Post-war prosperity and pride, and a burgeoning interest in outdoor recreation, led to a new initiative to develop the nation’s parklands for visitor use. In 1956, NPS director Conrad Wirth announced Mission 66—a ten-year program of planning and development for national parks, timed to reach culmination on the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Service. Glacier Bay was an eager recipient of Mission 66 dollars, which funded construction of the lodge (which opened on schedule in 1966), as well as the dock, employee residences, an administration building and other facilities at Bartlett Cove.
