The Mullan Road Conference grew out of the annual Mullan Day celebration initiated by the Mineral County Historical Society in Superior, Montana. Beginning in 2006, conferences were held in communities along the historic 624-mile route between Fort Walla Walla and Fort Benton.
The conferences have brought together historians, authors, archaeologists, tribal representatives, preservationists, local organizations, and members of the public. Programs have generally included historical presentations, reports from different portions of the road, and field trips to surviving Mullan Road sites.
Information about many of these conferences remains scattered among museum websites, newsletters, event calendars, news articles, and social-media pages. The following list brings together some of the surviving online records.
2010 — Fort Benton, Montana
Held May 20–22, 2010, the 150th Anniversary Mullan Road Conference commemorated the completion of the road and the arrival of the first steamboats at Fort Benton in 1860. Approximately seventy participants attended presentations about the road, Native American perspectives, regional development, online resources, preservation, and National Historic Trail designation. The conference concluded with a field trip from Fort Benton into the Sun River Valley and Fort Shaw.
Read the 2010 conference retrospective
2014 — Missoula, Montana
The 2014 conference was held May 2–4 in Missoula during Montana’s territorial sesquicentennial. Presentations examined John Mullan, Gustavus Sohon, tribal perspectives, the Civil War, Montana Territory, mapping of the road, and the history of the Mullan Road after its original construction. The conference concluded with a field trip through the Clark Fork Valley to surviving portions of the road east of Missoula.
Explore the complete 2014 conference archive
View the 2014 schedule of events
View recordings from the 2014 conference
2015 — Fort Benton, Montana
The 2015 conference was held May 22–24 in Fort Benton. Presentations addressed subjects including camels in Montana, Fort Whoop-Up, the Blackfeet Nation during the Mullan Road era, and heirloom grains surviving from the fur-trade period.
Read about one of the 2015 conference presentations
2017 — Deer Lodge, Montana
The Deer Lodge Preservation Commission hosted the 2017 Mullan Road Conference from May 19–21. Conference sessions and field activities explored the history of the road and its connections with Deer Lodge and the surrounding region.
Visit the surviving 2017 conference page
2020 — Superior, Montana
A Mullan Road Conference was planned for Superior in 2020, but it was cancelled or postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Online registration announcements remain as part of the conference’s history.
View the 2020 conference announcement
2022 — Fort Benton, Montana
Hosted by the River and Plains Society, the 2022 conference commemorated the completion of the eastern portion of the Mullan Road, the historical era surrounding its construction, and the Native American presence along the route. Activities included a reception, historical presentations, museum tours, and access to the Fort Benton Museums Complex.
View the Humanities Montana conference record
2023 — Missoula, Montana
The June 9–11, 2023 conference included walking tours, regional presentations, tribal perspectives, a conference dinner, and a Sunday bus tour of surviving and disappearing portions of the Mullan Road east and west of Missoula. Presenters included representatives of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.
View the archived 2023 conference announcement
The December 2023 newsletter of the Bonner Milltown History Center also contains an illustrated article titled “Missoula Hosts the Mullan Road Conference.”
Visit the Bonner Milltown newsletter collection
2024 — Spokane Valley, Washington
The 2024 conference was held May 31–June 2. It began with a reception at the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum, followed by a day of presentations at the Mirabeau Park Hotel. The conference concluded with a field trip to Cataldo Mission, including stops at Plante’s Ferry and Fourth of July Pass.
View the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum conference archive
Help Us Expand This History
This list represents only the conference information presently located online. Additional conferences were held in other communities along the Mullan Road, including Walla Walla in 2012 and Spokane and Cheney in 2013.
Anyone possessing conference programs, photographs, schedules, recordings, newspaper articles, or personal recollections from these or other Mullan Road Conferences is invited to contact us. These materials can help create a more complete record of the people and organizations that have studied, interpreted, and preserved the Mullan Road.