The Mullan Road
Detail of Gustavus Sohon's drawing of Palouse Falls from the Mullan Report (1863)
The Mullan Road, constructed between 1858 and 1862, was the first wagon road
to cross the Rockies to the Inland Northwest.
The building years were a momentous time in the history of the inland Northwest.
The United States Army had just fought the Coeur d'Alene War (1858). The section
of the trail in eastern Washington passed by the sites of the recent war, including
"Pyramid Butte" (site of the Battle of Steptoe Butte), Hangman Creek
(where Col. George Wright summarily executed several Indians), and "Horse
Slaughter Camp" (where Colonel Wright slaughtered 700 horses, owned by
the local tribes). In his report on the road-building (see below), the reader
can discern Capt. John Mullan's concern that his expedition would encounter
still-hostile Indians
The story of the Mullan Road provides a window onto many historical topics including American road-building, the Indian history of the Inland Northwest, the American wilderness, the white settlement of the Inland Northwest, and the story of America at the mid-nineteenth century, including the Civil War.
In 1863, Capt. John Mullan published a comprehensive account of the building of the road. Here is his report.
Click here for other Mullan Road materials including images and a reading of the report.