Mullan Road

While working on my masters degree in history at Eastern Washington University, I was a research assistant under professor Bill Youngs and his Center for Pacific Northwest History. Our specific research interest was the Mullan Road, concieved and planned by Lieut. John Mullan while a member of Isaac Stevens 1853 Pacific Railroad Survey Party. That party's specific goal was to locate and map the most practicable routes for a northern transcontinental railroad. The territory was largely unknown, the only formal expedition to precede the railroad surveyors was Lewis & Clark, whose maps were utilized by Stevens. While working on the survey, Mullan realized that the nation's political situation would prevent any transcon railroad construction; and he was right as the deep political division over slavery led to the American Civil War in 1861.


While in the field working on railroad surveys, Mullan believed there was an immediate need for transportation improvements in the northern west and with Stevens' support he successfully lobbied Congress for an appropriation to construct a wagon road from Fort Benton, on the Missouri River, to Fort Walla Walla, near the Columbia River. In effect, the Mullan Road became a land bridge connecting the furtherst points of navigation: an overland Northwest Passage. While the eventual completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869 pulled much of the traffic off of the Mullan Road, the 624 mile route connecting the heads of navigation remained THE northern transcontintental route until supplanted by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883.

For more of the Mullan Road story read some of the articles I wrote for Professor Youngs, covering transportation aspects of the Mullan Road, on his website. It is nice to see some of our hard work coming online! In addition, formal reports from the Railroad Survey and the construction of the Mullan Road were published by Congress and provide a fascinating account of early transportation issues of the northern West, the full text of Mullan's report is also online. The Mullan Road is a fascinating story, and I am proud to have been a part of the research project. Click the link to read more on the project's test website.

Mullan Road website