East Glacier Park (

Blackfeet The Blackfeet Nation ( bla, Aamsskáápipikani, script=Latn, ), officially named the Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, is a federally recognized tribe of Siksikaitsitapi people with an Indian reservation in Mon ...

: , "Big Tree Lodge") is an unincorporated community and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) in Glacier County,

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

, United States. The population was 363 on the 2010 United States Census. The Great Northern Railway platted the community of Midvale in the 1890s. The town name was eventually changed to Glacier Park and officially became East Glacier Park in 1949.

History

2022 attack

On July 19, 2022, 37-year-old Derick Amos Madden rammed his pickup truck (a Toyota Tacoma) into a Syracuse, New York, family in East Glacier Park Village. After crashing, he emerged with a shotgun and fatally shot the father and his 18-month-old daughter. He also critically injured the mother and the sister-in-law, the latter of whom had been in a relationship with Madden. Madden, who also used a knife in the attack, was subsequently killed by the sister-in-law when she fought back. Two other children in the family survived uninjured.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Gallery

File:East Glacier Park Village Looking north on US2.jpg, Looking north in East Glacier Park File:Glacier Park Train Station.jpg, East Glacier Park Amtrak station File:East Glacier Montana Post Office.jpg, Post office

Climate

East Glacier's climate is borderline Subarctic /

Humid Continental A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

, with warm summers, and winters generally beginning in November and lasting into March, bringing cold temperatures and over 176 inches of snowfall annually.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 396 people, 148 households, and 101 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 90.9 people per square mile (35.1/km²). There were 219 housing units at an average density of 50.3 per square mile (19.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 43.43%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.25%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 51.77% Native American, 1.26% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.28% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 0.76% of the population. There were 148 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.7% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.27. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 32.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,417, and the median income for a family was $39,250. Males had a median income of $32,250 versus $27,917 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the CDP was $17,318. About 14.3% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 17.3% of those under age 18 and 26.8% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The East Glacier Park Amtrak Station is open seasonally during the spring, summer and fall, served by the ''

Empire Builder The ''Empire Builder'' is an Amtrak long-distance passenger train that operates daily between Chicago and either Seattle or Portland via two sections west of Spokane. Introduced in 1929, it was the flagship passenger train of the Great Northe ...

'' between Chicago and Seattle/Portland. During the winter the stop is at

Browning, Montana Browning is a town in Glacier County, Montana, United States. It is the headquarters for the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the only incorporated town on the Reservation. The population was 1,018 at the 2020 census. The town was named in 188 ...

, just east of East Glacier Village.

Glacier Park International Airport Glacier Park International Airport is in Flathead County, Montana, United States, six miles northeast of Kalispell. The airport is owned and operated by the Flathead Municipal Airport Authority, a public agency created by the county in 1974. T ...

at Kalispell is the closest airport.

Emergency services

The East Glacier Volunteer Fire Department was founded in 1968. Today, it consists of around 18 volunteers who help protect the village and surrounding area from the threat of wildland fire.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Glacier County, Montana Census-designated places in Montana