Mullan Road
National Register of Historic Places

Mullan Road

Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho
Listed
April 4, 1990
Type
Site
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
90000548

About this property

Mullan Road was the first wagon road to cross the Rocky Mountains to the Inland of the Pacific Northwest. It was built by U.S. Army troops under the command of Lt. John Mullan, between the spring of 1859 and summer 1860. It led from Fort Benton, which at the time was in the Dakota Territory, then Idaho Territory from July 1863, and into Montana Territory beginning in May 1864. The road eventually stretched all the way from Fort Walla Walla, Washington Territory, near the Columbia River to the navigational head of the Missouri River, which at the time was the farthest inland port in the world). The road previewed the route approximately followed by modern-day Interstate 15 and Interstate 90 through present-day Montana, Idaho, and Washington. Parts of the Mullan Road can still be traveled; one such section is near Washtucna, Washington. A segment of the Mullan Road in the vicinity of Benton Lake was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and the American Society of Civil Engineers designated it a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1977. Three segments of the road in Idaho were also listed on the National Register in 1990. In 2009, the Point of Rocks segment in Montana was also listed on the National Register as part of the Point of Rocks Historic Transportation Corridor.

Location

3 segments:1)between Aldar Creek and Cedar Creek;2)Fourth of July Pass between I-80 and Old US 10;3)Heyburn State Park
Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho
47.55393, -116.60337

Categories

TRANSPORTATION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Nearby Historic Sites

Lane School II
Industrial
4.5 mi
Rose Lake School II
Industrial
6.1 mi
Indian Springs School II
Industrial
9.1 mi
Cave Lake School
Colonial
9.1 mi
Harrison Commercial Historic District
Industrial
11 mi

Questions about this property

When was Mullan Road listed on the National Register?

Mullan Road was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 4, 1990.

What type of historic resource is Mullan Road?

Mullan Road is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Mullan Road?

The period of significance for Mullan Road is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1859.

Can I research the history near Mullan Road?

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