Lemhi Pass
Encyclopedia
Lemhi Pass is a high mountain pass
in the Beaverhead Mountains
, part of the Bitterroot Range
in the Rocky Mountains
The pass lies on the Montana
-Idaho
border on the continental divide, at an elevation
of 7373 feet (2247 m) above sea level.
acquired horses and used the route to travel between the two main parts of their homeland. From the time of the Louisiana Purchase
in 1803 until the Oregon Treaty
in 1846 the pass marked the western border of the United States. On August 12, 1805 Meriwether Lewis
and three other members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
crossed the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass. Lewis found a "large and plain Indian road" over the pass. This was the first time that white men had seen present-day Idaho:
and his band of Shoshone, and returned with them across the pass to meet Clark. On August 26, 1805 the entire expedition crossed the pass.
In the early 19th century the pass was regularly used by the Blackfoot
people, so that in 1824 Alexander Ross
referred to the route as the Blackfoot route. At that time the pass itself was known as North Pass, to distinguish from South Pass
. The pass derives its present name from Fort Lemhi
, founded in 1855 by Mormon
missionaries who were the first non-Indians to establish a sustained relationship with the Salmon River
Indian people.
During the mining era the pass was used by stagecoaches, but the route fell into disuse after 1910, when the Gilmore and Pittsburgh Railroad
was built through the nearby Bannock Pass
. Only a single track dirt road now crosses the pass.
The pass was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 1960.
discovered in the United States. Rare earth element
s have also been discovered in Lemhi Pass. Thorium is used for manufacturing high tech products such as cellphones, electric cars etc.
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
in the Beaverhead Mountains
Beaverhead Mountains
The Beaverhead Mountains, highest point Scott Peak, el. , are a mountain range straddling the Continental Divide in Montana and Idaho. They are a sub-range of the Bitterroot Range, and divide Beaverhead County, Montana from Lemhi County, Idaho and Clark County, Idaho.The Beaverheads encompass an...
, part of the Bitterroot Range
Bitterroot Range
The Bitterroot Range runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of 62,736 square kilometers and is named after the bitterroot , a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.- History :In 1805, the Corps of Discovery,...
in the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
The pass lies on the Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
-Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
border on the continental divide, at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 7373 feet (2247 m) above sea level.
History
The pass gained importance in the 18th century, when the Lemhi ShoshoneLemhi Shoshone
The Lemhi Shoshone are a band of Northern Shoshone, called the Akaitikka, Agaideka, or "Eaters of Salmon." The name "Lemhi" comes from Fort Lemhi, a Mormon mission to this group. They traditionally lived in the Lemhi River Valley and along the upper Salmon River in Idaho...
acquired horses and used the route to travel between the two main parts of their homeland. From the time of the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
in 1803 until the Oregon Treaty
Oregon Treaty
The Oregon Treaty is a treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States that was signed on June 15, 1846, in Washington, D.C. The treaty brought an end to the Oregon boundary dispute by settling competing American and British claims to the Oregon Country, which had been jointly occupied by...
in 1846 the pass marked the western border of the United States. On August 12, 1805 Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
and three other members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
crossed the Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass. Lewis found a "large and plain Indian road" over the pass. This was the first time that white men had seen present-day Idaho:
We proceeded to the top of the dividing ridge from which I discovered immense ranges of high mountains still to the West of us wth their tops partially covered in snowThe next day Lewis met Cameahwait
Cameahwait
Cameahwait was the brother of Sacagawea, and a Shoshone chief. He was the head of the first group of inhabitants of modern-day Idaho that were encountered by Europeans....
and his band of Shoshone, and returned with them across the pass to meet Clark. On August 26, 1805 the entire expedition crossed the pass.
In the early 19th century the pass was regularly used by the Blackfoot
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy or Niitsítapi is the collective name of three First Nations in Alberta and one Native American tribe in Montana....
people, so that in 1824 Alexander Ross
Alexander Ross (fur trader)
-Fur trader and explorer:Ross emigrated to Upper Canada, present day , from Scotland about 1805.In 1811, while working for John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company, Ross took part in the founding of Fort Astoria, a fur-trading post at the mouth of the Columbia River...
referred to the route as the Blackfoot route. At that time the pass itself was known as North Pass, to distinguish from South Pass
South Pass
South Pass is two mountain passes on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Wyoming. The passes are located in a broad low region, 35 miles broad, between the Wind River Range to the north and the Oregon Buttes and Great Divide Basin to the south, in southwestern Fremont...
. The pass derives its present name from Fort Lemhi
Fort Lemhi
Fort Lemhi was a mission approximately two miles north of present-day Tendoy, Idaho, occupied by Mormon missionaries from 1855 to 1857....
, founded in 1855 by Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
missionaries who were the first non-Indians to establish a sustained relationship with the Salmon River
Salmon River (Idaho)
The Salmon River is located in Idaho in the northwestern United States. The Salmon is also known as The River of No Return. It flows for through central Idaho, draining and dropping more than between its headwaters, near Galena Summit above the Sawtooth Valley in the Sawtooth National...
Indian people.
During the mining era the pass was used by stagecoaches, but the route fell into disuse after 1910, when the Gilmore and Pittsburgh Railroad
Gilmore and Pittsburgh Railroad
The Gilmore and Pittsburgh Railroad , now defunct, was an American railroad located in southwestern Montana and east-central Idaho. Constructed in 1909 and 1910 between the towns of Armstead, Montana and Salmon, Idaho, the G&P served mining and agricultural areas in Lemhi County, Idaho and...
was built through the nearby Bannock Pass
Bannock Pass
Bannock Pass is a high mountain pass in the Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range in the Rocky Mountains The pass lies on the Montana-Idaho border on the continental divide, at an elevation of 7684 feet above sea level....
. Only a single track dirt road now crosses the pass.
The pass was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1960.
Mineral resources
The Lemhi Pass area contains the richest deposits of thoriumThorium
Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder....
discovered in the United States. Rare earth element
Rare earth element
As defined by IUPAC, rare earth elements or rare earth metals are a set of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, specifically the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium...
s have also been discovered in Lemhi Pass. Thorium is used for manufacturing high tech products such as cellphones, electric cars etc.
External links
- National Park Service - Lemhi Pass
- Reading 2: Lemhi Pass and Lolo Trail from The Lewis & Clark Expedition: Documenting the Uncharted Northwest Name, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan.
- National Register of Historic Places Registration: Lemhi Pass
- Accompanying 10 photos, from 1958 and 1962