Lolo Pass (Idaho-Montana)
Encyclopedia
Lolo Pass, elevation
5233 feet (1,595 m), is a mountain pass
in the United States, in the Bitterroot Range
of the northern Rocky Mountains
. It is on the border between the states
of Montana
and Idaho
, approximately 40 miles (64 km) west-southwest of Missoula
, Montana.
The pass is the highest point of the historic Lolo Trail, between the Bitterroot Valley
in Montana and the Weippe Prairie
in Idaho. The trail was used by Nez Perce Indians in the 18th century, and by the Lewis and Clark Expedition
, guided by Old Toby
of the Shoshone
, on their westward snowbound journey in September 1805. After a winter at Fort Clatsop
in present-day Oregon
, the Corps of Discovery returned the following June.
The pass was also used in 1877 during the Nez Perce War
as some of the Nez Perce under Chief Joseph
tried to escape the U.S. Army. Shortly after crossing the pass the two sides clashed at the Battle of the Big Hole
.
US Highway 12, belatedly completed in the early 1960s
, crosses the pass.
Lolo Hot Springs
is 7 miles (11.3 km) east of the pass in Montana.
The first limited services in Idaho are in Powell, 13 miles (20.9 km) to the west of the pass, then another 65 miles (105 km) to Lowell, at the confluence of the Lochsa
and Selway River
s.
The Lolo Trail is a National Historic Landmark
.
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
5233 feet (1,595 m), is a mountain pass
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 United States, in the Bitterroot Range
Bitterroot Range
The Bitterroot Range runs along the border of Montana and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The range spans an area of 62,736 square kilometers and is named after the bitterroot , a small pink flower that is the state flower of Montana.- History :In 1805, the Corps of Discovery,...
of the northern 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...
. It is on the border between the states
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
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,...
and 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....
, approximately 40 miles (64 km) west-southwest of Missoula
Missoula, Montana
Missoula is a city located in western Montana and is the county seat of Missoula County. The 2010 Census put the population of Missoula at 66,788 and the population of Missoula County at 109,299. Missoula is the principal city of the Missoula Metropolitan Area...
, Montana.
The pass is the highest point of the historic Lolo Trail, between the Bitterroot Valley
Bitterroot Valley
The Bitterroot Valley is located in southwestern Montana in the northwestern United States. It extends over 100 miles from remote Horse Creek Pass north to a point near the city of Missoula...
in Montana and the Weippe Prairie
Weippe Prairie
Weippe Prairie is a "beautiful upland prairie field of about nine by twenty miles of open farmland bordered by pine forests" at 3,000 feet elevation in Clearwater County, Idaho, at Weippe, Idaho. Camas flowers grow well there, and attracted native gatherers of the camas roots...
in Idaho. The trail was used by Nez Perce Indians in the 18th century, and by the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
, guided by Old Toby
Old Toby
Old Toby , whose name was Pikee Queenah ' was war chief of the Tuziyammo band of Western Shoshone and a Shoshone dog soldier.-Guide:...
of the Shoshone
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
, on their westward snowbound journey in September 1805. After a winter at Fort Clatsop
Fort Clatsop
Fort Clatsop was the encampment of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in the Oregon Country near the mouth of the Columbia River during the winter of 1805-1806...
in present-day Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, the Corps of Discovery returned the following June.
The pass was also used in 1877 during the Nez Perce War
Nez Perce War
The Nez Perce War was an armed conflict between the Nez Perce and the United States government fought in 1877 as part of the American Indian Wars. After a series of battles in which both the U.S. Army and native people sustained significant casualties, the Nez Perce surrendered and were relocated...
as some of the Nez Perce under Chief Joseph
Chief Joseph
Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt, popularly known as Chief Joseph, or Young Joseph was the leader of the Wal-lam-wat-kain band of Nez Perce during General Oliver O. Howard's attempt to forcibly remove his band and the other "non-treaty" Nez Perce to a reservation in Idaho...
tried to escape the U.S. Army. Shortly after crossing the pass the two sides clashed at the Battle of the Big Hole
Battle of the Big Hole
The Battle of the Big Hole was a costly battle in the Montana Territory between the Nez Percé and United States army during the Nez Perce War of 1877.-Background:...
.
US Highway 12, belatedly completed in the early 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, crosses the pass.
Lolo Hot Springs
Lolo Hot Springs, Montana
Lolo Hot Springs is an unincorporated community in Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is centered around a commercial hot springs. It also contains a hotel and restaurant. It is the westernmost settlement along U.S. Highway 12 in Montana....
is 7 miles (11.3 km) east of the pass in Montana.
The first limited services in Idaho are in Powell, 13 miles (20.9 km) to the west of the pass, then another 65 miles (105 km) to Lowell, at the confluence of the Lochsa
Lochsa River
The Lochsa River is located in the northwestern United States, in the mountains of north central Idaho. It is one of two primary tributaries of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River in the Clearwater National Forest. Lochsa is a Nez Perce word meaning rough water.The Lochsa was included by the...
and Selway River
Selway River
The Selway River is located in north central Idaho in the northwestern United States within the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. It is a tributary of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater River in the Clearwater National Forest...
s.
The Lolo Trail is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
External links
- Idaho Transportation Dept. - webcam - Lolo Pass
- Idaho Transportation Dept. - roadside historical marker - Lolo Summit
- Lolo Pass Visitor Information Center
- Lewis and Clark: Additional Sites
- The Lewis & Clark Expedition: Documenting the Uncharted Northwest Name, a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan
