Near Malta in Phillips County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
The Long, Long Trail
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 15, 2019
1. The Long, Long Trail Marker
Inscription.
The Long, Long Trail. . In 1919, the Duluth, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce sponsored the creation of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway as a memorial to the recent passing of the former president. An early interstate highway, the route stretched 4,000 miles between Portland, Maine and Portland, Oregon. A little over 750 miles of the Roosevelt Highway spanned Montana, none of it paved. The Roosevelt Highway Association warned motorists in 1921 that the route between Glasgow and Malta was a partly improved dirt road that was almost impassable because of gumbo in wet weather. Despite that, hundreds of adventurous automobile tourists undertook the difficult road to visit Glacier National Park and other attractions along the way. They had their cars serviced in local garages and stayed in hotels and campgrounds along the way, enriching businesses in the small towns along the Montana High Line. One promoter wrote that the Roosevelt Highway "opens to the tourist the door of the treasure-box of beauties and grandeur and varied scenery of the North continent as no other highway does." In 1926, the Bureau of Public Roads re-designated the route as U.S. Highway 2. For some, though, it will always be the Roosevelt Highway.
In 1919, the Duluth, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce sponsored the creation of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway as a memorial to the recent passing of the former president. An early interstate highway, the route stretched 4,000 miles between Portland, Maine and Portland, Oregon. A little over 750 miles of the Roosevelt Highway spanned Montana, none of it paved. The Roosevelt Highway Association warned motorists in 1921 that the route between Glasgow and Malta was a partly improved dirt road that was almost impassable because of gumbo in wet weather. Despite that, hundreds of adventurous automobile tourists undertook the difficult road to visit Glacier National Park and other attractions along the way. They had their cars serviced in local garages and stayed in hotels and campgrounds along the way, enriching businesses in the small towns along the Montana High Line. One promoter wrote that the Roosevelt Highway "opens to the tourist the door of the treasure-box of beauties and grandeur and varied scenery of the North continent as no other highway does." In 1926, the Bureau of Public Roads re-designated the route
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as U.S. Highway 2. For some, though, it will always be the Roosevelt Highway.
Erected by Montana Department of Transportation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles.
Location. 48° 28.194′ N, 107° 32.97′ W. Marker is near Malta, Montana, in Phillips County. It is on U.S. 2 near Road 243, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Malta MT 59538, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Montana’s Missouri River Country. It is also in the American Mountain West, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, on the Great Plains, and specifically on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Sleeping Buffalo Rock (here, next to this marker); Cree Crossing
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 15, 2019
2. The Long, Long Trail Marker
(approx. 5.3 miles away).
The Old Motor
3. Journalists Reginald and Lawrence Moore
are shown above with the pilot car for a pro-motion to celebrate the opening of the highway from Duluth, MN to Glacier National Park. -- The Old Motor
Credits. This page was last revised on August 1, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,202 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 23, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
