Lundgren family sells West Glacier holdings

A big portion of Glacier National Park’s west gateway changed hands Tuesday as the Lundgren family sold its extensive land and business holdings in West Glacier and Apgar Village.

Glacier Park Inc. bought the West Glacier holdings from the Lundgrens, who have owned the business for 68 years.

Details of the transaction will become public in future corporate filings, Glacier Park Inc. president Cindy Ognjanov said.

The deal was confirmed by operating partners Bill Lundgren, Rob Lundgren and Kathy Lundgren.  

The company’s 150-plus employees will retain their jobs, Ognjanov said. She also spoke about the historic preservation of the properties, which has recently become an issue on social media. There is a Facebook campaign to have the properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“They don’t want the look and feel of the town to change, and neither do we,” Ognjanov said.

Included in the sale are 199 acres of land in West Glacier, which includes the West Glacier Motel and Cabins, West Glacier Restaurant and Bar, West Glacier Mercantile, West Glacier Gift Shop and other guest services.

The sale also includes 3.8 acres of inholdings at Apgar in Glacier National Park — the Apgar Village Lodge, Cedar Tree Gift Shop and staff housing units in Apgar and West Glacier.

The sale bookends GPI’s Glacier Park properties and gives the company a significant share of Glacier Park business, despite last year losing to Xanterra Parks and Resorts the concessions contract to run lodges inside the park and the red bus fleet.

GPI, a subsidiary of publicly traded Viad Corp., owns the St. Mary Lodge and Resort in St. Mary, Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier, Grouse Mountain Lodge in Whitefish, Motel Lake McDonald in  Glacier and the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park.

“This addition perfectly complements our existing operations in and around Glacier National Park,” Ognjanov said. “The Lundgren family has a remarkable history in West Glacier and we look forward to carrying on their traditions in this historic town. GPI has long served as a steward for the preservation of historical properties, including the 101-year-old Glacier Park Lodge and the 87-year-old Prince of Wales Hotel, and our commitment to these treasured places will continue in all aspects of the operation of our company.”

The Lundgrens have deep ties to West Glacier. 

After World War II, Ev Lundgren, an engineer with aircraft manufacturer Boeing, joined his father Dan Sr., Dan’s brother Conrad and family friend Dave Thompson to purchase the West Glacier business from Henry Hutchings, George Stack, Ed Swetnam and Herbert Chatterton.

Dan Lundgren Jr. also was a principal in the company and purchased his father’s interest in 1955.  Thompson’s father-in-law, Douglas Parker, was the coordinating banker for the original purchase.

At the time of the Lundgren purchase, the business was known as the Belton Mercantile. The new partners changed the name to West Glacier Mercantile.

The four ran the business together until 1976 when Dave sold his interest to the other partners. The founding partners have since died. Ev died in 2012 at age 95.

An outside independent investment group apparently was interested in the Lundgren properties but a deal was never struck.

In 1987, West Glacier Mercantile Co. was awarded a Special Commendation from the U.S. Department of the Interior for “sheltering and protecting the west entrance of Glacier National Park from inappropriate development” and for maintaining the village’s historic character. 

“We have learned that it’s unusual for a family business to survive this long, especially into the third generation,” Bill Lundgren said. “Many members of our extended families participated through the years, and it was a shared experience. In the process, we learned from the work and from our elders. We can’t adequately express how meaningful it has been to work here and be part of West Glacier and Apgar. Glacier National Park, its visitors, our staff members and our neighbors have been very good to us.”

 Peterson writes for the Hungry Horse News.