History

Formed in the Ice Age, Glacier National Park has had an extensive cultural history, as well.

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History Details

Humans have lived in the Glacier Bay area for at least 3,000 years. The Tlingit people occupied most of southeast Alaska, and found hospitable conditions where glaciers retreated along the coast. Around 300 years ago, a glacial surge forced local inhabitants to flee the immediate area of the park; however, as the region's glaciers are now receding again, the Tlingit people are returning to their spiritual homeland. John Muir visited the region in 1879 with Tlingit guides and witnessed the power and effects of glaciers in the bay. Muir was first among the distinguished scientists to roam the park in order to study the glaciers and how they shaped the region. This visit spawned expanding tourism to the area throughout the 1880s and 1890s. Muir returned to the park and began to study the retreat of the glaciers in 1899 as a part of the Harriman Alaska Expedition.

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