Mullan Pass
Encyclopedia
The Mullan Pass is a mountain pass
in the Rocky Mountains
of Montana
in the United States
. It sits on the continental divide
on the border between Powell County, Montana
and Lewis and Clark County, Montana
, 13.25 miles (21.3 km) west of Helena, Montana
in Helena National Forest
at a height of 5902 feet (1,798.9 m).
The Northern Pacific Railway
used the pass for its line from Logan, Montana
to Garrison, Montana
via Helena
built in 1883. The line was the NP’s primary freight route, and was also used by their secondary passenger train, the Mainstreeter. The NP also built a line over Homestake Pass
, which was used by their primary passenger train, the North Coast Limited
. The rail line over Mullan Pass is currently operated by Montana RailLink. The line crosses under the pass and continental divide
at an elevation of 5566 feet (1,696.5 m) via the 3426 feet (1,044.2 m) long Mullan Tunnel.
The pass was named after Lieutenant John Mullan
, the army engineer who first crossed the pass on March 22, 1854 and later supervised construction of Mullan Road
, the first road over the pass, in 1860.
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 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...
of 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,...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It sits on the continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
on the border between Powell County, Montana
Powell County, Montana
-National protected areas:* Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest * Flathead National Forest * Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site* Helena National Forest * Lolo National Forest * Bob Marshall Wilderness Area...
and Lewis and Clark County, Montana
Lewis and Clark County, Montana
-National protected areas:* Flathead National Forest * Helena National Forest * Lewis and Clark National Forest * Lolo National Forest * Rocky Mountain Front Conservation Area -Demographics:...
, 13.25 miles (21.3 km) west of Helena, Montana
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
in Helena National Forest
Helena National Forest
Helena National Forest is located in west-central Montana, in the United States. Covering 976,000 acres , the forest is broken into several separate sections. The eastern regions are dominated by the Big Belt Mountains, and are the location of the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, which remains...
at a height of 5902 feet (1,798.9 m).
The Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
used the pass for its line from Logan, Montana
Logan, Montana
Logan is an unincorporated community in Gallatin County, Montana, United States.-History:Logan is situated on the Gallatin River and was established in 1889 as a railroad station on the Northern Pacific and Montana...
to Garrison, Montana
Garrison, Montana
Garrison is a census-designated place in Powell County, Montana, United States. The population was 112 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Garrison is located at ....
via Helena
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
built in 1883. The line was the NP’s primary freight route, and was also used by their secondary passenger train, the Mainstreeter. The NP also built a line over Homestake Pass
Homestake Pass
Homestake Pass is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of Montana in the United States. It sits on the Continental Divide of the Americas on the border between Jefferson County, Montana and Silver Bow County, Montana, six miles south-southeast of Butte, Montana in Beaverhead-Deerlodge National...
, which was used by their primary passenger train, the North Coast Limited
North Coast Limited
The North Coast Limited was a named passenger train operated by the Northern Pacific Railway between Chicago and Seattle via Bismarck, North Dakota...
. The rail line over Mullan Pass is currently operated by Montana RailLink. The line crosses under the pass and continental divide
Continental divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not connected to the open sea...
at an elevation of 5566 feet (1,696.5 m) via the 3426 feet (1,044.2 m) long Mullan Tunnel.
The pass was named after Lieutenant John Mullan
John Mullan (road builder)
-Biography:Mullan was born in Norfolk, Virginia and graduated from West Point in 1852. He became a member of Isaac Stevens's party to explore the newly-created Washington Territory. Mullan was placed in charge of selecting a wagon route between Fort Benton and Fort Walla Walla...
, the army engineer who first crossed the pass on March 22, 1854 and later supervised construction of Mullan Road
Mullan Road
Mullan Road was the first wagon road to cross the Rocky Mountains to the Inland of the Pacific Northwest. It was built by US Army Lieut. John Mullan between the spring of 1859 and summer 1860. It led from Fort Benton, Montana, the navigational head of the Missouri River to Fort Walla Walla,...
, the first road over the pass, in 1860.
Collapse
In July 2009 the railroad tunnel had part of the roof collapse during renovation work designed to both widen the tunnel and make it taller. The tunnel reopened to train traffic on August 14, 2009.See also
- Lookout PassLookout PassLookout Pass is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of the northwestern United States. The pass, in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains of the Bitterroot Range, is on the border between Idaho and Montana, traversed by Interstate 90 at an elevation of 4710 feet above sea level.Lookout Pass is the...
- Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation AreaLookout Pass Ski and Recreation AreaLookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area is a ski area at Lookout Pass in northern Idaho on the Montana border, 4 miles east of Mullan on Interstate 90. It has a summit elevation of 5650 feet on Runt Mountain with a vertical drop of 1150 feet on the northeast-facing slopes...
- Mountain passes in MontanaMountain passes in Montana (M-Z)There are at least 290 named mountain passes in Montana.* MacDonald Pass, Lewis and Clark County, Montana, , el. * Marias Pass, Glacier County, Montana, , el. * Markle Pass, Sanders County, Montana, , el. * McCormack Pass, Madison County, Montana, , el....