An archive of research on historic trails and roads
Robert H. Dunsmore was born in Kellogg, Idaho, and has lived all but two years in northern Idaho's Silver Valley. He has spent years researching the Mullan Military Road and Yellowstone Trail, and has assembled a large collection of maps, quotations, photos, and bibliographies for these historic routes.
Using old maps, diaries, Mullan's reports, and boots-on-the-ground research, Dunsmore created an 8-panel display of the Mullan Road between Spokane, Washington and St. Regis, Montana for the Staff House Museum in Kellogg, Idaho. The large panels include a detailed map, photographs, and comments by road builders and travelers.
This Mullan Road centerline describes the general route of the Mullan Military Road built between 1859 and 1861. It represents many years of research from several individuals and continues to be adjusted as new research is completed.
ViewThis map is a digital representation of an exhibition for the Staff House Museum in Kellogg, Idaho to celebrate the 150th anniversary (2009) of the Mullan Road coming through the area. Spanning the width of eight 40" x 30" panels, a detailed map shows the most probable route of the Mullan road. Each panel also includes photographs and comments from the road-builders and travelers of the era.
The probable location of the Mullan Road was determined primarily from General Land Office (GLO) survey plats made between 1872 and 1898. The display maps also mark the seventeen Coeur d'Alene River crossings, twenty-eight North Fork Coeur d'Alene River crossings, and forty-six St. Regis River crossings as listed by Mullan in his 1863 report.
ViewPart 1: To avoid making sidecuts in the steep hills, the Mullan Road crossed the Coeur d'Alene river 17 times in just 14 miles. This map shows the location of these river crossings between the Mission of the Sacred Heart near present-day Catalto and Wallace, Idaho as determined by researcher Robert Dunsmore.
ViewTo avoid making sidecuts in the steep hills, the Mullan Road crossed the Coeur d'Alene river 28 times in just 11 miles. This map shows the location of these river crossings between present-day Wallace and Mullan, Idaho as determined by researcher Robert Dunsmore.
ViewTo avoid making sidecuts in the steep hills, the Mullan Road crossed the St. Regis river 46 times in just over 21 miles. This map shows the location of these river crossings between present-day St. Regis and Lookout Pass, Montana as determined by researcher Robert Dunsmore.
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