Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company Historic District consists of the historic right-of-way of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
(also known as The Milwaukee Road) in the Bitterroot Mountains
from East Portal, Montana (near St. Regis
), to the mouth of Loop Creek, Idaho
(near Pearson), a distance of 14.5 miles (23.3 km). The district was once part of the railroad's mainline from Chicago, Illinois
to Tacoma, Washington
.
' last transcontinental railroad
. The Milwaukee Road felt that in order to compete with the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Great Northern Railway, it had to construct a rail line from the Midwest to the Pacific Coast. In 1906, construction commenced on the "Pacific Extension". It roughly paralleled the two earlier railroads. The route was surveyed in 1906. The railroad decided to cross the Bitterroot Mountains at St. Paul Pass. This pass was chosen because of the stands of marketable white pine timber and also because there was no other competing railroad nearby. From the pass the railroad followed the St. Joe River to Avery, Idaho
.
The construction of this segment of the Pacific Extension was the most expensive, due to the remote location and rugged terrain. The railroad built 14 tunnels and 26 bridges. The tunnel at St. Paul Pass was 8771 feet (2,673.4 m) long.
Beginning in 1914, the railroad electrified
its mountain segments. Substations for electric power were built at East Portal and at Avery. Catenary lines
were placed over the tracks. In 1974, the railroad ceased electric operations.
In 1980, the railroad went bankrupt and embargoed its line west of Miles City, Montana
. The right-of-way in Idaho was sold off. In 1985, the US Government purchased the portion from Avery to East Portal. From Avery to Loop Creek, the Forest Service built an access road. The portion from Loop Creek to East Portal was made into a bike trail, known as the Route of the Hiawatha Trail
.
.
Milwaukee Road Historical Association
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad
The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until its merger into the Soo Line Railroad on January 1, 1986. The company went through several official names...
(also known as The Milwaukee Road) in the Bitterroot Mountains
Bitterroot Mountains
The Northern and Central Bitterroot Range, collectively the Bitterroot Mountains, is the largest portion of the Bitterroot Range, part of the Rocky Mountains, located in the panhandle of Idaho and westernmost Montana in the Western United States...
from East Portal, Montana (near St. Regis
St. Regis, Montana
St. Regis is a census-designated place in Mineral County, Montana, United States. The population was 315 at the 2000 census.-Geography:St...
), to the mouth of Loop Creek, 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....
(near Pearson), a distance of 14.5 miles (23.3 km). The district was once part of the railroad's mainline from Chicago, Illinois
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
.
History
The Milwaukee Road was the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' last transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
. The Milwaukee Road felt that in order to compete with the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Great Northern Railway, it had to construct a rail line from the Midwest to the Pacific Coast. In 1906, construction commenced on the "Pacific Extension". It roughly paralleled the two earlier railroads. The route was surveyed in 1906. The railroad decided to cross the Bitterroot Mountains at St. Paul Pass. This pass was chosen because of the stands of marketable white pine timber and also because there was no other competing railroad nearby. From the pass the railroad followed the St. Joe River to Avery, Idaho
Avery, Idaho
Avery is a small unincorporated town nestled in the St. Joe River Valley in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. Avery is located in the middle of the St. Joe District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forest...
.
The construction of this segment of the Pacific Extension was the most expensive, due to the remote location and rugged terrain. The railroad built 14 tunnels and 26 bridges. The tunnel at St. Paul Pass was 8771 feet (2,673.4 m) long.
Beginning in 1914, the railroad electrified
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
its mountain segments. Substations for electric power were built at East Portal and at Avery. Catenary lines
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
were placed over the tracks. In 1974, the railroad ceased electric operations.
In 1980, the railroad went bankrupt and embargoed its line west of Miles City, Montana
Miles City, Montana
Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,123 at the 2010 census.- History :...
. The right-of-way in Idaho was sold off. In 1985, the US Government purchased the portion from Avery to East Portal. From Avery to Loop Creek, the Forest Service built an access road. The portion from Loop Creek to East Portal was made into a bike trail, known as the Route of the Hiawatha Trail
Lookout Pass Ski and Recreation Area
Lookout 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...
.
Legacy
The right-of-way still retains its setting and integrity; the bridges and tunnels are still standing. In places the poles that supported the overhead wires are still in place, as are flanger signs. In addition, the district may be able to help archaeologists learn more about the early construction of the railroad and the crews that did the work. For these reasons, the 14.5 miles (23.3 km) of the Milwaukee Road's Pacific Extension through the Bitterroot Mountains were listed in the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
External links
Route of the Hiawatha TrailMilwaukee Road Historical Association