Paving The Way West

Paving The Way West. Lt. John Mullan And The Mullan Road. , Construction: 1859-1862 , Here the historic Mullan Road crosses Washington State Highway 26. The Mullan Road stretched 624 miles from Fort Walla Walla in Washington to Fort Benton, Montana. Originally planned as a military highway, the Mullan Road linked the upper limits of navigation on the Missouri River to the Columbia River., The road is named after Lieutenant John Mullan, Jr. who worked to obtain $100,000 in funding for the road and was in charge of its construction. Mullan commanded a crew of more than 200 civilian workers, surveyors, engineers, and soldiers who labored to carve the 25 foot wide road across what was then Washington territory., Emigrant Highway: 1863-1883 , Although not heavily used as a military highway, the Mullan Road proved to be a valuable civilian transportation link that quickened the settlement and development of the Northwest. In the first year of use an estimated 20,000 people, 5,000 head of cattle, 6,000 horses and mules, and 83 wagons traveled the Mullan Road. The road continued to serve as an important emigration route to the Northwest until the completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1883., A National Landmark , Because of the importance of this early highway, and the engineering feat it took to built it, the Mullan Road is recognized as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark., (Photo Caption) , Lt. John Mullan, Jr. (1830-1909)