=_Rangers._=--The rangers are here to assist and advise you as well as to enforce the regulations. When in doubt consult a ranger. FOREST FIRES Forest Fires are a terrible and ever-present menace. There are thousands of acres of burned forests in Glacier National Park. Most of these "ghosts of forests" are hideous proofs of some person's criminal carelessness or ignorance. Build camp fires only at designated camp sites. At times of high winds or exceptionally dry spell, build no fires outside, except in stoves provided at the free auto camps. At times of extreme hazard, it is necessary to restrict smoking to hotel and camp areas. Guests entering the park are so informed, and prohibitory notices are posted everywhere. Smoking on the highway, on trails, and elsewhere in the park is forbidden at such times. During the dry period, permits to build fires at any camp sites other than in auto camps must be procured in advance from the district ranger. Be absolutely sure that your camp fire is extinguished before you leave it, even for a few minutes. Do not rely upon dirt thrown on it for complete extinction. _Drown_ it completely with water. Drop that lighted cigar or cigarette on the trail and step on it. Do the same with every match that is lighted. _Extreme caution is demanded at all times._ Anyone responsible for a forest fire will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. _If you discover a forest fire, report it to the nearest ranger station or hotel._ Events OF HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE The heart of a territory so vast it was measured not in miles but degrees, the site of Glacier National Park was indicated as terra incognita or unexplored on most maps even as late as the dawn of the present century. To its mountain fastness had come first the solitary fur trader, the trapper, and the missionary; after them followed the hunter, the pioneer, and the explorer; in the nineties were drawn the prospector, the miner, and the picturesque trader of our last frontier; today, the region beckons the scientist, the lover of the out-of-doors, and the searcher for beauty. Throughout its days, beginning with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Glacier country has been a lodestone for the scientist, attracted from every corner of the earth by the combination of natural wonder and beauty to be found here. A chronological list of important events in the park's history follows: