Mullan Road Conference is just around the bend

MINERAL COUNTY – The Mullan Road opened Mineral County up for settlement. With the county’s centennial right around the corner, the Mineral County Historical Society has taken special interest in the Mullan Road Conference.

The 25th annual Mullan Road Conference will be held on the first weekend in May at Ruby’s Inn in Missoula. The conference is a celebration of the Mullan Road’s contributions to the history of the west. In the past the conference has brought in people from all over the northwest.

The Mullan Road was the first wagon trail through the Rocky Mountains in the northwest. John Mullan built it in 1859, 155 years ago, as the first road constructed with engineering principles west of the Mississippi River. According to Glenn Koepke, a member of the Mineral County Historical Society, this allowed travel to the west and parts of the country, which were previously inaccessible. The road is approximately 624 miles long and goes from Fort Benton to Fort Walla Walla.

The Mineral County Historical Society has been planning to attend the conference and speak about the road’s impact on Mineral County. With approximately 75 miles of the route, Mineral County has the longest continuous stretch of the road. Throughout the county, the route of the Mullan Road goes from the Idaho state line to Alberton.

According to Kay Strombo, one of the operators of the Mineral County Historical Museum, there is usually a guest speaker at the conference. In the past there have been field trips to original parts of the road. There have also been demonstrations of how instruments from the 1800s were used.

“It’s a history buff’s paradise,” Strombo said.

Koepke felt it was unlikely there would be field trips with the conference in Missoula. He said this year’s conference would likely feature presentations and guest speakers would come with information about the road’s history as well as new discoveries.

For the first 15 years of the event the conference was held in Mineral County. As time went on, it branched out to other places along the route. The conference has been held in Helena, DeBorgia, St. Regis and Superior among other places.

“[We wanted] to get more people involved along the route,” Koepke said.

While it was originally a wagon trail, the Mullan Road saw other uses throughout history. The road was used as a military road for supplying support against the American Indians. Koepke said one of Mullan Road’s main purposes, apart from commerce, was to bring troops to help the settlers.

Strombo would like to encourage members of the community to attend the event. She said the road was a big part of the county’s history and for the northwest as a whole.

“[The road] was very important for the population to have access to the inland northwest,” Strombo said.

Part of the original Mullan Road can still be seen today as it passes through Superior. There are also areas of the original route still in use in St. Regis and DeBorgia. Now paved over, these segments stand as a crossroads between history and today as automobiles run where wagons once tread.