MULT .-\N CHRONICLES VoiumeNine,Issue#1 Summer2001 Mullan RoadWasRoute to Gold Rushin 1865 Fromour friendRobert Dunsmore of Osborn,lD we aregrateful for copiesof manyarticles in differentpublications. Thisone is from tne OregonHistorical Quarterly,March 1945. The Mullan Day of May, !99t (Chronicles,Yol.2, #4) sawDr. G. Thomas Edwards, Professor ofHistory, Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA,give an in-depth presentation ofthe importanceof the MullanRoad in early inlandcommerce. Early C ommercial Imp ortan ce oftlte Mullan Road OscarOsborn Winther (continuedfrom Volume 8, #4, final nsallment) il. Tlavel and Commerceon the Mullan Road i.'ri " - F-i; -r ,t : The Mullan Road was,as stated, ft;!. .r, lig-A { -*, 1 i. a first thought of asa military road Dedicating the Mullan Mlitary Roadmarker located at the intersec- connectingthe Missouriand Co- tio n of State Highway 19 5 South andExcels ior Road,so u t/r of Sp okane lumbia rivers.By the time of its about5 miles. completion in 7862 the mfitary More important, therefore,from there was organizedthe western urgencyof the road was Seatly diminished in view of what ap- the point of view of meetingim- departmentof the American Fur pearedto be a marked quiescent mediateneeds, was thatMontana, Companywithheadquarters in St. stateamonE the n Indians. alreadyenjoying a fur trade,was Louis. Immediatelythis concern on the vergeofwhat wasdestined began penetrating the upper NOWTYIBEDTTto bea greatand historic gold rush. reachesof the Missouri Riverand And in no small measurethe it wasnot long beforethe Ameri- mrshezzieGblackfoot . net Mulian Roadwasto playa signifi- can Fur Company built several will get to me. Pleasesend cant role in the early history of posts in Montana, namely,Fort address changes and your Montana, first as an important Union, near the mouth of the me sowecan emailaddress to rolrteofcommerce, and second, as Yellowstone,Forts Piegan and keep our files up to date. a avenuefor immigration.InlS22 McKenzieon theMarias, Fort Cass (continuedon P ag e TLuo) tr MULIANcHRehIIcEs VolumeNine,Issue#1 ffiats throngedto Fort Benton lcontinuedfomPageOne) frst great imPetusand what on nearthe mouth'of the Big Horn, rush of population to California of Governorlsaac May 26,1864made her a seParate and, amongothers, the PreviouslY and the coming territory-the develoPmentofgold referredto Fort Bentonwhich was Stevensand his PartYto this coun- diggings.Gold hadbeen found in located not far below the Great try in 1853in searchfor a railroad Montana asearlY as7852,but not Falls and as suchwas destinedto route to the Pacific did the Mon- until the arrivalof the Stuart becomethe headof steamnaviga- tanaregion attract the attention of Parry in 1857-58was taken tion on the Missouri River-Near peopiewho might wish to settle ProsPecting permanendythere. Among thefirst seriously.GraduallY excitement The needfor almostal to settlewereretiredmountain men and interestspread untii bet"reen agricultural and indus andthese appearto have gone into 1862-64fever height was reached of extremelY trial commodiffes was the litde valleysof the Biter Root with the development seParaterich placer and quzrtz mines at being met by suPPli- Mountains which now ldaho. Mullan Gold Creek, Bannack, Deer the Montana from ers from outside to such as madereferences PeoPle Thereemerged im' sfafe of Montana. being there when his road was Added to thesewas rnediatelY a keen Thompson Fallsand on thebanks being built. asearlY as awarenessof com- ofFlathead L akethe rival H udson's MajorJohn Owenwho a sutler and had Bay Company had its onlY t"ro 1850 came as petition between St. Mary's Mission posts in Montana, but out from purchasedthe St. Loufs, Miss ouri country and Fort Colville in what is now north- in the Bitter Root and Portland, Or' that embraced easternWashington came many developeda trade for the Mon- bY the egon, traders who penetrated into the the whole area sPanned Road. tana trade. Montana country.In addition to future Mullan Then, finally, bet'ween1"857- the fur tradersthere were the mis- Lodge,Last ChanceGulch (Hel- 65 camewhat gaveMontana its sionaries.but not until the general ena),andVirginia CiryThe PoPu- lation increaseoccasioned bY the Weikel Wowsat Mullan DaY2OOL gold discoverywastremendous. In i853 Brtrnack'sinhabitants had We had a great turnout at St. into work parties' Freight was reached2-3,000; Virginia CitY Regis on Saturday,MaY12. Bill set at l-0 centsPer Pound. had a populationof 10,000.BY Weikel, surveyor from Mis- Bill has acquired many an- 1865the estimatedPoPulation of soula,displayed early surveYing tiquesurveying instruments that Montanawas 120,000,and most instruments and handed out make his presentation come of thesepeoplewere in the south- materials on the number of alive. If