Concept Note: National Historic Trail Designation for the Mullan Road

Ryan Shaw, Arizona State University

 

Overview
The Mullan Road (1859–1862), constructed under the direction of Lt. John Mullan, was the first engineered wagon road to cross the northern Rocky Mountains, linking Fort Benton (Montana) to Fort Walla Walla (Washington), then the heads of steam navigation on the Missouri and Columbia Rivers, respectively. Building on earlier federal railroad surveys (1853–1854), the road established a critical corridor for military mobility, migration, trade, and communication across the Inland Northwest.

1. Rationale for Designation
   The Mullan Road meets core criteria for National Historic Trail designation:

• National Significance: Represents a key phase in federal infrastructure development connecting the interior to the Pacific Northwest—linking early federal surveys to later rail consolidation and, ultimately, the development of interstate highway corridors.
• Military and State-Building Function: Constructed by the U.S. Army to enable strategic mobility and territorial integration.
• Regional Transformation: Catalyzed settlement, mining economies, and enduring transportation networks across Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
• Integrity and Visibility: Substantial portions of the route are already identified and interpreted through state and local historical markers and alignments.

2. Pathway to Designation
   Designation requires federal action under the National Trails System Act:

• Step 1: Congressional authorization of a National Park Service (NPS) feasibility study
• Step 2: NPS evaluation of eligibility (significance, integrity, feasibility, management)
• Step 3: Submission of findings to Congress
• Step 4: Congressional legislation formally designating the trail
• Step 5: Implementation through a lead federal agency (typically NPS or USFS), in partnership with state, local, tribal, and nonprofit entities

 

 

3. Alignment with Key Anniversaries (175th Cycle)

• 2028–2029: 175th anniversary of Pacific Railroad Surveys (project origin)
• 2034: 175th anniversary of Mullan Road construction
• 2035–2037: 175th anniversary of route completion and full operability

 

These milestones support a phased approach:

• Phase I (2026–2028): Coalition-building; initial outreach to NPS; pursue authorization of feasibility study
• Phase II (2028–2030): Launch national conversation aligned with survey anniversary; conduct NPS feasibility study
• Phase III (2030–2034): Expand scholarly engagement, public programming, and interstate coordination
• Phase IV (2034–2037): Legislative push for designation; national commemoration aligned with construction and completion anniversaries

 

4. Core Stakeholders

• Federal: National Park Service (National Trails System), Department of the Interior, Congressional delegations (MT, ID, WA)
• State: State Historic Preservation Offices (MT, ID, WA), state historical societies, departments of tourism
• Local/Regional: County and municipal governments along the route; existing heritage sites and interpretive centers
• Scholarly Community: Historians of the American West, military history, and infrastructure (including contributors to The Mullan Road: Carving a Passage through the Frontier Northwest)
• Civic/Nonprofit: Trail associations, heritage tourism organizations, and local preservation groups
• Tribal Nations: Tribes whose lands intersect the route, as essential partners in interpretation and stewardship

 

Next Step
Initiate informal consultation with the National Park Service’s National Trails System program and key congressional staff to assess feasibility-study authorization.