East Glacier Lodge, just outside Glacier National Park, Montana, began construction in 1903 and was completed at a cost of $500,000. Laborers, craftsmen and carpenters lived at this remote site while construction was underway. A majority of the building materials, including the massive columns and timbers, were found on site.
The era of the grand lodges coincided with the arrival of the railroads, coupled with Teddy Roosevelt's advocacy of conservation and the creation of many national parks. The big pine lodge era, hotels with hundreds of rooms and towering interiors, took off in the 1900s. The well-to-do easterners took an opportunity to see magnificent landscapes of the West, first hand. Lavish railcars and first class rail service, coupled with elaborate lodges, made touring an exotic experience.