Plentywood herald., 1930-09-04
(By MRS. M. E. PLASSMANN)


EVERYONE who is at all familiar
with Montana history. or that OF
~ the Pacific northwest, has heard OF
the Mullan road, but how many know
it's route, it's length, or the reason for
its building? Comparatively few,
fancy. Some Of these points / purpose
to make clear in this article.
Today, as never before in the history
of our country, is an age of road con-
struction, that automobiles may speed
over them from one end of the con-
tinent to the other devouring the miles
at rate undreamed of in pioneer days.
Most of these highways in the north
west follow old trails. originally Indian
paths that were broadened by white
men who passed over them, and are
now being cleared Of distractions,
graded and smoothed-in some in
stances paved. They are better roads
as a whole, than mid-Western city
streets in the days Of my childhood.
Among these roads of the northwest,
none is more noted than that laid out
and built by Lieutenant Mullan, from
Fort Benton to Walla Walla. 1t was
a government undertaking TO provide
a military highway between these two
points, in case of Indian outbreaks,
then always possible.
Lolo Too Difficult
Before the road could be built there
were the required preliminary surveys
to determine the best route to follow.
There we're three trails Mullan could
have taken in crossing the mountains
to reach Missoula; that through the
Lolo pass; Following Clark fork, or via
Occur dAlene and ST. Regis. Lolo
pass was out Of the question. Even
now a highway over it is delayed be-
cause of the difficulties and cost of its
construction. One who has been pas
senger over the Northern Pacific be-
tween Missoula and Spokane at flood
time can readily understand why Null
Ian did not choose the Clark fork route,
the one followed by the Northern Pa
cific. The neighborhood of Lake Pend
dOreille, when ! saw it, was one vast
morass, where the ancient Oregon story
might have been applicable. 1t was
said an Oregon woman was seen Wading
through the water knee deep, and
sounding it here and there with long
pole. When asked what she was doing,
she replied, Trying to find the we'll"
In the Pend d'Oreille region the wells,
if there are any, must be equally hard
to locate.
Mullan finally decided on the Coeur
d'Alene-St. Regis route. When COM
pleted the road was six hundred and
twenty-four miles long, but hundreds
of miles had to be surveyed in addition,
before the route was determined. Null
Ian said later he should have chosen
the Clark Fork way through the noun
tains.
While he was engaged in the survey,
war with the tribes just west Of the
Occur d'Alenes broke out Surveying
in that region was then impossible,
and Lieutenant Mullan, instead of TAX
Colonel Wright, who was sent out to
ough job of it.
Completes His Work
When the Indian troubles were end
ed, Mullan collected a company of a
hundred men and set out on the first
of July, 1859, to complete the work SO
long delayed. His starting point was
Walla Walla, from whence he proceeded
in a northeasterly direction to the
Occur d'Alenes, most of the way over
a rolling prairie until he reached the
heavy timber near the mountains and
through them The last two hundred
and twenty-four miles was mainly open
country.
There were 100 miles of timber fell
ing and the grubbing out Of stumps.
What this meant in labor and time,
those best can testify who have tried
it. Thirty miles of excavating were
necessary and there were numerous
bridges to be built, and Fort Benton
was not reached until 1860, the road
being completed during the summers
of 1861-62.
Lieutenant Mullan spent seven years
in putting this road through. Included
in this time was his service rendered
during the Indian war. He proved to
be as good military commander as