you are interested in westernpart ofPresen t Montana- awaY people that were in the com- more information from Bill he literally hundredsof miles suPPlies.And mand. His researchhas turned is greatat Putting on a "dog and from the sourceof Dr. Robert E. Albright up quite a bit of information pony" show on this subject. since,as out in hisdissertation, concerning the meals and ra- Contact him at 406-728-4133, haspointed "practicallyn othing wasb eingp ro - tions per man in the militarY orwrite: 2408 Kent,Missoula, ducedwithin theTerritory in agri- and how the men were divided MT 59801. Volume Nine, Issue # I MULIANcUnoNIcLES HiSSins arld Wordertmade use of MR cultural,stockraising or industrial Fort Pierre,Choteau moved on up there vyas competition lines, almost the entire demand the river to Fort Union where he between steamboat was met from the outside." recordedin his log: transportation and Bannack and Virginia Ciry as By *y presentexperience I have arrived at the conciusion that with mule packing, for it H.H. B ancroftstates, 1ay 4AAmiles suitable boats and the removal of from Salt Lake, 1,400 from boulders here and there obstructing must be emphasized Omaha,1,000 from Portland,600 the channeland forming the rapids, herethat very few wag- that the navigation of the Upper from the point of navigationon Missouri can be made just as safe ons ever passed over the Coiumbia Rover,and 200 miles and easyand (sic)the Upper Missis- sippi or Ohio rivers, and I have no theMullan Raad.Nearly from Fort Benton. hesitation in affirming that the trip all freight transported It wasthis situationwhich first from St. Louis to Fort Benton can be easilyaccomplished within thirty- overthis routewascar- of all gaveimportance to old Fort nve oays. Benton,nextto the Mullan Road. ried on the backs of Thatthis featwaspracticable is mules. Steamershad for a long time plied demonstratedby subsequentar- the waters of the Missouri, but rivalsof steamboatsat Fort B enton, St. Louis,Missouri and Portland, neverbefore1859 had suchaves- the number of which coincided Oregon, for the Montana trade. selascended this greatstream frorn with the rush of population to To put it another way, there was its mouth to nearthe Great Falls. westernMontana and the comple- competition between steamboat But,on November1 , 1859,Charles tion of the Mullan Road.Up until transportationand mule packing, P. Choteauwrote to Secretaryof 7864no more than four steamers for it must be emphasizedhere WarJohn B. Floyd: arrivedin any one season;but in that very few wagonsev€r passed I have the honor to submit the 1865,8 came;1866,3I;7867,391' overthe Mullan Road.Nearly all following report of my journey by steamboatfrom St. Louis to Fort 1868,35; 1869,24;etc. (For fur- freight transportedover this route Benton on the Upper Missouri. I ther information see Joel wascarried on the backsof mules. HigginsandWardenof Overholser's book) Hiram Atfrsttherewas aratio of 15to 13 Chittendenadds, fu rtherm ore, that centsper poundon ratesover the Hell Gate lost a hig asmanyas seven steamers couldbe two routeswith Porttrandoffering sfock of goods... the loading and unloadingcargoes at the lower figure, but in later years fire was caused by a onetime. St. Louis gaineda very decided The openingof this Missouri margin. Freight rates from Or- deckhand who went River freighter service at a time egonto Montana,wrotethe Mon- down into the hold to coincidingwith the complqtionof tanaPost in 1"868,"are about three the Mullan Roadwasnot accom- times as great as from St. Louis, sfeal sorne alcohol,.. plished without having far reach- yet the priceof manydescriptions ing effect. Not only was there of goodswill be materially cheap- left St. Louis on the 28th of May enedby the arrival of thesetrains, last, taking two boats, the "Spread openedup an entirelynew trans- Eagle"of550 tons of measurement, continental line of communica* evenat freight ranging from 20 to and the "Chippawa"a sternwheeler, tions via Montana, but there 25 centsin gold..." Regardlessof 165 feet long, 30 feet beam and 350 Ions capaclry. emerged immediately a keen rateseach region had.certainne- Leavingthe first ofhis shipsat awarenessof competition between cessitiesto offer Montana-for MULIANcnnoNIcLEs Volume Nine, Issue # 1 Railroad spelledend of MR's poputaifi, examplefood from the West and And to continue: The ideaof it requiring merchandiseand mining equip- September7...Robert Pelkey and party of three wagonsarrived an immense sum ta ment from the East-and assuch from the states en route to Bitter Root makeit good, a vigoroustrade was maintained vailey... a practi- overboth routesfor severalyears. September 9...Last night Jack cal wagon road is fal- Collins and Ned Williamson ar- Salt Lake City and San Francisco rived from Hell Gate en