stories of pioneers who explored and settled in and near the Middle Fork of the Flathead, the Great Bear Wilderness and Glacier Park. The stories feature shootouts, murders, a hanging, a train robbery, marauding grizzly bears, lost graves, gold prospecting and an ice cream-eating pet bear.

* "Glacier National Park: 100 Years" by Pady Dusing -- This coffee-table book features stunning photos to celebrate Glacier's rich history, pristine mountain scenery and wilderness. Dusing is a world travel and outdoorswoman who is also a nurse practitioner in Kalispell. She is "in love" with Glacier and has hiked nearly all 350 miles of the park's trails. Go online to www.worldimagesbypady.com.

* "Jammin'-to-the-Sun" by Bret Bouda -- Another coffee-table book featuring a collection of photographs depicting the park's famous red buses.