Switchback is a 20th century history of Glacier National Park. A collection of turning points in the American story as seen from Glacier National Park. The series explores moments when perspectives changed and when people reconsidered who, and what, belongs in a national park.

TRAILER 1 Peri: [building synth music] Headwaters is a podcast about how Glacier National Park is connected to everything else. Sound effects: [Door squealing open, footsteps] Daniel [to Peri]: Okay, Peri, we're going into the library. What are you. What are you hoping to find today? Peri [to Daniel]: So this season, which we're calling "Switchback," has a lot of primary research in it. It's about 20th century history. Daniel [to Peri]: Yeah, we've interviewed historians, we've gone in the archives... you know— Peri [to Daniel]: We've also gotten to talk to and interview a lot of people who lived through these stories. Daniel [to Peri]: It's not just about Glacier. Peri [to Daniel]: Yeah, it is about Glacier, but it's also about a lot more. [drumbeat] Peri: We tell natural and cultural stories about the role that national parks play in the American project. Peri [to Daniel]: That's one of the things we've done a lot, is look through old newspapers. And the back issues are bound in this [laughing] gigantic book that's like three feet tall. Each of these weighs like 15 pounds [paper rustling]. Peri: [synth music fades in] This season of Headwaters is a six-episode exploration of the 20th century history of Glacier National Park, [pages turning] asking what it really means to belong here. Daniel [to Peri]: [pages turning] Okay, so Peri is flipping through the Hungry Horse News. Peri [to Daniel]: There's just random local coverage, like here there's a photo [laughing] of a little boy with a skunk. The caption reads: "Stinky eats dog food, liverwurst, ice cream, and is real affectionate."[beat drops] Peri: The first episode explores changes in fire management over time. Peri [in the field]: [helicopter blades whirring in background] I bet they're going to repel out of that helicopter. [high-pitched] Oh look they dropped the line! Rick Trembath: So in 1967, fire was all bad. We very aggressively fought fire. Jane Kapler Smith: The approach to fire was growing... it was developing. Dr. Stephen Pyne: This was an agency wide trauma. Peri: Then we studied two eras, the 1930s and the 1960s. Moments when the federal government tried to confront its own racism. [beat drops] Dr. Turkiya Lowe: The CCC mandated that there be no discrimination based on race, which at the time, was ab-so-lutely bold. Director Robert Stanton: I lived my first 23 years, under that insidious doctrine of separate but equal. Peri: Next, [beat drops] a caravan of cars plows through wilderness and a road is built to nowhere. Suzanne Nobles: The projects and the funding in Mission 66 literally went to roads and car infrastructure. Dr. Perri Meldon: We wouldn't have been able to enjoy the park in the way we did if it weren't for these roads. Suzanne Nobles: Environmental groups felt like natural spaces were essentially just being trounced. Mary Ann Donovan: I did come across a tarred-over amphibian [laughs]. Daniel [to Mary Ann Donovan]: Oh wow. Like it had gotten run over and then it had gotten paved over? Mary Ann Donovan: [laughing] And then it got tarr— paved-over. Daniel [to Mary Ann Donovan]: Wow. Peri: In an episode about World War Two, Glacier becomes a surprising crucible for antiwar movements. People fight for their convictions, for better and worse. Marc Johnson: There was no year that was more tumultuous than 1941. Titus Peachey: My whole life has been very shaped by the issues of war and peace. Marc Johnson: He was making common cause with anybody. He did not do nearly enough to distance himself from the anti-Semitic attitudes that gripped a portion of the America First movement. [beat drops] Peri: Another episode follows Glacier's rivers downstream to the dams that block them. Courtney Stone: What did it mean to protect lands via the National Park Service? If we could flood them with a dam. Dr. Shawn Bailey: Change any one variable? And I think there's a— you know, there's a decent chance this dam gets built. Brian Lipscomb: This is an important cultural site for us. This is a powerful place for us as Tribal people. And you're going to put a dam here. Peri: The final episode is about glaciers, historic gatherings of bald eagles. Migration becomes a theme that challenges our ideas of home. Dave Shea: So our maximum count on one day was 639 bald eagles. Becky Williams: The largest concentration, south of Canada and Alaska. Dave Shea: It was another exotic species in the park. So even though the whole thing was not natural... Mary McFadzen: It was just spectacular. Harriet Allen: I think, you know, recognizing how quickly [laughing] something like that can be lost when you think, oh no, they'll be here forever, and there's so many. Archival Audio: [distorted] Today's national park system is both more and less than it might be. Peri: This season is called Switchback. It's about moments when history's path took a turn. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts. Music: ["More and Less" by Frank Waln plays]