Lubec Lake

Lubec Lake will soon appear on the left side of the train. This is a popular spot for photographers. When the wind is calm and the lake is ripple-free, you can capture the reflection of the Glacier Park Ramparts off the lake. When looking at Lubec Lake, you may see a beaver lodge on the left in the foreground, what appears to be an old hunting cabin on the left, the long rail fence in the foreground on the right, and perhaps even an occasional moose off in the distance. The cabin-like structure is the only remaining building from Glenn and Clara Smiley’s homestead. Glenn started a thriving lumber business here in 1910. In 1915 he married Clara who had come west on her own to homestead near Rudyard in 1913. After her claim was stolen by a crooked land agent, she found a job at Glacier Park Lodge, where she met Glenn. In 1921, the Smileys moved to East Glacier. They sold their homestead in 1930, and the house and barn were taken apart for use in a new building across the road. The building you see next to Lubec Lake was once a bunkhouse for the logging company workers.

When the Smileys lived here, the only way to board or alight from the train was to jump on or off when the train slowed as it passed by. That included when Clara came home after the birth of each of their two children. She actually tossed each child to Glenn, who was waiting by the tracks, before jumping off the train herself. Clara and Glenn eventually moved to East Glacier, where they opened a meat market and bakery in 1921. It was a success for many years, with Glenn’s business sense and Clara’s baking talents. Glenn passed away in 1928, and Clara eventually shut the business down due to the effects of the Great Depression.