, 1866-12-28
The Mullan Road.

oh. The Mullan Road.
Mr.. Rees, of Walla Walla county, has intro
ducsd in the Legislature, the following memori-
al in relation to the Mullan Road: ...
To the Honorable the Senate and House Of Rep
resentatires Of tks United Sdtes, in Congress as
sembLed - Your memorialists, the Legislative
Assembly of the Territory of Washington, would
respectfully represent to your honorable bodies
that the military wagon road from Wallula, fold
Fort Walla Wala, located on the great bend Of
| the Colamha river,) to Fort Benton, on the Ms
souri, river and generally known as the 'Aulian
wagon road, is, for the great portion Of the dis
tance through the CGur d'Alene and Bitter Root
mountains, in an almost impossible condition
for wagons, on account Of fallen timber and des-
tructon of bridges.
The necessity for a great national highway,
connecting the Missouri and Columbia Rivers
! by good and substantial wagon road, was, by
its own importance, first brought to the notice of
| your honorable bodies as early as the year l549. .
| In the ipring of 1852, the necessity felt by the
| Government for a more thorough and satisfacto-
| ry knowledge in detail of the geographical and
| typographical character of the country lying be-
tween the Columbia and Missouri Rivers, in
duced Congress to make an appropriation for the
purpose, and in the spring of 1853, by authority
| Of Congress, several corps Of engineers and ex-
| plorers were organized and sent forth under the
direction of Hon. |. I. Stevens. The voumnous
aud truthful reports of these several parties inS
duced Congress to act, and act promptly; and in
| 1851, Capt. John Mullau was ordered into the
field being fully supplied with the necessary men
aud means, and was on the ground 10 the spring
of 1883 Commencing at Walula (then Old
Fort Walla Walla, on the Columbia River, he
had completed the Walla Wllla and Fort Benton
wagon road in September, 1852.
1t must be borne in mind that, from the time
| Hou !. |. Stevens entered upon the preliminary
surveys up to the period of the eomPletion of
this great national highway, neariy'th TIE Whole
region of country through which it passed WAS,
comparatively speaking, an uninhabted region,
| infested throughout by bands of hostile Indians.
Now the scene is changed. What in l849 COM
posed only the Territory of Oregon, nov compri-
! ses the Territories of Washington, Idaho aud
| MOntana.-What was then wilderness, now eon-
taius large and rapidly increasing population,
| producing millions of bushels of grain, and mil
! lions of dollars per annum in gold aud silver.
The opening of this road is Of the most vital i'm.
| portauce to the people of Washington, Idaho and
that portion of Montana lying west Of the Rocky
| Mountains, and in the opinion Of your memorial
| lists, in military point Of view, its value can
not be over estimated.
| A large amount of money was expended on
this great work at r time when it was considered
only military necessity; but the last two years
have proven conclusiVely that it will also be
| great public benefit to open the road, ana for
this purpose, only comparatively small amount
to the original cost of its construction is res
quired.
Your memOrialists are of opinion that the sum
of one hundred thousand dollars, judicOusly
expended in repairing said road between Walla
| Walla and Helena cities, distance Of four hun
| dred and forty FIVE miles, under the direction of
a competent engineer from the United States To-
biographical Bureau, will put the road in good
condition, and enable teams loaded with freight
and machinery, to pass over from the Columbia
river into the heart of II rich mining country.
Rich quartz veins are being discovered in the
| Ceur Aene and Bitter Root mountoins, which
win ere long demand machinery for their devel
! opmeut and the working of which, in connec>
tion with the placer mines, would contribute
largely to the development of Washington, Idaho
and the western portion Of Montana Territory.
The opening of this road will enable large
| portion of the population now on the western
| slope of the Sierra Nevada, Cascade and Rocky
Mountains, to use this great thorougntare in
reaching the rich gold and silver mines lying
| along the route, from Helena west to the Colum.
bia river Again, it is through this great ma
tional highway that the immigrant from the
eastern side of the mountains, and those who as
cend The Missouri River to Fort Benton, must
pass, to reach western Montana, Washington
| anu u large pOTllOn OF luhuo ieETllOl1'
! There is a constant stream Of population fow-
ing into the region of country lying along and
| adjacent to this so,cilled "Mullan Road" The
| immigrant who ia seeking farming land, comes
on down to the Walla Wala and other rich val
leys lying along the western terminus ofthe road
aud thence on to Puget Sound.
There is at the present time population of over
one hundred thousand inhabitants in the Terris
tories of Washington Idaho and western Mon
| n;.b of onld sill
lead and lion are constantly being discovered
and rapidly developed Mining towns are spring.
ing into existence in all parts of this newly set>
tied region Branch loads leading from this
main trunk (Mulan Road) to the different mis-
ming camps, are being made by individual enter
prise, and everything gives indication that, at
no distant day, these hardy and successful pion>
eers will be knocking at the door of Congress,
asking to be admitted into the sisterhood of
states. Butthe population Of this vast region Of
country is too new and too poor to be able to
take hold and rapidly complete such great en-
terprise as the opening of this military wagon
road The inhabitants, coming as they have,
from all parts Of the United States, are unacS
quainted with each other; and, admitting that
they have all the necessary means within them
selves for the opening of this road, afew month
acquaintance with each other is not Sufficient To
establish the necessary confidence to organize
a company, and put forward to completion SO
great an undertaking. Nor is this all. The grea
length of this road, and the large number o.
people It would benefit when opened, demand
that It should be made FRBE ROAD. Almost ey
erv State iu the Union is represented iu this new
g Eldorado; consequently, every Stateis interesteS
in making it a FREE and not a TOLL road.
Your memorirlists reIy,up the justness o
their prayer, and your lI6erality aad promptnes
in comiugto the aid Of newly organized eommu
mites in time of Reed, and feel assured taat b.
proper and truthful showing upon our par
you willuotpermit so inporttnt work as thi
road together with what the Government ha.
already expended, to 60 to ruihf nor permit 10
idviduals to seize upon available portions Of it
and claim franchise, whereby they will be en-
ablsd to use part Of an improvement erected q